1. SEDV Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 7 May, 2016
MSc SUSTAINABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT (SEDV)
46 ENVIRONMENTAL VICTORIES SINCE THE FIRST
EARTH DAY BY BRIAN CLARK HOWARD
Inside this issue:
Field trip to DLSC-
Okotoks
2-3
Pine Creek WWTP field
trip
4-5
Faculty Insight: Dr. Con-
nie Van der Byl
6-7
Industry’s Insight: Ulf
Geerds
8-9
Inaugural Alumni and
Student Networking
Event
10-11
ALUMNI CORNER: Seema
Garg Jindal
12-13
RetScreen training feed-
back
14
Sustainability on the
news
15
Important upcoming
events
15
A Newsletter brought to you 3 times a year by the Sustainable Energy Development Program (SEDV) from the University of Calgary
1. 1970 "Environmental
Magna Carta"
2. 1972 Notorious Toxic
Chemical Banned
3. 1972 Regulating Pesti-
cides
4. 1972 Cleaning Up Rivers
5. 1972 Marine Sanctuaries
Created
6. 1972 Saving Whales
7. 1973 Saving Species
8. 1975 Global Agreement on
Endangered Species
9. 1974 Safe(r) Drinking Wa-
ter
10. 1974 Getting the Lead Out
of Gas
11. 1976 Chemical Control
12. 1978 Love Canal Causes
National Outcry
13. 1980 Superfund Program
Launched
14. 1980 Vast Alaskan Lands
Protected
15. 1982 Saving More Whales
16. 1986 McPackaging Im-
proves
17. 1986 A Civil Action
18. 1987 Saving Condors
19. 1987 Plugging the Ozone
Hole
20. 1987 Cleaning Up Sewage
21. 1988 Cleaning Up Medical
Waste
22. 1989 Get the Asbestos Out
23. 1990 Clearing the Air
24. 1992 Rio Earth Summit
25. 1991 Saving Ferrets
26. 1993 Erin Brockovich Wins
Her Case
27. 1993 Green Building Takes
Off
28. 1993 Protecting Biodiversi-
ty
29. 1995 Gray Wolves Reintro-
duced to Yellowstone
30. 1995 Bald Eagle Recovery
31. 1997 Early Climate Agree-
ment
32. 2000 Hybrid Revolution
33. 2000 Green Awareness
34. 2001 Roadless Areas Pro-
tected
35. 2002 California Goes Solar
36. 2002 Cradle to Cradle Is
Published
37. 2003 Electric Cars Get Cool
38. 2006 Al Gore's Movie
39. 2006 Sharing Fish
40. 2007 Fuel Efficiency
41. 2007 Rise of Walking
42. 2007 Big Green Apple
43. 2009 Massive Marine
Monument
44. 2010 Protecting the Atlan-
tic Coast
45. 2012 Dams Come Down
46. 2015 Climate Agreement
A version of this post originally published by Brian Clark Howard in the National Geographic News Section. Copyright © 1996-2015
National Geographic Society. We reposted it in celebration of Earth Day 2016 and to inspire further conversation.
As Earth Day turns 46, we take a look back at the biggest milestones in en-
vironmental protection.
The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, was a milestone event for the planet.
An estimated 20 million people took to the streets across the U.S. to raise
awareness about the impacts of human activities on the environment.
Since then, the annual tradition has grown to involve billions of people
around the world. This year, Earth Day turns 46. To mark this anniversary
and to show how much has changed since 1970, we assembled 46 of the
most significant accomplishments of the environmental movement since
the first Earth Day.
Full article available at National Geographic News

2. On the beautiful winter morning of Janu-
ary 14, 2016 our SEDV cohort was greet-
ed by Dawn Smith, Sustainability Coordi-
nator at the City of Okotoks, and her col-
league Stefan Martensson at the Drake
Solar Landing Community. We walked to
the 52-home solar community where
Dawn explained to us that Okotoks was
chosen as the site of the Natural Re-
sources Canada research and demonstra-
tion project based on its annual solar irra-
diance and flexibility in building codes,
among other criteria. We’d like to think
that they might have also chosen this site
because of how nice the people are here!
The development has an array of
800 solar panels located on garage roofs
and it is nearly impossible to purchase a
home here as the demand to live in this
community is so high and houses hardly
ever go on the market. These houses are
valued significantly more than those just
one block south, which have a similar de-
sign but have only natural gas heating
systems. In contrast, the Drake Solar
Landing Community homes rely on their
solar thermal systems but also have sec-
ondary natural gas heating systems that
can be utilized when demand is high.
