EcoHack is a community initiative. There are many ways to get involved. 

Community Partners are recognized on social media and are offered the opportunity to have a problem they face addressed. Download the partnership package for more information.

• Download 2026 Partner Package

Sponsors help make the event accessible for all students. They are recognized over social media and throughout the event. Please download the sponsorship guide for more information.

• Download 2026 Sponsorship Package
• Sign Up as a Sponsor

• Sign Up as a Judge

SARCAN started a partnership with SK Recycles in December 2024 to recycle flexible plastic packaging from SK residents. In most communities in SK, SARCAN is the only recycling solution for flexible plastic packaging. However, it is quite bulky, adds up quite quickly, and does not have an economic driver attached to it (like a deposit refund system), so only people who are really passionate about recycling have been recycling it so far.

Problem Statement: How might SARCAN make it easier to recycle flexible plastic packaging at our depots?

Alternate: Flexible plastic is currently shipped out of province to BC for downstream recycling. How might SARCAN create a downstream recycling process here in Saskatchewan that transforms this flexible plastic material into new products within this province?

People in Canada are most likely to recycle beverage containers when they are in their homes, and less likely to recycle beverage containers when they are out in public.

Problem Statement: How might SARCAN encourage more people to recycle in public spaces, including on streets, parks, indoor public spaces, and during events?

Some materials can be recycled easily and effectively in a curbside blue bin system, and some materials are harder-to-recycle. SARCAN is always trying to collect more hard-to-recycle materials from SK residents, but there must be a funding mechanism in place to pay for the collection, transportation, consolidation, and downstream recycling of the products.

Problem Statement: What might be the next stream of materials that SARCAN should recycle, why should we recycle it, and how should it be collected and recycled?

As the city grows and urbanizes, the increasing use of artificial lighting contributes to skyglow and disrupts both the nocturnal environment and the visibility of celestial bodies. Saskatoon’s current lighting infrastructure is not fully optimized for dark sky standards, resulting in negative environmental and health impacts.

Problem Statement: How can Saskatoon reduce light pollution and become a dark sky-compliant city, ensuring that outdoor lighting practices align with the protection of the natural night sky, the preservation of wildlife habitats, and the well-being of its residents?

Urban natural areas are among the most visible and valued landscapes in Canadian cities, yet they are also among the most stressed. Increasing recreation, development pressures, climate variability, invasive species, and fragmented habitats create highly dynamic environments that require constant management decisions. Conservation organizations like the Meewasin Valley Authority collect large volumes of ecological, spatial, and operational data. However, transforming this information into clear, timely, and practical decision-making tools remains a persistent challenge.

Data often exists across multiple systems, scales, and formats, while management decisions must frequently be made quickly, transparently, and with limited resources. At the same time, public understanding of conservation actions — including restoration, prescribed fire, targeted grazing, invasive species management, and access management — is often disconnected from the data and reasoning that guide those decisions.

Problem Statement: How might data, technology, or AI help conservation organizations make better, faster, and more transparent decisions in urban and peri-urban natural areas?

Inclusion Saskatchewan directly supports over 2,900 people and families throughout the province, and impacts thousands more through its work on the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disabilities program and Self-Directed Funding. It works on a wide array of initiatives, projects, and priorities that include: advocacy, employment support, education and transition support, public education, youth programming, self-advocacy and social activities, and family network and workshops.

Problem Statements: 
- How do we reduce the funding disparities for people who have aged out of child/ early development supports or services? Such as aging out of Autism IF, access to therapies and assessments through school, etc.
- How do we create opportunities for affordable and timely adult assessments for people who may need them to access supports or services?
- How do we reduce inequality for people with a dual diagnosis of intellectual disabilities and mental health?

Located in North-Central Saskatchewan near Prince Albert National Park (PANP), the Sturgeon River Plains Bison Herd (SRPBH) is one of two wild, free-range bison herds in Canada. The herd mainly occupies the south-western corner of PANP. The herd peaked in 2006 and 2008 with approximately 450 animals, but has decreased to 120. There are several threats to the herd, including parasites and disease, wolf predation, and human harvesting.

Problem Statement: How can we protect the Sturgeon River Plains Bison Herd once they have left PANP boundaries, while also ensuring that infrastructure and agricultural crops remain undamaged.

Canada is the world’s second largest uranium producer, with all operating mines and mills located in Northern Saskatchewan which is also the traditional territories of the Métis, Dene, and Cree People. When the uranium industry began to explode in northern Saskatchewan, Indigenous people were not involved in the development of these mines and mills. Indigenous involvement and engagement are now required as part of the development process, but years of being disregarded by industry and government bodies, has left Métis people with a distrust and uncertainty for uranium mining. Métis people and land-users have the knowledge of the land and traditional livelihoods, but western science data sharing does not always occur at the community level preventing them from understanding effects to the land and what mitigation practices are being implemented by these companies.

Problem Statement: How can the relationship between Métis people and uranium mining companies be improved and how can sharing of western science data be implemented at the community level?

Indigenous Nations often are challenged with accessing capital to participate in renewable energy projects for economic development. Métis Nation – Saskatchewan is uniquely challenged with accessing capital as they currently do not have a land base in Saskatchewan.

Problem Statement: How can Métis gain capital and actively participate in renewable energy projects in Saskatchewan?

Canada’s Federal Sustainable Development Act requires the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to release an updated Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) every three years, setting national sustainability priorities. Each draft strategy must also undergo a 120-day public consultation period, giving Canadians a direct role in shaping federal sustainability action. The draft 2026–2029 FSDS is currently open for public feedback, and the final version will be tabled in Parliament later this year.

EcoHack is partnering in this process to spark fresh, creative ideas that can inform feedback on the draft strategy. The challenge statements below were developed to align with the kinds of insights the federal government is seeking, making your contributions a meaningful part of Canada’s sustainability conversation.

Problem Statements:
- How can the federal government strengthen public trust, especially among young people, of Canada’s
sustainable development efforts?
- What new or improved approaches could encourage meaningfully engagement of youth, Indigenous
communities, and equity-deserving groups in shaping Canada’s sustainable future?
- What do you see as the key opportunities and obstacles for achieving clean, sustainable economic
growth in Canada?and mental health?

Problem Statement: How might data, technology or AI help conservation organizations make better, faster, and more transparent decisions in urban and peri-urban natural areas? [Meewasin]

Solution: The creation of, Econest, a camouflaged, solar-powered birdhouse that uses AI-driven sensors, cameras, and audio to collect and transmit real-time environmental data, helping conservation organizations make faster, paperless, and more transparent decisions in urban natural areas.

Evergreen: Evan Johnson, Sahas Mittal, Grace Volk and Theertha Jose

Problem Statement: How do we reduce the funding disparities for people who have aged out of child/early development supports or services? [Inclusion Saskatchewan]

Solution: The development of Bridge Forward – navigator, a guide that helps parents understand what their child needs and next steps. An online form that helps parents

Problem Statement: How can we protect the Sturgeon River Plains Bison Herd once they have left PANP boundaries, while also ensuring that infrastructure and agriculture crops remain undamaged? [Métis Nation Saskatchewan]

Solution: The team proposed a GIS-based risk and corridor analysis using historical telemetry, environmental data, and local knowledge to keep bison within protected areas while minimizing damage to surrounding infrastructure and agriculture through informed stakeholder collaboration.