The Upper Grand District School Board has approved the development of four environmental learning centres, each valued at about $687,000 each.
The centres to be constructed at Westwood (Guelph), Rockwood Centennial, Minto-Clifford (Harriston), and J. D. Hogarth (Fergus) public schools. Each centre will be a two- classroom, stand alone complex with the exception of the Rockwood project, where a single classroom structure is being considered. Funding for the centres is being provided through the Ministry of Education’s primary class size grants (PCS). In Rockwood, the board may also be required to provide funding from its new pupil place (NPP) grants. Each centre proposed will be constructed, heated and ventilated, and serviced using green technology to a significant extent. The objective of those facilities will be to investigate, demonstrate and educate on environmental systems.
Thermal efficiency, energy efficiency and environmentally responsible conservation technology will be features of the buildings, and recycled building components will be used, as appropriate. No design or building schedule has been determined, as yet, but it is planned to proceed as quickly as possible. Each centre is proposed to have a different learning focus. The following are examples which may change during design development:
– Westwood: investigating an all electric building designed to illustrate off peak electrical use and encourage conservation;
– J. D. Hogarth: demonstration of “off the grid” concepts, possibly by implementing partial electrical storage coupled with the careful measurement of power used and the concept of an energy budget;
– Minto-Clifford: a focus on natural processes, which might include a living wall, composting toilet and half traditional and half energy efficient construction; and
– Rockwood: exploration of a classroom demonstrating the concepts for reducing the carbon footprint (greenhouse gasses produced by human activity).