The community generates 1.5 megawatts
of thermal power during a typical sum-
mer day and supplies heat to the district
heating system. The combination of sea-
sonal and short-term thermal storage
(STTS) facilitate collection and storage of
solar energy in the summer for use in
space heating on winter days like the day
of our visit. Interestingly, one of the big-
gest challenges in the project thus far
comes from the snow sliding off of the 45
degree pitch roofs during our Alberta
winters! The solar panels absorb the
Sun’s energy and heat a glycol solution
running through an insulated piping sys-
tem, or collector loop, that connects the
array of collectors between sunrise and
sunset. This heated food-grade glycol
travels along the roof overhang, down
Top from left to right, Stefan Martensson (Sustainability Team- City of Okotoks), Nermine Sorial, Namrata Sheth, Lidia
Sorial, Connor Bedard, Jeffrey Coombes, Peter Tseng, Nicholas Ritchie, Jillian Haneiph, Hannah Wentzell, Cristina Vallejo,
Maria Meza and Dr. Ed Nowicki.
Below from left to right, Adriana Zuniga, Alonso Alegre, Dawn Smith (Sustainability Coordinator at the City of Okotoks)
and Kasondra Harbottle.
DRAKE SOLAR LANDING COMMUNITY SEDV FIELD TRIP
BY JILLIAN HANEIPH (SEDVS VICE-PRESIDENT)
Okotoks Sustainability Infor-
mation
Okotoks Community Sustain-
ability Plan
Okotoks Community Vision-
ing
Okotoks Rebates, Programs
& Events
About DLSC
DLSC System Current Condi-
tions
DLSC Homes
DLSC Solar Collection
DLSC District Heating System
DLSC Energy Centre
Borehole Thermal Energy
Storage (BTES)
2

3. SEDV FIELD TRIP TO THE DSLC (CONT)
3
the end of the garage, and underground
through a shallow buried trench system
until it arrives at a heat exchanger within
the community’s Energy Centre, which we
explored later that morning.
Within the Energy Centre, the heat ex-
changer transfers heat to the water
stored in a short-term storage tank and
the glycol solution follows its loop back to
the solar collector system. The STTS tank
located in the Energy Centre acts as the
central hub for heat movement between
collectors, district loop/houses, and a
borehole thermal energy storage (BTES),
an in-ground heat sink for seasonal energy
storage.
We walked outside to see the BTES,
where heat is derived from on winter
days. Of course, on cold winter days, like
the day of our tour, natural gas is used to
supplement the heating demand of the
community. During the warmer months,
the heated water is distributed from the
short-term storage tank to the BTES un-
derground system via a series of pipes
which run through a collection of 144
holes that stretch thirty-seven meters be-
low the ground and cover an area thirty-
five metres in diameter. As the heated
water travels through the pipe-work, heat
is transferred to the surrounding earth.
The temperature of the earth will reach
80 degrees Celsius by the end of each
summer! The BTES is covered with sand,
high-density R-40 insulation, a waterproof
membrane, clay, and other landscaping
materials. The water completes its circuit
of the BTES system and returns to the
short-term storage tanks in the Energy
Centre to be heated again and repeat the
same process.
As an SEDV group, we enjoyed the oppor-
tunity to explore the Drake Solar Landing
Community and Energy Centre having
Dawn as our guide. We asked a lot of
questions of Dawn and our very own Re-
newable Energy expert, instructor Dr. Ed
Nowicki in a few short hours.
We’d like to thank our host Dawn Smith
and Stefan Martensson from the City of
Okotoks, Dr. Ed Nowicki, and Dr. Anil
Mehrotra for enabling this education-
enriching field trip - we certainly gained a
new appreciation for the potential of solar
thermal energy.
For the full story please visit our Facebook
page, and more photos in google .
DSLC Funding Partners
Program of Energy Research and
Development, Government of
Canada
Renewable energy programs
and initiatives, Natural Re-
sources Canada
Technology Early Action
Measures, Government of Cana-
da
Green Municipal Fund, Federa-
tion of Canadian Municipalities
Climate Change Central
ATCO Gas
Innovation Program, Govern-
ment of Alberta
Sustainable Development Tech-
nology Canada
United Communities
Sterling Homes Ltd.
Alberta Environment, Govern-
ment of Alberta
DSLC Project Participants
CanmetENERGY, Natural Re-
sources Canada – project leader
Leidos Canada – project coordi-
nator and performance monitor-
ing
United Communities – develop-
er
Sterling Homes Ltd. – home-
builder
ATCO Gas – utility operator
Town of Okotoks – project facili-
tator
Climate Change Division, Atlan-
tic Region, Environment Cana-
da – thermal storage design
IFTech International – thermal
storage design
Enermodal Engineering Ltd. –
solar and heating system design
Exova – design support and solar
equipment testing
Thermal Energy System Special-
ists – computer modeling and
simulation
EnerWorks Inc. – solar collector
and solar domestic hot water
system supplier
Nu-Air Ventilation Systems Inc. –
air-handler unit supplier
Sunbow Consulting Ltd. – subdi-
vision design
Hurst Construction Management
Inc. – energy centre building and
system construction
Solar Seasonal Storage and District Loop (retrieved from DLSC website)

4. On Thursday, March 3rd, as organized by
SEDVS member Adriana Zuniga and Wa-
ter Pollution professor, Dr. Gopal Achari,
14 students from SEDV 607 and our T.A.,
Maryam Izadifard, travelled to the Pine
Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant
(WWTP).
