Wednesday, April 16, 2025
The upcoming Environmental Summit, presented by the Environmental Services Association of Alberta (ESAA), will take place on April 1-3, 2025, at the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, a modern getaway nestled amidst the pines and mountains about 45 minutes from Calgary.
ESAA, which was established in 1987, has over 200 member organizations and has grown to become one of Canada’s leading environment industry associations. The Environmental Summit is just one of the conferences ESAA presents to provide important educational and networking opportunities.
The two-day Summit format includes the following:
- Keynote Presentations
- Technical Panel Discussions
- Breakfast and Lunch each Day
- Opening Wine and Cheese Reception in the Exhibit Area
- Networking Reception
The Environmental Summit will feature nine panel discussions, including the following panel:
AI – The Future is Friendly
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are no longer theoretical concepts – they are actively reshaping environmental practice, streamlining workflows, and improving decision- making. From simplifying fieldwork to enhancing contaminated site management, AI-driven innovations are unlocking efficiencies that were previously out of reach. This panel will provide a technical deep dive into the latest applications of AI in environmental consulting, site remediation, and regulatory processes.
BJ Min (EcoAI) will open the session with an essential primer on AI and its transformative role in environmental science. He will introduce key AI concepts such as Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and Multi-Agent Systems (MAS), illustrating how these technologies process vast datasets, enhance predictive modeling, and eliminate human biases. With this foundation, attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how AI can optimize environmental workflows.
Building on this, Amy Gainer (Clear-Site Solutions) will explore how AI and ML are already making environmental consulting more efficient. Through practical case studies, she will demonstrate how AI enhances fieldwork, streamlines project management, and automates reporting – allowing practitioners to shift their focus from tedious administrative tasks to solving real environmental challenges.
Paul Hurst (WSP Canada Inc.) will then delve into the power of ML for contaminated site management. With increasingly complex datasets, traditional analysis methods can be time-consuming and prone to human error. By integrating clustering algorithms, non-negative matrix factorization, and other ML techniques, environmental professionals can rapidly assess background conditions, track contaminant migration, and refine conceptual site models (CSMs). These advancements significantly improve remediation strategies, strengthening multiple lines of evidence and reducing uncertainty.
To conclude the session, Ryan Tulloch (Pro Delta Project Inc.) will examine how AI-driven automation is tackling one of the biggest challenges in the environmental sector – regulatory and stakeholder reporting. As compliance requirements grow, professionals are spending more time documenting issues rather than addressing them. AI-powered solutions are reversing this trend, streamlining administrative tasks, addressing labor shortages, and enabling professionals to focus on science and fieldwork rather than paperwork.
By connecting AI fundamentals with practical applications and large-scale implementation, this panel will demonstrate how AI is not just the future – it’s the present. Join us to discover how these tools are revolutionizing environmental practice, enhancing efficiency, and enabling smarter, data-driven decision-making.
This panel will be moderated by Kevin French (VEI Contracting Inc., formerly known as Vertex Environmental Inc.), who brings over 35 years of experience and expertise in environmental engineering, specializing in site characterization and remediation.
For further information and registration, visit https://esaa.org/summit/
Featured image: Jasper, Alberta. Credit: Getty Images
