Dates Archives: WEDNESDAY, October 22

PLENARY SESSION: The Next (Final?) Frontier – Exposing the Current State of Textile Circularity in Alberta and Exploring Ways to Challenge the Status Quo

Ballroom ABC

Learn about Alberta’s textile circularity context, what’s happening nationally and internationally to be inspired to take next steps in the textile circularity frontier together.
Moderator: Jennifer Koole, Recycling Council of Alberta
Speakers:

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TOURS

Tours (optional* / concurrent)
Please note the varying start and end times for each tour indicated below

  • Trail Rebuilding Volunteer Opportunity from 9:00am-11:00am – no cost
    We have the opportunity to give back to the Jasper community by helping rebuild some trails. More info here. Note that this opportunity is also offered on Friday, Oct. 24th from 2:00-4:00pm
    Sponsored by Town of Canmore
  • Rocket Fuel for the Future – Jasper Food Tour – 11:00am-2:00pm – $139/person
    Meet in lobby at JPL
    On this short 1.5 KM downtown guided walk, you’ll be visiting four local restaurants and tasting four carefully handpicked dishes paired with boozie treats while listening to Jasper’s top tales along the way. What’s on the menu? Not telling. It’s all part of the adventure.
  • **SOLD OUT** Planetary Boundaries – Peak-Nic – 11:00am-2:00pm – $149/person
    Meet in lobby at JPL

    On Wildfire Peak-Nic, you will be hiking 4 KM through severely impacted site of the Complex Wildfire to one of Jasper’s prominent peaks. As your guide leads you through new growth forest emerging from the ash, you will learn to identify various species of plants, wildflowers and mushrooms, learn about history, geology, forestry, wildfires and observe wildlife from a safe distance. Once at the peak, you will take in 360-degree views of the different yet stunning vistas for miles and learn about the roles and benefits of a wildfire over a hot lunch with your guide.
  • Zero Waste and Zero Gravity Grub – Zero Waste Cooking Class​ – 12:30-2:30pm – $75/person
    Golf Course Club House
    Joanna Tschudy and Leanne Cripps from the Alex, along with a Fairmont chef will lead us on a culinary adventure with tips on bringing zero waste cuisine to your kitchen. You’ll cook with seasonal ingredients with a menu designed to rescue food items and be implemented with zero waste. Hear about the Alex’s amazing community programs and the Fairmont’s sustainability initiatives.
  • **SOLD OUT** Space Junk Solutions – Debris/Crisis Management Overview from the Municipality of Jasper​ – 12:30-2:30pm – $20/person (cost includes shuttle to town)
    Meet in lobby at JPL at 12:15 – bus leaves at 12:30 sharp
    Hear from the Municipality of Jasper and service providers about current operations and the debris management process/challenges with the fire.
    Sponsored by Claystone Waste Ltd.
  • Eco-Explorers – JPL Sustainability Tour – 1:00-2:00pm – no cost
    Meet in lobby at JPL
    Join Iris Yan with Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge management on a behind-the-scenes tour highlighting the environmental programs that are integral to the hotel. Learn how we minimize the environmental impacts during your stay in Jasper. 

    Sponsored by Rehrig Pacific Company
  • ** FULL ** Orbiting Renewal: A Post-Wildfire Ecological Walk​ – 1:00-2:30pm – no cost
    Meet in lobby at JPL
    Join Greg Van Tighem, former Fire Chief for the Town of Jasper, on a compelling interpretive walk that fuses lived experience with environmental insight. This immersive session explores the ongoing impact of the 2024 Jasper wildfire.
    With over two decades of front-line fire leadership, Greg offers a rare and nuanced perspective on wildfire’s ecological role—one increasingly framed by the realities of climate change. As natural disasters grow more frequent and intense, this walk traces how global shifts manifest locally, transforming not only landscapes but also how we prepare, respond, and rebuild (and recycle).
    Through firsthand stories, ecological interpretation, and thoughtful reflection, participants will journey from burn scars to budding regrowth, deepening their understanding of fire-adapted ecosystems and our role in promoting sustainable resilience.  

 

*Note: These tours are scheduled subject to attendance – if we have low numbers we may have to cancel or reschedule. 

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Starlight Social – Opening Reception

Beauvert AB / Great Hall

6:15 pm – 6:45 pm – Rs of Excellence Awards Winners Announced
6:45 pm – 7:30 pm – Scavenger Hunt Activity with Exhibitors

Reception drinks sponsored by CasCell Trading Group Inc.

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Circular Marketplace

Great Hall

Vendor registration ($50)more info here

This is your opportunity to showcase artwork, repurposed goods, sharing services, and reused or upcycled materials to an audience of sustainability leaders, innovators, and enthusiasts. The Circular Marketplace, sponsored by GFL, is a highly anticipated highlight of the conference and a celebration of circularity in action.