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by
Garth, who led us on an informative two
hour tour of the plant’s operations. The
Primary Treatment at the plant begins
with the headworks where there are
screens, which get rid of debris. Next,
there are circular grit removal tanks,
where grit settles to the bottom and is
drawn up through pumps. From there,
the grit is dewatered and sent to a land-
fill.
The primary clarifier is the next step of
the treatment process, where a skimmer
sends any floating waste to the gravity
thickener, fermenter and then anaerobic
digester (AD). The odor produced in this
clarifier is naturally taken care of by the
microbial slime growth. The AD produces
methane, which is used to fire the boiler
and offset heating costs, but they do not
have enough digester sludge to produce
the amount of methane needed to fully
run the boiler. The biosolids produced in
this process are then sent to Calgary
farmlands through the Calgro program.
The Secondary Treatment starts with 2
bioreactors where air is added and mi-
crobes mix with the wastewater to break
down the organics. This is a self-sufficient
process in which additional microbes are
not needed. Garth used an analogy of go-
ing to your grandmother’s house and
waiting to be served a delicious meal to
describe to us the process the microbes
go through in the multiple different bio-
reactor zones. From there, the
wastewater travels to a secondary clarifi-
er, and finally the disk filters. The disk fil-
ters are used because it produces more
diffuse water, which ensures better mix-
ing when the water is returned to the riv-
er.
Top from left to right, Abhijith Seetharam, Jeffrey Coombes, Peter Tseng, Hannah Wentzell, Adriana
Zuniga, Connor Bedard, Nicholas Ritchie, Sean Gorman, Alonso Alegre.
Below from left to right, Jillian Haneiph, Lidia Sorial, Martha Dias, Cristina Vallejo, Maria Meza,
Namrata Sheth and Maryam Izadifard (SEDV 607-T.A.)
PINE CREEK WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT
FIELD TRIP BY HANNAH WENTZELL (SEDVS SECRETARY)
Pine Creek Wastewater
Treatment Plant, Canada
The City of Calgary officially
unveiled its advanced Pine
Creek Wastewater Treatment
Plant (WWTP) in May 2010.
Built at a cost of $430m, the
new plant is one of the most
technologically advanced and
environmentally friendly facil-
ities in Canada.
The facility can treat up to
100 mega-litres of
wastewater per day (ML/d) to
serve a population of 250,000
for the next 10 years. The
capacity is expandable to
700ML/d which will enable it
to serve 1.75m people in fu-
ture.
The new facility occupies a
portion of a 320 acre site and
produces the highest quality
of treated effluent in the re-
gion. Construction of the fa-
cility commenced in 2004 and
completed in November
2009.
Fore more information visit,
water technology. net, and
City of Calgary web page
4

5. SEDV FIELD TRIP TO THE WWTP (CONT)
5
Tertiary Treatment consists of disinfection
via UV light banks and finally the pro-
duced water is released through diffusers
into the bottom of the riverbed.
In finishing up the tour, we gathered in
one of the WWTP’s boardrooms where
Garth shared some more interesting facts
about the WWTP as a whole. The plant
operates at amount 80 megalitres (ML)
per day, however, capacity is 200 ML/day.
Should they go over capacity, the extra
waste would be diverted to Fish Creek
WWTP. However, this has not been need-
ed, even during the 2013 flood, which sig-
nificantly impacted other WWTP’s in the
area (Fish Creek and Bonnybrook). The
Pine Creek WWTP opened in 2008, is plan-
ning a phase two expansion in the future,
is LEED certified, and services most munic-
ipal waste south of Glenmore Trail, Calga-
ry. We also learned that The City of Calga-
ry was issued an A+ grade in 2004 on The
National Sewage Report Card. This was
the highest grade achieved among 22 ma-
jor Canadian cities, with Whistler and Ed-
monton close behind.
We would all like to thank our knowledge-
able tour guide Garth, Dr. Achari for book-
ing the tour, our T.A. Maryam Izadifard for
accompanying us, and Adriana Zuniga for
her always appreciated event and accom-
modations planning.
For the full story please visit our Facebook
page, and more photos in google.
Coat of arms of Calgary
The City of Calgary has
three wastewater treat-
ment facilities:
 Fish Creek Wastewater
Treatment Plant
 Pine Creek Wastewater
Treatment Plant
 Bonnybrook
Wastewater Treatment
Plant
Together, these treatment
plants meet the
wastewater and sewage
needs of over one million
Calgarians each day.
