At her first Mayor's Environment Expo, Mayor Jyoti Gondek shared her passion for climate action and environmental stewardship while welcoming students and teachers to join The City in its climate and environment initiatives through Expo sessions, exhibitors and programming. EcoSchools Canada's Alberta delivery partner, the Alberta Council for Environmental Education (ACEE), also announced which EcoSchools achieved certification this year.

Are you ready for a great outdoor adventure?  Having fun and exploring new places are great goals, however you choose to enjoy the outdoors - on foot, bicycle, horseback or even motorized vehicle. Follow a few simple tips and tricks to plan a trip to have maximum fun while keeping yourself and the environment safe.

Participants will learn more about Responsible Recreation in Alberta through a choose your own adventure program.  They will work together to prepare for an outdoor adventure.

Suitable for Grades 4 - 6

Join the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation to explore how Alberta's animals will be impacted by climate change, and how we humans can help our wild neighbours cope with this and other challenges to their survival.

Suitable for Grades 3 - 6

Can it be sustained AND maintain environmental health?"  In this session I will demonstrate our simulator, www.albertatomorrow.ca, and show how the Bow River Watershed has changed in the past and may change in the future as a result of our activities on the land.

We will time travel back to 1910 and forward to 2050 to see how the land has changed.  Student will be challenged to create their own plan for the Bow River Watershed that balances environmental and social economic indicators.

Suitable for Grades 4 - 9

Join us and learn about how our actions affect air quality and how air quality affects us. Take a look at Calgary’s air quality; how do we compare to the rest of the world? How do our actions in our neighbourhood, at our schools and in our city affect air quality? How can we change our habits to protect our air?

Suitable for Grades 4 - 6

Will today’s hot new trend become tomorrow’s garbage? Let’s learn how we can make the shift to wasting less! Join us for a hands-on workshop that explores the benefits of a circular economy and learn a new skill along the way.

Calgarians are concerned about the amount of waste we generate and the environmental impacts of our current system of take-make-use-waste. In a circular economy, reducing waste is the name of the game—and we can show you how!

Suitable for Grades 4 - 6

Learn about the importance of water, wetlands and watersheds by taking a virtual journey down the Bow River. Along the way, you will meet many wetland friends that teach us what is happening to our local waterways. Learn how you can help our wetland friends by becoming a Water Ranger today!

Suitable for Grades 4 - 5

Calling all student leaders!  Tired of the daily traffic jam around your school at drop off and pick up times? Spend 45 minutes with Ever Active Schools as we walk you through the comprehensive Active and Safe Routes to School toolkit that will help you increase active and sustainable travel in your school community.  Tie your shoelaces. Change is here.

Suitable for Grades 4 - 8

Science for young citizens inspires students to build connections to nature through the use of technology! This introduction to citizen science will help students discover the importance of birds in our ecosystems, their needs, lifecycles, and how birds are threatened by our changing climate. We will find out how we can submit our bird sightings to citizen science apps to contribute to real-world science!

Suitable for Grades 3 - 6

Science for young citizens inspires students to build connections to nature through the use of technology! This introduction to citizen science will help students discover the importance of pollinators in our ecosystems, their needs, lifecycles, and how pollinators are threatened by our changing climate. We will find out how we can submit our pollinator sightings to citizen science apps to contribute to real-world science!

Suitable for Grades 3 - 6

Science for young citizens inspires students to build connections to nature through the use of technology! This introduction to citizen science will help students discover the important role that each species plays within an ecosystem, and how this delicate balance can be disrupted by human activity and our changing climate.

We will find out how we can submit our animal and plant sightings to citizen science apps to contribute to real-world science!

Suitable for Grades 7 - 9

By looking at threatened westslope cutthroat trout as a local case study, students will gain an understanding of how human activities affect ecosystems and how these impacts are monitored and assessed. In this live, interactive session, students will be introduced to the biology of this native trout species, the threats to its survival and a summary of federal and provincial recovery efforts.

Real world examples of restoring fish habitat in the Ghost Watershed will be showcased. Teachers will have access to an accompanying teacher resource that includes a slide deck and student activities. 

Suitable for Grades 7 - 9

Taking care of Alberta’s landscape is no small task, so climb aboard the Steward Ship and take a virtual tour of Alberta’s natural regions! Using mini case studies, we’ll introduce some of the challenges each region faces as our climate changes, and highlight some innovative ways Albertans are answering the call for adaptation and mitigation.

