2023 RCA Summer Ambassadors: A Season in Review

Since 1999, during the summer season, the RCA has selected a team of conscientious, dynamic, and environmentally conscious post-secondary students to execute significant waste reduction initiatives on behalf of our members.

As summer winds down and we move closer to our conference in October, another season of the RCA Summer Ambassadors comes to an end as well. This year, the RCA hired three Calgary Ambassadors and two Edmonton Ambassadors to work on a variety of projects across Alberta.

The summer for the RCA Ambassadors started with compost roundups in Cochrane and Langdon staffed by the Calgary team; Swroop, Victor, and Sosan. Our Edmonton Ambassadors, Audrey and Krystal worked several Ag Plastic giveaways with Cleanfarms as well as waste audits in Rocky Mountain House and Banff.

A residential waste audit for Skyline was our largest project this summer. The Calgary team spent one month sorting, documenting, and generating a report for a 192-residential complex in Airdrie. 1,500 kilos of samples were pulled often under adverse weather conditions. A round of applause for our dedicated Calgary team for their exceptional commitment and hard work! A special thank you to Stacy Schaub-Szabo of S-cubed Environmental for her invaluable technical guidance and support. Additionally, we extend our gratitude to Skyline for affording the RCA Ambassadors an invaluable opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to this project.

Our Ambassadors also collaborated with S-cubed on a waste audit in Chestermere, conducted an audit of the Fort Saskatchewan waste app to update curbside material collection information, and spearheaded a range of research and communications projects for the RCA.

As we conclude another successful summer with the RCA Ambassadors, our gratitude extends to the Ambassadors for their dedication, RCA members for their support, and the program’s partnering organizations for fostering exceptional learning experiences.