City of Calgary invites to
their citizens to take the
following online tours, for
more information:
Wastewater treatment
online tour, and
Water treatment online
tour
One of the four secondary clarifiers at the Pine Creek WWTP. Photo courtesy of Adriana Zuniga

6. FACULTY INSIGHT: DR. CONNIE VAN DER BYL
Dr. Connie Van der Byl is an
assistant professor in the Bis-
sett School of Business and
Director of the Institute for
Environmental Sustainability
(IES) at Mount Royal Universi-
ty. She is also an adjunct as-
sistant professor at the
Haskayne School of Business,
University of Calgary. Since
receiving her PhD, she has
focused her research on ener-
gy organizations and their
strategic responses to envi-
ronmental issues and teaches
courses in business strategy,
corporate social responsibility
and environmental manage-
ment.
For more information, please
visit the following link: Mount
Royal University’s Institute for
Environmental Sustainability
(IES)
6
When did you start with working with the
SEDV program?
I started working with the SEDV program
when I was in the final stages of com-
pleting my PhD in Energy Management
and Sustainable Development at
Haskayne. Dr. Frances Bowen was the
project lead on the Suncor Creative Sen-
tence Project, which was providing the da-
ta for my dissertation. Frances was teach-
ing SEDV623 when she relocated to the UK
to Queen Mary University of London. I
took over from her in January 2012 and
haven’t looked back since!
What do you like most about the SEDV
program? and about teaching your course
“Strategic Environmental Planning for En-
ergy Organizations”?
I LOVE teaching in this program. The main
reason is the students! I like that students
come from diverse backgrounds, experi-
ence and education. Those of you who
have taken my course know there is a lot
of discussion that takes place. The diversi-
ty of student perspectives leads to unique
and interesting insights and debates. I find
the students also, typically, have a similar
passion for sustainability and a connection
to nature. As a result, students demon-
strate a dedication to achievement but
also a mutual respect and consideration
for each other and their environment.
This Master’s program aligns perfectly
with my PhD and with my current areas of
teaching, research and community en-
gagement. I am the Director of Mount
Royal University’s Institute for Environ-
mental Sustainability and so my whole ca-
reer is in the area of sustainability.
I teach corporate strategy at the under-
graduate and MBA level but I particularly
like teaching SEDV623. This is partly be-
cause of the connection between corpo-
rate strategy and sustainability and partly
because many of the students are being
introduced to business and strategy for
the first time. I have a passion for both
strategy and sustainability and so I am
deeply gratified when students get inter-
ested and enthusiastic about the course
content. One of my favourite elements of
the course is case study discussion; espe-
cially, a case simulation related to stake-
holder engagement strategies. Students
often really get into it and let their dra-
matic side shine!
What do you wish other people know
about the SEDV program?
Well, I’d like them to know it exists and
that the students coming out of the pro-
gram have tremendous education and
training in the many facets of sustainable
energy development – business, technical,
legal, scientific etc. I’d like people to know
the special community that exists within
the program. I have supervised some stu-
dents who have gone on to interesting ca-
reers in sustainability aspects and I think
this should be celebrated.
What’s your personal viewpoint on what
should be done about Sustainable Energy
Development (in Canada, or Alberta, or
Calgary)?
My personal viewpoint is that much can be
done and is being done about Sustainable
Energy Development in Calgary, Alberta
and Canada. I see a common drive and
passion taking hold to propel us forward
on energy sustainability in a positive way.
I see various stakeholders coming together

7. FACULTY INSIGHT: DR. CONNIE VAN DER BYL(CONT)
7
and learning to communicate with each
other. Challenges exist but there are
many brilliant and capable individuals,
including SEDV graduates, who are pas-
sionate and committed to making a
difference.
What do you think will change about
Sustainable Energy Development (in Can-
ada, or Alberta, or Calgary) over the next
five years?
There is much discussion about energy
transitions and economic diversification
taking hold. That journey will not be
easy and will need a well thought out
strategy to guide its execution. This is
something we discuss in SEDV623!
What are your current research inter-
ests?
I am currently researching tensions in
sustainability. The context for that re-
search is in collaborative efforts to solve
environmental sustainability issues
through innovation; specifically, COSIA. I
am also researching hybrid organizations
where an environmental mission coex-
ists with a profit motive. I continue to
look at challenges in implementing envi-
ronmental sustainability strategies – the
role of dominant logic and accelerated
pace. And, more broadly, I am research-
ing both financial and non-financial risk
in natural resource management.
The 2016 national confer-
ence for Community Ser-
vice Learning (CSL) and
Community Engagement
(CE). Partners for the con-
ference include: Canadian
Alliance for Community
Service Learning (CACSL),
Volunteer Alberta, Volun-
teer Canada, the Volunteer
Centre Network, The Insti-
tute for Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning, the
Institute for Environmental
Studies, and the Institute
for Community Prosperity.
