#2024RCA Circular Economy Conference Highlights
Letter from RCA Executive Director Jennifer Koole
What a week we had in Banff! Thank you to all who presented, attended, sponsored and participated in last week’s Circular Economy Conference 2024 was one for the record books! We’re already looking forward to the 2025 RCA Conference that will be held from October 22-24, 2025 at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.
Here’s a quick recap for those who couldn’t join us (tip: all presentations will be shared on the RCA website this week).






The sessions kicked off Wednesday morning with three engaging workshops: Green Procurement, Polymers 101, and an EPR Workshop. From these insightful workshops to tours of Banff’s top sustainable hotspots, this conference truly had it all!


At the AGM we launched RCA’s Vision 2030 – our five-year strategic plan. View the plan in its entirety on the website. Our new mission is to advance a circular economy in Alberta!


Also on Wednesday, we elected seven new directors at the AGM. We would like to welcome Jaclyn Damboise, Andre Joseph (returning), Clayton Miller, Mehr Nikoo, Jason Palamar, Shawn Samborsky and Andrew Telfer. A list of the full Board of Directors can be found on our website. The evening ended with a heartwarming tribute to the RCA’s outgoing cherished leader, Christina Seidel. There were many laughs and tears as friends and colleagues shared their memories.





Thursday and Friday were full of great sessions where examples of leadership in the circular economy were shared. We were challenged to do more for plastic waste pollution reduction, for health’s sake, and we heard from some of the best municipal programs, entrepreneurs, and academics. We talked about asphalt, textiles, plastics, food waste, new innovations, and so much more. We were exposed to examples from colleagues in the UK and the US. And, we had the costume party to beat all costume parties late into Thursday night where we celebrated our Rs of Excellence award winners, Hallowe’en, and Christina’s birthday.


We’d especially like to give a shout out to our sponsors, without them we could not host this incredible conference!




Stay tuned for all our upcoming events:
- November 21, 2024: RCA Webinar – Organics Processing Capacity Round Table
- December 11, 2024: RCA & Coast Waste Management Association Webinar – Technology & Innovations for Difficult-to-Divert Materials – Part 2
- December 20, 2024: RCA Christmas Mixer in Red Deer – Save the Date!
- We’ll have a DIY wrapping paper station using recycled paper, of course, and a ‘Regift Table’ where you can swap your re-gifts with others! Bring those hidden treasures from the back of your closet—whether from Grandma or Aunt Shirley—and trade up for something new!