We’ll also touch on scientific inquiry, understanding natural processes of our ecosystems, and looking at the geological history that shaped our landscape and created our rich diversity of natural resources. Great for Grades 4-7!

Suitable for Grades 4 - 7

Au cours de cette quête virtuelle interactive, les élèves choisissent le chemin à suivre pour trouver des animaux protégés par Parcs Canada dans le parc national Banff. Leurs choix pourraient mener à des découvertes étonnantes, à des quêtes secondaires, à un désastre ou à une réussite! Pendant cette séance, nous aurons recours à des sondages en ligne en temps réel et à des tests-éclair pour orienter le récit. L’activité « La quête de la conservation » est remplie de faits amusants qui incitent à la curiosité, à l’exploration et à la protection du monde naturel.

Suitable for Grades 4 - 7

Comment distinguer un animal de compagnie d’un animal sauvage? Que faire pour assurer la sécurité des humains et de la faune dans le parc national Banff? Familiarisez-vous avec #LaLoiDeLaFaune de Parcs Canada en découvrant le récit d’Ursa, une jeune grizzli qui vit une « baie » grande aventure. Cette séance comporte une causerie illustrée sur la faune, la lecture d’un livre d’histoires et une période de questions-réponses.

Suitable for Grades K - 3

How do you know if an animal is a pet or if it’s wild? What can you do to keep people and wildlife safe in Banff National Park? Discover Parks Canada’s #WildlifeRules through the story of Ursa, a young grizzly bear who goes on a “beary” big adventure. This session includes an illustrated wildlife talk, a storybook reading, and a Q & A session.

Suitable for Grades K - 3

Students choose the path through this interactive virtual quest to find animals that Parks Canada protects in Banff National Park. Their choices could lead to surprising discoveries, side quests, disaster, or success! This program uses real-time online polling and quizzes to direct the story. Conservation Quest is filled with fun facts that encourage curiosity, exploration, and protection of the natural world. 

Suitable for Grades 4 - 7

Did you know that Calgary is a designated Bee City?  What is a pollinator, can you identify one and why are they so important?  Join us to learn what all the buzz is about and how you can become a polli-neighbour.

Suitable for Grades 1 - 3

Climate change impacts all of us. It’s a complex challenge that can seem overwhelming, but the solutions don’t have to be!

This presentation, delivered by members of The City of Calgary’s Climate Program team, will explore what climate change means for our city and our people.

This session, which is 45 minutes long, will explain how The City is preparing for climate change risks and impacts and will empower students to take action on climate change. There will be time for questions at the end.

Suitable for Grades 7 - 12

Geared for grades 7-12, students in this virtual workshop will examine the intricate relationships between climate, our water resources, and our day to day lives. Starting off simple, the basics of climate and of our watershed will be briefly reviewed to ensure a mutual understanding of these foundational concepts. Next will be a deeper dive into how climate both directly and indirectly impacts our water resources, relating it to lived experiences and how we perceive our water resources.

This will introduce a discussion around the importance of integrating mitigation alongside adaptation, providing practical examples of how the City of Calgary has incorporated these concepts into various water related projects. This presentation will culminate in resources to help familiarize students with what climate resiliency can look like both at home and at school.

Suitable for Grades 7 - 12

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo invites young people to join us in our mission to sustain wildlife and wild places. In this workshop, we will have students act as Conservation Scientists for a day! This workshop will inspire students to think and act like scientists by having them research the needs of an endangered animal of their choosing, design enrichment opportunities for them in a zoo setting, and understand how conservation initiatives help animal species in the wild. Students will then share their findings via ArcGIS Story Maps, a digital application used by conservation scientists! Scientists utilize ArcGIS Story Maps to share their findings with public audiences.

We will show students an example of a Story Map featuring Western Lowland Gorillas. The first section of the Story Map will focus on researching their lives in a natural habitat. The second section of the Story Map will focus on how we provide enrichment activities at the zoo to ensure they remain happy and healthy. The third section will focus on conservation efforts that benefit gorillas in the wild. 

Following this workshop, students can engage in a post-session activity by completing a citizen science submission. Your students’ ArcGIS Story Map can feature maps, videos, pictures, and text to present your research on the animal of their choice. The Story Maps should also feature enrichment activities that would benefit the animal in a zoo setting and how it contributes to their wellbeing. Using this platform allows your students to expand their skillset and use an application that is widely used by conservation scientists in the field. If your class would like to share their ArcGIS Story Maps with the zoo, you can submit their work to us at conservationchampions@calgaryzoo.com. 

Suitable for Grades 4 - 6