The CACSL Conference
2016: Impact for Sustaina-
bility was hosted this year
Mount Royal University
(MRU) in Calgary, AB
Recently, Dr. Connie Van
der Byl , participated as
Moderator during the pan-
el discussion: the Inter-
organizational (IOR) Collab-
oration in Environmental
Sustainability: Community
Engagement and Learning
Benefits.
© 2016 CACSL. All rights
reserved.
About CACSL
CACSL, a volunteer driven organization,
depends on its members and volun-
teers to create the activity of the alli-
ance.
CACSL Vision:
Our nation as one where educational
institutions and community organiza-
tions engage in sustained collaborations
that enhance learning and promote so-
cial good.
CACSL Values:
CACSL values ongoing community-based
and inclusive learning that honours all
ways of knowing and all kinds of
knowledge creation.
CACSL will ensure that our values of
connecting, supporting, and collabo-
rating are active in all components of
our work.
CACSL Mission:
CACSL will provide leadership to
strengthen and promote community
service learning in Canada by supporting
and connecting CSL practitioners and
community capacity-builders.
CACSL supports the active participation
of students, educators and communities
contributing to positive community so-
cial change.
For more information about CACSL fol-
low the link.

8. Ulf Geerds describes himself as a Business
Consultant with a strong agricultural
background, as he grew up on a farm in
Germany and actually still farms. On the
academic side, he completed a finance
degree and MBA. He was working for a
bank before he decided to become a busi-
ness coach, Agri-Trend’s term for Man-
agement Consultant, in Nov 2013. Agri-
Trend offered the opportunity to recon-
nect with his roots and this prospect was
very appealing to him.
He mentioned, “Agri-Trend is a consultan-
cy mainly working in the agricultural in-
dustry and divided into three segments.
The first segment is dedicated to
“growing the crop”. Agrology Consulting
& Precision Farming belong into this seg-
ment. The second segment is called “sell
the crop”, where Marketing Consultants
help clients market their products. The
third segment is called “manage the mon-
ey” which is Farm Business Consulting,
and this is the business area that Ulf spe-
cializes in. In addition to the three main
segments there are supporting areas such
as Carbon Credits, Land Resource Man-
agement and Data Management.
When Ulf decided to upgrade his qualifi-
cations in business, he looked at the SEDV
program curriculum, and he was almost
ready to enroll, but at the time an MBA
had more impact in his career; therefore,
he chose to complete the MBA program
at the University of Calgary. Later, he
started to get involved with the Sustaina-
ble Energy Program, by participating in
the Industry Night.
Regarding Sustainable Energy develop-
ment, he believes that a good way to
close the gap with respect to conserva-
tion of energy and the environment is
through education, government policies,
and public initiatives. He stated “These
will create a real push for a change in the
way we use our resources in our society”.
Education plays an important part to
bring awareness regarding the sustaina-
ble use of energy. He said, “for example
with respect to oil and gas, we cannot
burn all known oil and gas reserves, in-
cluding the non-conventional hydrocar-
bons, as this will have major negative
consequences for our planet in form of
unpredictable climate change. Moreover,
we need people to understand the ex-
isting alternatives of renewable energy,
and most importantly to understand that
we can make a difference with our choic-
es”. Another important area of education
is research and development. He men-
tioned “we need more initiatives and in-
vestments in research and development,
for example in the area of renewable en-
ergy storage solutions.”
Reflecting on the future of oil and gas in
Alberta, he stated, “we need to change
our paradigm concerning the use of oil
and gas as a form of energy, as this is the
poorest way of using this precious re-
source. The paradigm shift is to utilize oil
and gas as raw materials for example to
produce plastics, chemicals, etc., instead
of making diesel or gasoline. Let’s drive
electric/hydrogen cars instead. For me,
we should upgrade and refine our oil in
Alberta, producing value added products
instead of exporting oil and gas as raw
materials for rock bottom prices.”
Furthermore, he points out “Alberta
INDUSTRY’S INSIGHT BY ADRIANA ZUNIGA (SEDVS EVENTS REP.)
ULF GEERDS, MBA, B.MGMT
BUSINESS COACH & BUSINESS AND SUCCESSION PLANNING
More information about
Agri-Trend follow the link
In 1997, AGRI-TREND was
established with the goal
of helping farming make
better decision on crop
input purchases. Before
then, there had not been a
system geared towards
"coaching" farmers unless
that advice was tied to the
sale of products. Founder
and CEO of AGRI-TREND,
Rob Saik, had a different
8

9. INDUSTRY’S INSIGHT: ULF GEERDS (CONT)
9
idea. Rob saw a way to
develop a systemized pro-
cess for delivering agro-
nomic advice to farmers...
working with growers to
grow profits. "I was not
satisfied with the way
farmers were making their
fertilizer and crop input
decisions based on reci-
pes," explains Saik. "There
had to be a better way to
help farmers allocate their
resources. That is why I
started AGRI-TREND and
that is still at the head of
what our coaches do to-
day. " - See more at:
Agri-Trend
Ulf has a strong background in agriculture, real estate and finance. He owned and oper-
ated a successful mid size grain farm in central Alberta. Under his leadership production
costs were reduced by 20%, mainly through implementation of cutting edge production
processes. Further, Ulf gained valuable experience in real estate through buying, selling
and renovating residential and commercial real estate. He also worked as a commercial
lender for the BMO Bank of Montreal.