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TOUR: Planetarium Dark Sky Experience

Wednesday Night Planetarium Dark Sky Experience – $70/person
–> limited space available – book early
!

Viewing one: 7:45-9:45pm 

(if needed we will open a spot at 9:45pm) 

Enjoy a full evening of cosmic exploration in the world’s largest dark sky preserve. 

First, take-part in a fun, funny, inspiring ‘audience-participation’ guided tour of Jasper Dark Sky Preserve in our 50-seat domed theatre LIVE with our astronomy experts. Then, come outside with our knowledgeable astronomy staff for clear-or-cloudy chance to explore planets, stars, distant galaxies, the aurora, and more under the darkest skies in the Rockies. 

Please note that the planetarium tour is mainly outside. As such, please bring warm jackets, mitts and toques to keep you warm during the ~1.5 hours outside.

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WORKSHOPS

Workshops (optional / concurrent)  

  • Crash Course: Communicating Complexity with Niki Wilson – $75/person
    Pyramid A
    Great ideas lose their power when they are buried in jargon, lost in the weeds or are just…too long. This hands-on, two-hour workshop is designed for professionals who need to explain complex topics – data, strategy, research or processes – to people that don’t speak the lingo. It could be your manager, your team, the public or the media. We’ll go through techniques used in effective and impactful communication, then write and practice an “elevator pitch” that can be used to deliver your message to a specific audience. Come with a real idea or message you want to sharpen.
  • Celestial Circles: Measuring Success for Municipal Circularity – $75/person
    Pyramid B
    Led by Reeve Consulting and Dillon Consulting
    The workshop titled “Measuring Success for Municipal Circularity” will explore how local governments can transition from measuring waste diversion to measuring circularity, while continuing to support data-driven decision-making and accountability. In this shifting landscape, municipalities face challenges in defining and measuring waste management performance, and understanding how they are doing compared to other communities. In this session, participants will learn about innovative frameworks and metrics being adopted in Canada and abroad, including single-metrics and tiered performance frameworks. Attendees will gain insights into options to overcome challenges such as data availability and quality, and leverage the opportunity to better communicate the impacts of efforts deployed. The workshop will also highlight collaborative opportunities for developing new metrics and sharing best practices on how to use measurement frameworks to drive continuous improvement. Hands-on activities will allow participants to leave with tangible actions for next steps, and will also allow participants to hear from each other, and collaborate to come up with shared solutions.
    Moderators: Amanda Chouinard, Reeve Consulting and Alida Kusch, Dillon Consulting
    Presenter: Tessa Vlaanderen, Circular Futures
    Sponsored by Dillon Consulting Limited
  • Super-Sonic Circularity: Building a Made-in-Alberta Circular Supply Chain – $75/person
    Pyramid C
    1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

    In 2024, online copycats threatened Edmonton-based apparel manufacturer Unbelts’ primary revenue stream. But in an against-all-odds pivot, founder Claire Theaker-Brown leveraged the one thing online marketplace giants couldn’t compete with: an agile, hyper-local supply chain with built-in circularity practices. Now, the award-winning Certified B Corporation has a new product line and renewed sales momentum – and in this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn the creative, thrifty strategy applied by the Unbelts team. Topics will include:

    • How to “circularize” a traditional linear supply chain, one step at a time
    • How to think outside the box (and your current Rolodex) in the hunt for Alberta suppliers
    • How to turn operational vulnerabilities into your greatest strengths

    Participants will leave with practical circularity steps to apply within their own enterprise, and a new network of potential collaborators.

    Sponsored by sonnevera international corp.

  • The Circular Plastics Taskforce – A Canadian Odyssey, An Alberta Exploration – no cost
    Ballroom ABC
    1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

    The Circular Plastics Taskforce (CPT) was established in 2020 with a vision that all plastic packaging put on the market in Canada be collected and recycled in keeping with market needs, creating a circular economy. Led by Cascades, Circular Materials, the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC), Danone Canada, Éco Entreprises Québec (EEQ), Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, ProAmpac and Recycle BC, the CPT aims to strengthen existing and emerging markets and contribute to improving the industry’s performance through optimization solutions and research projects.
    This session will focus on the CPT’s mission, provide an overview of its current initiatives, and discuss its role in supporting the implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) across multiple provinces. Following an inspiring panel, participants will be invited to share their ideas in a workshop aiming to identify key opportunities around plastics in Alberta and discuss on how the CPT could foster local efforts and tangible projects towards plastic circularity in the province.
    Sponsored by Circular Plastics Taskforce

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