RYAN WILLMAN
Arrow Lakes News
Lucerne School and Nakusp Elementary School will be getting a solar facelift as their bid for funding through the Ministry of Education’s Carbon Neutral Capital Program (CNCP) project has been approved.
School District 10 will be completing their solar energy initiative by outfitting two of its schools with solar panels designed to harness renewable energy from the sun. In addition to the environmental and financial benefits, the project will also provide a unique learning opportunity as students from Nakusp Secondary and Lucerne school will be called upon to assist with the installation alongside professional project engineers and electricians.
District Superintendent Terry Taylor is thrilled about the project and what it means for the community and our young learners.
“We’re proud as a learning organization in the school district to model for our students and community ways to not only reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions which help the planet, but also use the project as a real world opportunity for our students to learn about the science and global issues involved in renewable energies, but also learn the hands-on skills to install these new technologies,” Taylor said.
The CNCP program was launched by Pacific Carbon Trust in 2012 to compensate school districts for the amount of money spent annually on carbon offsets. As a public sector organization, school districts fall under the carbon neutral government legislation that came into effect in December 2008 and is regulated by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act. In an effort to address upgrading costs, school districts were invited to apply for funding assistance to complete projects that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption.
Last year, over 41 school districts around the province completed projects such as ground source heat pump systems at Princess Margaret Secondary in the Okanagan-Skaha school district and an eclectic car initiative in Nanaimo-Ladysmith. The environmental ramifications are estimated around 1,500 tonnes of reduced emissions amounting to over $36,000 saved from carbon offsets and $416,000 in reduced general operation costs.
“School districts across B.C. have done a tremendous job in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions,” Minister of Education, Don McRae commented. “The implementation of the Carbon Neutral Capital Program has seen many innovative initiatives in our K-12 schools.”
Since 2008, B.C. has committed $75 million to energy projects in the public sector and is the first province or state in North America to become carbon neutral.