After many successful years in agriculture, real estate and in the financial industry, Ulf
was ready for a new challenge and joined Agri-Trend as a Business Coach. In this role,
Ulf utilizes his education and past experience to assist agricultural businesses in achiev-
ing their business goals. He does this by working closely with business owners to develop
strategic plans and assisting them in implementation of these plans. He has his Bachelor
of Management degree from the University of Lethbridge with distinction and his MBA
from the University of Calgary. Source: Agri-Trend Business-Coach
needs to diversify and support the development of renewable energies and
allow a mix of energy for the province, bringing more sustainable jobs and
sustainable future”.

10. The inaugural SEDV Alumni and SEDV
Networking Event was held on the March
24, 2016 with representatives invited
from different walks of the energy indus-
try. This inaugural event was organized
jointly by the SEDV Society, Alumni office
of Haskayne School of Business and the
Office of the SEDV Program to create a
confluence of professionals, researchers
and students. The event centered on a
panel discussion on the theme
“Reclaiming Energy in Canada” for which
distinguished energy professionals were
invited. The event received an over-
whelming response with about a 100
people, including students, alumni, facul-
ty and representatives from the energy
industry attending.
As the event commenced, the invitees
were welcomed, seated in their respec-
tive tables and served dinner. Following
which the panelists were introduced by
Jeff Coombes, the President of the SEDV
Society. They panelists were then pre-
sented with the question: What steps can
be taken to have the most meaningful
impact in fostering sustainability in the
energy industry? The panel comprised Dr.
Harrie Vrendenburg from the academic
sphere, Bob Mitchell from industry, and
Michael Benson from the regulatory side.
The panel discussion was moderated by
David Milia of the Haskayne School of
Business.
The issue of obstacles to sustainability
was discussed during which the panel
urged the need to view sustainability as a
concept that goes beyond the environ-
mental aspects, and wholesomely inte-
grates the idea of implementing innova-
tions along with the behavioral aspects.
The importance of transitioning to sus-
tainable practices in the face of climate
change was discussed. The panelists put
INAUGURAL ALUMNI AND STUDENT NETWORKING EVENT
BY ABHIJITH SEETHARAM (SEDVS TREASURER)
Panel for “Reclaiming
Energy in Canada”
Bob Mitchell
Dr. Harrie Vredenburg
Michael Benson
For the full Biography of
our panel, please consult
the following link.
10
Top from left to right, David Mila, Michael Benson, Dr. Harrie Vrendenburg, Bob Mitchell and Jeffrey Coombes, at
the Devonian Room—Calgary Petroleum Club .

11. INAUGURAL ALUMNI AND STUDENT NETWORKING
EVENT (CONT)
11
Moderator
David L. Milia
Associate Director of the
Centre for Corporate Sus-
tainability (CCS) - Haskayne
School of Business.
For more information
about:
HASKAYNE CCS
Annual Report 2015
CCS Community Events
For more information,
please email the centre
atccs@ucalgary.ca
forth the need for creating a collabora-
tive approach to address issues of sus-
tainability in energy companies. The
panelists provided examples from the
industry where useful innovations
were highly dependent on economic
scenario for implementation. The pan-
elists also reflected on the obstacles to
collaboration because of the current
competitive, economic and regulatory
frameworks.
In the second half of the event, the
attendees participated asking ques-
tions from the floor. Over a dozen
attendees participated with questions
and offered their views on the theme
of discussion. Several participants
shared their experiences and provided
an international viewpoint which was
appreciated by the panelists. A notable
aspect from this exchange was the
need to clarify what sustainability
stands for and perhaps to make efforts
to translate it in more tangible
measures.
In the latter part of the evening, the
invitees mingled and networked with
each other. It was seen that a lot of the
invitees were chatting, mingling and
enjoying themselves as they exchanged
ideas with others and networked.
In all, the efforts of the SEDV Society,
the SEDV Faculty and the Alumni office
in planning the first ever alumni event
for the program were appreciated by
all. This event was the first step to-
wards building a robust, well-knit
alumni community for the SEDV pro-
gram in the years ahead!
To watch the full conference, please
follow the link on the YouTube channel
of the Centre for Corporate Sustaina-
bility (CCS) at the Haskayne School of
Business—University of Calgary; SEDV
Alumni Event, March 24, 2016.
