The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and the Canada Coalition for Green Schools have named the Career and Technology Centre (CTC) at Lord Shaughnessy High School in Calgary, Alberta, the winner of the annual CaGBC Greenest School in Canada competition.
The CaGBC Greenest School jury is comprised of green building industry experts from around the country. They chose the CTC at Lord Shaughnessy for its “amazing Energy and Environmental Innovation program,” which presented unique environmental strategies in both curriculum and physical building changes and upgrades. The CTC program works to involve students in all programs in the sustainability of the school.
As winner of the 2016 Greenest School in Canada competition, the CTC at Lord Shaughnessy will receive a $2,000 cash prize to use towards a green project and will be submitted as the official Canadian entry for the Greenest School on Earth competition, an annual award presented by the Center for Green Schools. Winners of the international competition will receive an additional $1,000 for a new or ongoing sustainability project.
“This award really is a tribute to the amazing work of passionate staff and students that make this school such a great environment in which to learn,” said Adam Robb, co-teacher of the Energy and Environmental Innovations program at CTC. “We will use this recognition to help show other schools the amazing impact that greening your school can have on both students and staff. At the CTC we value all types of learners and we are here to show that environmental initiatives can not only be a way to engage learners, but also to have them feel more comfortable and open to learning.”
The CTC at Lord Shaughnessy placed second in the competition in 2015. The school made significant improvements to its CTC program in an effort to win the top prize this year. Some of the highlights of their program are:
Having students tend gardens and grow greens that are used daily in the culinary department, and build aluminum frames for living aquaponics walls that students construct, assemble and sell;
Conducting a hands-on version of Social Studies class that looks at historical and current events from a natural resources perspective;
A student-run plan to develop an economic strategy to invest in mass solar installation. Their current proposal, which is now awaiting approval, would see 20 per cent of the Calgary Board of Education’s (CBE) electricity come from solar energy, with just 6.6 per cent of the roof space owned by the CBE needed to implement this strategy; payback period estimated at 14 years.
A Student Wellness Committee that focuses on providing spaces throughout the school that act as relaxing, environmental retreats in an effort to reduce anxiety and depression.
Students who are developing a prototype air quality tester to look at optimal levels of C02 in classrooms as well as optimal audio conditions to maximize student learning.
“I would like to congratulate the CTC at Lord Shaughnessy and their dedicated staff and students on winning the 2016 Greenest School in Canada,” said Thomas Mueller, president and CEO of the CaGBC. “I’m encouraged by the breadth of CLC’s program which demonstrates real leadership and innovative thinking. CLC’s efforts as well as those made by the many green schools across the country show how sustainability can be woven into the infrastructure, culture and curriculum for inspiring future innovators.”
Runners up in the competition include Argyle Alternative School in Winnipeg, Man. and Reynolds Secondary School in Victoria, B.C.
