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Adventure Traveler Garry Sowerby in his own words:
Monday, October 4
Edmonton, Alberta
Environmental Initiative #63
City of Edmonton
Waste Management Centre
The school bus pulls up out front and the load of rambunctious
kids piles out. They race up the walkway, eager to get into the
modern building.
Inside the foyer, the children would be met by two teachers, Connie
Boyce tells as we get into the Chevrolet Hybrid and prepare for our
tour. Connie is the Director of Community Relations of the complex
here.
Since when does a school need a Director of Community Relations?
Well, we are not at a school, although the two teachers Connie
has mentioned work here full-time and the complex plays host to
10,000 students throughout the year.
Today, we are visiting the City of Edmonton's Waste Management
Centre. And for their waste management practices and techniques,
they score 100%.
But why the teachers, why the kids? This is where one of the key
components of ecological protection and preservation, education,
comes together with another integral ingredient, the work and the
workers, which then mixes with a quintessential environmental human
problem, garbage.
The waste management company and the City of
Edmonton evenly share the cost of having two full-time teachers
on site. The teachers are here to facilitate part of the city's
mandatory 4 th grade school curriculum - waste management and the environment. The teachers
that visit with the children are also getting an education that
is then translated into lesson plans back in the regular classroom
that teach the children about recycling, composting and garbage. where
it comes from, where it goes, and how to manage it in an earth-friendly
way.
And what a place to learn!
The cleanliness of the site and the industrious
bustle give no indication that you are coming to a place that
deals with garbage. There is an abundance of trees and a variety
of native bush plantings. It's more like a business park, and
the word 'park' comes to mind
later as we notice the tranquil lagoon in the centre of the 200-hectare
site accommodating hundreds of Canada Geese who visit the spot
yearly to regroup and replenish before continuing on their southward
journey.
The numbers and practices here related to waste management are
quite impressive. Since the city began its recycling program in
1988, Edmontonians have become national leaders and award winners
in effective waste management. Sixty percent of residential waste
is diverted from landfill, more than any other major Canadian city.
The City's waste management program is beautiful in its simplicity.
The citizens put their recyclables at the curb for collection.
Everything else is garbage. They don't have to separate compost
(Lucky!!) from garbage. The city does that for them (again I say
- Lucky!!).
That's where the world-renowned Composter comes in. The compostable
material goes into five huge mixing drums that turn one revolution
per minute for 48 hours. The material then is put, for a period
of 28 days into a stainless steel hall the size of 14 hockey arenas,
the largest of its kind in North America and one of the largest
in the world. The material then is transferred to the outdoor Compost
Yard, where it lives for three to six months. The rich, dark soil
that is produced is sold to the agriculture industry.
The facility yields 70,000 tonnes of compost annually.
Another avenue that is being investigated for sale of the compost
is the oil and gas industry for use in replanting and revitalizing
areas where the industry has conducted research and possibly disturbed
the vegetation.
The methane gas that emanates from the waste is captured and used
to create electricity. This electricity powers 4,600 homes. The
gas that is removed from the atmosphere here is the equivalent
of the emissions from 40,000 vehicles!!
The waste run-off water is also collected and is treated on-site.
About 90,000 dedicated recyclers a year visit the City's network
of Eco-Stations, drop-off facilities for hazardous household waste.
But it's not just about dealing with the present and the waste
at hand here at Edmonton's Waste Management Centre. The future
is also being considered. There is a research facility on site
that was developed in partnership with the Alberta Research Council
and the University of Alberta.
The study of waste is an internationally popular and most necessary
topic and the research centre and staff here contribute to the
global exchange of information. Connie tells us that she is working
with the Chinese government and research scientists come here from
all over the world, like the group from Indonesia arriving this
afternoon.
The Mission Green team was impressed with the facility but we
also appreciated the way Connie Boyce explained something quite
complicated in a simple, laid-back manner, making it easy for us
to grasp the multiple facets of the facility in the short time
we were there.
I guess inspiring and educating 10,000 kids a year to become efficient
and environmental waste managers has something to do with that.
http://www.edmonton.ca/waste
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Environmental Initiative #64
South Division
Police Station, Edmonton Police Service, Edmonton, Alberta
I did some time this afternoon. About 60 seconds in a fresh new
jail cell at the Edmonton Police Service's new South East Division
Station.
We had had some trouble finding the place so we had to stop and
get directions from, where else?, a police station.
I had the feeling we were late which wouldn't make a very good
impression on the Superintendent of Police, Mark Logar, who was
waiting for us at the newly-constructed Police Station. We were
immediately put at ease by his welcoming manner as he told us we
were right on time.
Police Stations are the second most expensive buildings to build,
after hospitals. As Mark tells us, that's because things like double
heating systems, back-up power systems and surveillance have to
be considered. I'd never thought about it before but the people
in police custody are also in their care.
We had our hard hats on as the site is still under construction
although it's about 90% complete. As I went through the building,
I realized that I'd never been in a police station beyond the wickets
where I would pay a parking ticket, usually protected behind bulletproof
glass. It was only the television police culture that I was familiar
with.
Although it was empty, I could envision the flurry of people working
in there. We saw the Breathalyzer Room. We visited the Intoxication
Holding Room and other holding cells, where people spend a maximum
of 6 hours before being released or transferred to the main headquarters
building downtown. The South East Division Station is essentially
a station where people are held and processed, or where intoxicated
people are cared for until they can again take care of themselves.
So what's the environmental connection? Our hosts explained.
From the City of Edmonton, there was Dennis
Nolin, Construction Supervisor and Michael Schneider, Project
Officer. From the Edmonton Police Service, Carol Wagar, Chief
Administrative Officer and the Superintendent, Mark Logar. Representing
the architects of record that constructed the building was Peter
Bull, the Director of IBI Group, and also present was an Associate
from the 'LEED' organization
and also a member of IBI Group, Peter Semchuk.
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating
system and designation is a highly coveted architectural certification.
The building has already achieved the requirements for a silver
rating but the IBI Group is secretly hoping for a gold once the
final evaluation is done.
Pride in the project was evident on the faces of all of the project
participants. After all, the building will achieve 47% energy performance
over the national standard for buildings, resulting in a financial
savings of $40,000 per year.
Storm, roof and grey water will be collected for irrigation and
use in flushing toilets and urinals.
Beautification of the exterior grounds comes from indiginous plants
whose maintenance reduce water consumption by 50%. The parking
lot surfaces are recycled road crush. The concrete block walls
are made from 25% recycled materials. Ninety percent of the construction
waste products were reused.
Sensor lighting in the building optimizes energy efficiency. The
windows are made from glass that results in brighter interiors
but decreased heat load. All the finishes including paints, adhesives,
floor epoxies, carpets and linoleum are made from low VOC-emitting
materials.
We could see that the group was indeed proud of the quality of
environmental design concepts and the level of architectural certifications
and ratings incorporated into the Police Station.
But when we asked Superintendent Mark Logar how his officers felt
about moving into such an innovative, comfortable and ecologically
meaningful building, that's where we saw the true measure of pride.
It was plain on his face.
The Big Beam as I call it, that familiar wide grin and beaming
that we've seen countless times on our journey as people describe
their projects and the pure satisfaction in being able to benefit
Mother Earth.
http://www.ibigroup.com
http://www.cag b c.org
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