More photos, visit the link in google.

12. Seema Jindal is the Co-Founder & Direc-
tor of Earth Educators Inc., and since July
2015, she also works as the executive di-
rector of Ayra Capital, Canada. Seema is
on the board of non-profit organizations
such as, Nature’s Ride ( a Calgary based
NGO that educates the future generation
about our environment through music,
art and craft); Calgary Centre for Global
Community; Studio 250; and NeoFusion
Foundation (an Indian NGO, empowering
and educating school dropouts and child
labor victims).
She describes herself as a world citizen.
She was born and raised in Tanzania and
move to India to complete her studies in
Bachelor of Science in Botany, Zoology
and Chemistry, and Master of Arts in Eng-
lish. She taught at undergraduate level
and creative teaching techniques in the
schools where she taught. Having moved
to Canada with her family in 2010, she is
now a proud Canadian citizen.
She describes her journey as “a rich expe-
rience of living on three continents, in
different countries with each being
unique and diverse. I have been fortu-
nate”. For her, each day is an opportunity
to learn. She acknowledges, “The desire
for learning is ever present and it’s not
going away. Moving to Canada was a tre-
mendous opportunity to expand my per-
spective.”
After coming to Calgary, she had the op-
portunity to enroll in the SEDV program,
she said “The program had a perfect fit
with my life style and my vision of provid-
ing a better future to the next generation.
I practice sustainability at home; good
things and practices always need to start
with you.” Also, she mentioned, “With a
work background as an entrepreneur and
educator, when I started the program, I
didn’t know how I was going to synergize
my new learning with my previous work
experience. However, the program went
beyond the theory point. The SEDV pro-
gram prepared me with the tools to criti-
cally study, assess, and analyze processes
with a systems approach. It opened op-
portunities to do risk assessment using
sustainability filters and accordingly come
up with creative and holistic recommen-
dations for my clients when I started my
work as a consultant”. She completed the
SEDV program in 2013.
After completing the program, Seema
invested some time in identifying the way
to unify her passion for art, education
and sustainability keeping her holistic ap-
proach in mind. She founded Smart Sus-
tainable Solutions and social sector con-
sulting jobs. Seema had been working in
the non-profit sector for a while. By ap-
plying her education from the SEDV pro-
gram, she was able to identify gaps in the
social sector and realized the only way to
make the funding dependent sector sus-
tainable was through capacity building
and education about the triple bottom
line. With a passion for learning and cre-
ating a better Earth as the basis of her
company, she co-founded Earth Educa-
tors. Seema’s company is dedicated to
provide education for non-profit organi-
zations and corporations, regarding social
impact assessment, evaluation of projects
and sustainability reporting. Earth Educa-
tors helps clients also to learn on how to
become a sustainable social enterprise
through coaching, risk assessment and
hand holding from start to end of the
project life cycle.
She mentioned, “The non-profit sector is
not a well standardized sector and we’re
hoping to make a difference and contri-
ALUMNI CORNER: SEEMA GARG JINDAL BY ADRIANA ZUNIGA
(SEDVS EVENTS REP.)
For more information about:
Arya Capital
Earth Educators Inc.
12

13. ALUMNI CORNER: SEEMA GARG JINDAL (CONT)
13
Some of Seema’s art work
remarks and recognition:
The Times of India, Octo-
ber 13th, 2011
Together but Lonely' 24" X
36" ,Oil on Canvas
Rendezvous with Dr. Abdul
Kalam at Habitat Centre ,
New Delhi '08 — with Ex-
President Dr. Abdul Kalam.
Unmukht II - 48" X48" , Oil on canvas by Seema Garg Jindal.
All the photos included in this edition are courtesy of Seema Garg Jindal.
bution to standardization of the sector.
We have had some great feedback tell-
ing us that we’re changing the way cli-
ents think and approach their road
blocks with an outcome and impact
based approach”.
Regarding the program, Seema says,
“When I graduated, the industry was not
as aware of this program, as result the
internship opportunities were few”. She
was able to work with the SEDV faculty,
to improve the marketing of the pro-
gram within the industry. Her contribu-
tion to the program was to implement
during the industry night the “speed net-
working” process, where many of the
alumni and current students were able
to interact with the industry partici-
pants, and provide them with some
knowledge about the program, their cur-
rent projects and professional back-
ground.
Seema’s advice to the current and new
cohorts is “to start to work in your 625
research project earlier than expected,
start to narrow your topic and always be
prepared with a plan “B”. Also, she sug-
gested getting in touch with the Alumni
group through the LinkedIn group called,
M.Sc. Sustainable Energy Development
Alumni Group. Seema and David Ince
manage this group on LinkedIn and it has
70+ members.
