Environmental Sustainability

The steady ‘greening’ of Selkirk College

Selkirk College actively pursues environmental sustainability in all facets of its operation with the goal of reducing its overall impact on the environment. A number of activities and initiatives over the last year have lent support to this goal.

State of the Environment report

Last year, the College engaged the services of School of Renewable Resources faculty member and environmental scientist, Derek Marcoux, along with two students, Suzanne Fordyce and Jeremy Prahl, to complete a "State of the Environment" report. 

This report would provide a benchmark set of data, marking the current status of environmental conditions at the campuses located in Castlegar, Trail and Nelson, and making recommendations for action.

PowerSense Award

On November 4, 2010, Selkirk College received a FortisBC PowerSense Conservation Excellence Award for having shown a commitment to innovation, conservation and sustainability by completing energy‐efficiency projects that save more than 100,000 kW h annually.

A large contribution towards this efficiency came from the replacement of the HVAC system on the Castlegar campus (mentioned above). With the installation of this highly efficient and innovative equipment, gas consumption and subsequent greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 40%.

Tenth Street residence renovation

Selkirk College’s commitment to environmental sustainability is also front and centre with the Tenth Street campus student residence renovation. With the rehabilitation of this structure to current building standards and beyond, the College has a goal of achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Examples of features to be considered include solar and micro hydro, geothermal exchange and increased thermal efficiency.