Manitoba, Alberta schools recognized for sustainability initiatives
October 2, 2018 | By Jillian Morgan
Trinity College School (PHOTO CaGBC)
Two Canadian schools have been awarded in the annual Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) Greenest School in Canada competition.
Lacombe Composite High School in Lacombe, AB and Trinity College School in Port Hope, ON were recognized for the use of solar arrays, geothermal greenhouses, urban beekeeping and efforts to decrease natural gas consumption.
CaGBC and the Canada Coalition for Green Schools announced the awards as part of World Green Building Week. The schools will receive a $1,000 cash award each to put toward a new or ongoing sustainability project.
Lacombe Composite High School (PHOTO CaGBC)
Lacombe High School’s EcoVision environmental club has raised funds for the past 15 years for 32 solar arrays totalling six kW, along with a portable solar array, and a 42-foot, energy-efficient geodesic tropical greenhouse with geothermal heat storage.
At Trinity College School, a five-year sustainability plan maps out efforts to reduce its environmental footprint. The school achieved a 23 per cent decrease in natural gas consumption over five years, which it partly attributed to upgrades to building automation systems and boilers.
Other initiatives by Trinity College School include regular electricity audits, a major lighting retrofit, and a 220kW solar PV installation with another 180kW planned.
The runners up of the 2018 Greenest School in Canada competition were Westwood Community High School in Fort McMurray, AB (second place), and Churchill Community High School in La Ronge, SK (honourable mention).
Schools that offer any grade from kindergarten to grade 12 in Canada are eligible to participate in the competition. When submissions are open, an online application form must be filled out. www.cagbc.org/greenschools