Some of Seema’s interest and hobbies
are writing poetry, walking, hiking, en-
joying nature, and photography while
being a mother of two teenagers. She
loves to play with colors and is a profes-
sional artist with over 20 solo and group
shows to her credit. She is a Reiki mas-
ter; she believes in holistic healing and
how the nature is connected to us and is
a reflection of ourselves. For her, life is
about living it to the fullest while con-
tributing to humanity’s sustainable pre-
sent and future in whatever small way
she can.

14. Adria is a Chemical Engineer-
ing graduate from the Univer-
sity of Calgary working at Flu-
or Canada Ltd. She has over
three years of experience in
Process Engineering and have
recently entered into a new
role as an HSE In-Design Spe-
cialist. Areas of responsibility
within Fluor include hydraulic
modeling, HYSYS simulation,
equipment sizing, PFD/P&ID
development and intercon-
necting P&ID development,
fire hazardous identification,
and report execution.
She has a passion for sustain-
able energy and the environ-
ment. She is currently en-
rolled at the University of
Calgary for a Masters in Sus-
tainable Energy Development
(SEDV) with a completion
date of Spring 2016.
14
RETSCREEN TRAINING FEEDBACK BY ANDRIA PANIDISZ
The RETScreen training was useful for
environmental and financial feasibility
studies of renewable energy technolo-
gies. It can analyze a wide range of tech-
nologies from solar panels to cogenera-
tion facilities which makes it a diverse
and versatile tool.
During the training session, we covered
several different technologies so that
everyone in the training could get an
insight of the application depending on
what his/her research project was focus
on, which was good. However, I feel
that it might have been better if we had
just gone over the basics of the program
together, and then worked on the tech-
nology analysis relevant to each person
separately for the rest of the day. So, we
could each work at our own pace and
ask questions as needed. This would
have made each person not feel so
rushed at the end of the day and have a
more relevant understanding of their
specific technology.
The “Help” tool was very informative
and it was useful when working inde-
pendently, near the end of the training.
It was a good way to understand the
meaning of certain terms. The financial
analysis tab allows you to calculate im-
portant economic factors such as pay-
back period and rate of return and
offers a cumulative cash flows graph. I
found this tool helpful in illustrating the
financial return of the technology.
The environmental analysis allows you
to determine the net annual GHG emis-
sion reductions from implementing the
technology when compared to a base
case. I found this helpful in determining
the carbon offset.
Overall, I thought that the training was
helpful and that the instructor was able
to answer all of our questions and ex-
plain them in a way that we could un-
derstand. I recommend this training for
those students who are looking for a
program to analyze their clean energy
project.
RETScreen 4 is an Excel-based clean energy
project analysis software tool that helps decision
makers quickly and inexpensively determine the
technical and financial viability of potential
renewable energy, energy efficiency and
cogeneration projects.

15.  Meet the Authors Behind Canada's Map to Sustainability. Source: Alter-
natives Journal
 Future of Sustainability Shapes Up at Copenhagen Fashion Summit
Source: Women’s Wear Daily (WWD).
 Chemists shed new light on global energy, food supply challenge. Source:
Science Daily
 Economic development equals greater carbon footprint, greenhouse gas
emissions. Source: Science Daily
 Walmart grows the chemical footprint movement. Source: Green Bizz
 More sustainability information visit the following websites:
Sustainability News Headlines. Source: Science Daily.
Environmental sustainability. Source: The guardian, UK .
BC Innovation—Green Technology. Source The Vancouver Sun
SUSTAINABILITY ON THE NEWS
Sustainable Energy Development
Program
University of Calgary 2500
University Drive N.W.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Help us to improve the newsletter.
Send your feedback, ideas or arti-
cles to:
Adriana Zuniga
SEDV Newsletter Editor
adriana.zuniga2@ucalgary.ca
“If we want to address global warming, along with the other environmental problems as-
sociated with our continued rush to burn our precious fossil fuels as quickly as possible, we
must learn to use our resources more wisely, kick our addiction, and quickly start turning
to sources of energy that have fewer negative impacts”.
David Suzuki
15
 May: SEDV Community Mixer (May 20, 2016), Garden Planting (TBD) and
Ecology Trip (May 28-29, 2016)
 June: DIRTT (TBD)
 July: Fort McMurray (TBD)
 September: Fall Festival (TBD)
IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS
Thank you to everyone who
helped make this edition possible
MSc in Sustainable Energy Development
The University of Calgary’s Master of Sci-
ence in Sustainable Energy Development
(SEDV) is an interdisciplinary graduate pro-
gram providing a balanced education relat-
ed to energy and environmental manage-
ment. A combined offering through
the Haskayne School of Business, Schulich
School of Engineering and the Faculties
of Graduate Stud-
ies, Law and Environmental Design, SEDV is
an unprecedented program designed for
professionals and students who are seeking
a broad-based and comprehensive educa-
tion in sustainable energy.
For more information about our program,
visit: SEDV website.