2004 Rs of Excellence Award Winners

K-LOR Contractors has built a solid reputation over the past 20 years as a cost-effective, technically superior, environmental contractor. K-LOR has pioneered  and advocated waste minimization practices in the Construction and Demolition industry across Western Canada. K-LOR supports and promotes waste diversion strategies on all demolition/ deconstruction projects and their waste diversion and recycling efforts have attracted significant media and public interest. These projects include the deconstruction of Harvey Barracks in Calgary, deconstruction of Alberta’s bomb shelters in Penhold, Bear Street in Banff and the dismantling of Alberta Distillers’ barrel racks in Calgary.

In the Bear Street project, waste diversion of over 92% was achieved through careful dismantling and material separation, and working with the Bow Valley Waste Management Commission and local businesses. Similarly, waste diversion of 95% was achieved during demolition of Grande Prairie’s City Hall.

K-LOR is currently completing the dismantling and salvage of the communication tower, including summit station and tramway, on Pyramid Mountain overlooking the Town of Jasper. Decommissioning of this facility includes the removal of structures and ecological restoration of the alpine area.

K-LOR and its employees are sensitive to the environmental needs and responsibilities of its clients and committed to providing practical and environmentally-responsible solutions to today’s waste management challenges. K-LOR continues to promote, education and practice C&D waste diversion strategies.

ABCRC has an ongoing mission to provide innovative and economically sustainable recycling of beverage containers in Alberta, and is continually looking for new and innovative ways to capture more used beverage containers.

As a way to help Albertans recycle beverage containers through greater convenience, the idea of a collection bin was formed. After searching out a Canadian manufacturer, the bin was created from 100% green recycled plastic to be used in making the bins. This product is all Albertan, created and manufactured in Edmonton. It consists of recycled plastic recovered from the containers returned to the bottle depots across Alberta.

This container started as the backbone of a new school program, when a search for a suitable cost effective container could not be found. The school project, being launched next month, has quickly grown in proportion to many versatile usages, applicable in various markets. The response to the bin has been very positive, especially from the teachers and schools in the pilot program.

The bin is enabling ABCRC to work and form partnerships with many charitable organizations seeking an alternative fund raising outlet. These partnerships have become the beginning of the newly formed ABCRC Community Champions Program recognizing partnerships within Alberta.

The newly created bin will help in the reduction of beverage containers by giving consumers more outlets to recycle. The primary purpose of the PET bin is to increase public awareness of the importance of recycling beverage containers. As such, it is seen as an important tool in the arenas of public and government relations to show that the ABCRC is promoting container recycling.

The Town of Okotoks’ waste reduction program Includes a full-service recycling centre, as well as a satellite drop-off station, where residents have 24-hour access to drop off plastic milk jugs, newsprint, cardboard and mixed paper. A community compost site collects grass clippings and leaves, as well as pumpkins and Christmas trees. Over 800 tonnes of grass clippings and leaves are collected annually, along with 1 tonne of pumpkins and 2000 Christmas trees! The composting program, combined with bag limits, has reduced the organics fraction of the waste stream by 80%.

Residents have ongoing access to drop-off unwanted paint, household, lawn and garden chemicals at the Okotoks Fire Station or the Regional Landfill.

A 3 bag/week limit is in place on garbage, with an option for residents to purchase extra unit tags. This is not meant to aggravate people but to encourage waste reduction.

The Town of Okotoks has undertaken a number of educational initiatives to encourage participation in a variety of environmental programs, including recycling and waste reduction. The combined efforts of the waste reduction program have resulted In a reduction in waste to landfill of 30%.

Okotoks’ waste reduction program is widely recognized as effective and efficient, and has provided a model for many small communities across Alberta.

Tim has been president/vice-president of Cochrane Environmental Advisory Committee for 8 years. He also chairs the Brownfield Development Committee as CEAC rep.

Tim has gone far beyond what most individuals would do for their community. One of Tim’s earliest memories of recycling was when he was 10 years old. Tim recalls crushing cans in the garage and convincing his Dad to take him to IKO Industries to recycle their newspapers, which also included persuading the gent at IKO to take his newspapers as IKO had never taken residential recycling before.

Tim helped to initiate volunteer-driven recycling in Cochrane for 4 years with CEAC before the Town took it over. Tim did the recycling at Glenbow School, and coordinated the recycling for parents at Mitford School.

Tim is the CEAC advisor for the Cochrane Environmental Management Advisory Committee, which provided recommendations to the Town for the new recycling depot.

Some of Tim’s other environmental accomplishments:

• Chair of Brownfield Development Committee,
• Chair and founding member of Banks and Branches- a community tree plant event that annually plants 3-4000 trees. (Emerald Award)
• Assisted researching and drafting the Town of Cochrane Water Conservation Policy.
• Founding member of Naturescape Cochrane – water use and pesticide reduction.
• Park Steward for Kananaskis Country
• Environmental rep on Spray Lakes Sawmills Forestry Management Agreement Public Advisory group
• Regional advisor to Carpool.ca
• Member of Bow River Basin Council Legislative & Policy Review Sub-committee
• 1999 Citizen of the Year
• Destination Conservation Parent Volunteer Award
• 1 of 10 finalists for Earthday’s Hometown Heroes

Thanks to Tim, and all other grassroots volunteers, as without them, recycling would not be where it is today.

Strathcona County has been home to Shirley and her family since 1974. For the past several years, she has been Chair of the Capital Region Waste Minimization Advisory Committee, a group that works to facilitate recycling and waste reduction programs on a municipal and regional basis. As Chair of this Committee, Shirley led the charge on a number of waste reduction issues, including diversion of milk containers, fluorescent tubes and computers. She also sits on the Milk Container Recycling board.

Shirley has been a councillor for Strathcona County since 1989 and has promoted waste reduction and recycling activities throughout the County. In addition to her many committee activities, Shirley has 25 years of volunteer experience with myriad charitable organizations and fund-raisers.

Shirley is an active member on the Agricultural Services Board, Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, and Pioneer Housing Foundation, in addition to regional committees involved with health services and the delivery of water. She has served on the Edmonton Region Mental Health Advisory Committee since 1999 and effective May 1, 2003 Shirley has been appointed to the Edmonton and Area Region 6 Child and Family Services Authority for a 3 year term.

Shirley will not be seeking reelection in the coming municipal election and plans to spend more time with her grandchildren, pursuing her upholstery business and her passion for quilting and gardening.