NSCC building green campus – inside and out

Business administration student Marc Comeau says NSSC’s commitment to environmental protection is one reason he enrolled in the college. (Photo: Elizabeth McMillan)

Marc Comeau stops to refill his stainless steel mug at a water fountain between classes. It reads “Think Green.”

Every student received a mug like Comeau’s when the Nova Scotia Community College’s Waterfront Campus in Dartmouth opened in September. It’s one of the reasons he came here.

“The green factor definitely played a role,” the former environmental engineering student says of his decision to start the college’s business administration program.

Comeau noticed differences right away. On the first day, his professor, Alan Stoddart, talked about the energy required to power an elevator. NSCC is focusing on sustainability inside and outside classrooms.

Walls of windows overlooking Halifax Harbour provide natural light. Wildflowers and weeds blossom on the unfertilized lawns.

But it’s not just about energy-efficient buildings and pesticide-free grounds. Computer printers always use both sides of paper. There are six bins to sort recyclables in every hallway. The bookstore sells refillable pens made from recycled materials. Urinals flush without water.

Energy-efficiency doesn't stop with lights that turn off automatically – steam produced at the nearby Capital Health hospital heats the building. And 20 per cent of the building materials were extracted and manufactured in Nova Scotia.

NSCC is now constructing a second sustainable building, due to open at the Waterfront Campus in 2010. Called the Centre for the Built Environment, it will allow trades and technology students to work in a building with an energy-efficient design.

The college is working toward the international Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design distinction for the new building. This means reduced parking, an issue that frustrates some students.

There are only 300 parking spots for the more than 2,000 people who study and work at the waterfront campus. Students must prove they car pool to get a parking pass.

“I think they're hoping everyone gets frustrated enough that they walk or find another way,” says nursing student Patricia Burgess.

Buses are infrequent and the ferry to Halifax that docks nearby only runs during rush hours.

Jim Farrell, manager of energy and sustainability for NSCC, says the administration is talking to Metro Transit about more frequent service. He knows parking is an issue.

“It's a learning curve. Most folks understand the rationale.”

Farrell thinks students and staff are becoming more aware and concerned about the impact they have on the environment. 

His job is to make all 13 of the college’s campuses environmentally friendly. Changes range from replacing fluorescent lights with 40-watt bulbs to hiring students to sort garbage and promote recycling in the cafeteria.

An Energy Sustainability Engineering program at the Middleton campus in the Annapolis Valley started this fall. Professor William Marshall wants his students to teach their communities. They will work with businesses, homeowners and other students to help improve how people use energy.

Marshall thinks the hands-on message has an impact. “If you put a poster in one spot, it becomes background noise,” he says.

Farrell hopes students – and others – absorb NSCC’s environmentally-friendly message.

“We want to be a leader in the province.”

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