Valley View Public School – First GREEN SCHOOL in Northern Ontario

When the new Valley View Public School opened in September 2007, Greater Sudbury became home to the first Green School in Northern Ontario. Students marked the historic occasion at a special Open House Celebration today where they welcomed the school board officials, architect and contractor who worked to make their dream school a reality, providing a superior learning environment in a state-of-the art green facility.

"Valley View Public School, Rainbow District School Board’s first new school in 40 years, is a model for sustainable development as a high performance green school," said Board Chair Judy Hunda. "This school is a shining example of Rainbow District School Board’s commitment to sustainability.” She added: “We are putting sound environmental practices in place to support global thinking at a local level. Our focus is on sustainability for now and for the future.”

Rainbow District School Board is realizing significant savings in energy consumption with the green features incorporated into the building.  The facility is expected to operate at half the energy cost of a typical school. “In this day and age where climate change and greenhouse gases have become household words, we need to do all that we can to reduce our environmental footprint,” said Chair Hunda. “We are instilling a culture of conservation among our youngest citizens and this will have a powerful impact on their future, the future of our planet and the future of generations to come.”

"Our green school is serving as a unique teaching tool for students and staff," added Director of Education Jean Hanson. "We have created a superior learning environment in a durable and efficient facility, where we are promoting environmental stewardship among the leaders of tomorrow. Students are transferring what they are learning in the classroom into their homes and into the community. The benefits are having a far-reaching impact.”

Director Hanson praised the staff and students of Valley View Public School for their commitment to conservation. “This new green school is, by far, Rainbow District School Board’s most significant investment in our efforts to go green, a tangible example of the vision that we share for our schools and the communities that we serve. The staff and students of Valley View Public School are proud pioneers in the process.”

Ameresco Canada oversaw the $15 million construction project on behalf of Rainbow District School Board. “Ameresco is pleased to work in partnership with Rainbow District School Board to help build a quality and efficient facility that will set the standard for new schools being built in the province,” said Mario Iusi, President of Ameresco Canada.

What makes a green school?

The new Valley View Public School incorporates national Go Green environmental certification principles – industry ‘best practices’ for resource consumption, waste management, building materials, the interior environment and occupant awareness. Good acoustics, lighting, thermal comfort and air quality in the 65,000 square foot facility is reducing operating expenses, protecting the natural environment and improving the health and productivity of students and staff, while lowering energy consumption.

The Architect and Sustainable Consultant designed the school with a north/south orientation, maximizing windows on the north and south faces of the building. Sun screening devices and glass are used to optimize the amount of natural light in the school, obtain solar heat gain in the winter and avoid undesirable solar heat gain in the summer.

This approach has many benefits. It provides a learning environment lit with natural light, reduces the need for artificial lighting, takes advantage of passive solar heating during the winter months and shades the hot sun of the summer. When rooms are not in use, occupancy sensors integrated with the artificial lighting systems automatically shut lights off. This type of lighting creates significant energy savings.

The use of geothermal energy systems in the new school provides four units of energy from the ground for every unit of energy purchased from conventional sources. This efficiency is unequalled by other conventional heating and cooling systems. Geothermal systems heat and cool the school by tapping into the relatively constant temperature of the earth below the frost line, at significant energy savings.

The building has radiant floor heating. Cooled/tempered air is delivered to classrooms using displacement ventilation concepts. Displacement ventilation provides fresh and tempered (cool) air to classrooms at floor level.  Displacement ventilation systems typically use 100 per cent outdoor air. As a result, air pollutants generated within the building are removed at the source and are not re-circulated. The displacement ventilation system improves the indoor environment.

The water reuse system in the school conserves water use and demonstrates sustainability to students. A wetland biofilter remediates sanitary waste from waterless urinals and low volume flush toilets, diverting approximately 70 per cent of the remediated water to re-circulate in toilets throughout the school.

Washroom fixtures use minimal water. The wetland biofilter, a series of filters and planting beds, illustrate natural process remediating methodologies. And, conventional field beds on the site are being used to dispose of excess greywater. The school is not connected to the municipal sanitary system. The water reuse system saves water and teaches students the value of water conservation.

A number of additional sustainable features have been incorporated into the building, including the use of building products with recycled content. The school has retroplated concrete floors with recycled glass chips collected by the students. Wood beams from the old Valley View Public School are being reused as interior benches and architectural accent features.

The school’s waste management program documents diversion of waste products from the construction to recycling facilities in the City of Greater Sudbury. The building incorporates Smart IT systems, making use of state-of-the-art technology such as Smart Boards.

Project Team:

Architect:  Castellan James + Partners Architects Inc.
Sustainable Advisor:  Tom Tamblyn – Dearness Conservation Society
Mechanical/Electrical Engineer:  LKM SNC Lavalin
Wetland System Engineer:  Ecoworks Technologies Inc.
Civil Engineer:  Northland Engineering (1987) Limited
Structural Engineer:  Halsall Associates Limited
Landscape Consulting:  Bill Fryer Landscape Architect
Contractor:  Ameresco Canada Inc.

Rainbow Schools Go Green:

Education for sustainable development was introduced in Rainbow Schools in partnership with the Dearness Environmental Society in 2000.  At that time, Dearness Conservation was offered as a curriculum-based Grade 5 or Grade 9 level program aimed at engaging students and staff in activities that promote energy efficient practices and environmentally-friendly behaviour.  It has since evolved into the much larger “Rainbow Schools Go Green” education initiative, with the goal of fostering sustainability at school, at home and in the community.

In November 2007, Rainbow District School Board was recognized provincially for its outstanding commitment to energy conservation. The Board received a Certificate of Recognition for Energy Conservation from Peter Love, Chief Energy Conservation Officer of Ontario, at a special ceremony at Valley View Public School.

"Schools are more than bricks and mortar. They are special places where students learn life lessons as well as reading, writing and math,” said Peter Love. “Rainbow District School Board has taken a leadership role by teaching students about conserving our valuable resources. These are lessons that students will keep forever, and share with family and friends… contributing to a culture of conservation in Ontario."

Rainbow District School Board has undertaken a number of environmental initiatives with positive results. Provincial recognition of these efforts is a tribute to Rainbow Schools’ administrators, custodians, teachers and students who have made energy conservation a priority in their schools and have taken leadership in transferring this knowledge to their homes and communities. It is also a tribute to the Board’s environmental partners, including Ameresco Canada and the Dearness Environmental Society.
 
Rainbow District School Board’s overall energy cost savings since the inception of Go Green initiatives in 2003 totalled approximately $468,316.  Consumption savings were 900,022kWh for hydro, 786,564 cubic meters for gas and 5,714 GJ for oil and propane. More savings are imminent with the construction of the new Valley View Public School.

About Valley View Public School:
Valley View Public School is a JK to Grade 8 French Immersion school with an enrolment of 475 students. The school is barrier-free and has space for lower class sizes in the primary grades as well as physical education, instrumental music, visual arts, computer technology, a library and special education. The school also houses a daycare and before and after school programs in state-of-the-art facilities.

About Rainbow District School Board:
The largest public school board in Northern Ontario, Rainbow District School Board has 39 elementary schools and nine secondary schools offering programs in English, Core French and French Immersion. Rainbow District School Board covers a geographic area of more than 14,000 square kilometres in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin.

About Ameresco Canada:
Ameresco Canada is a leader in providing asset management and accommodation planning, facility renewal, energy management and renewable energy solutions to its customers.  With numerous offices throughout the country, Ameresco Canada has more than 30 years of experience in the K-12 education market in Canada, and has completed more than 150 projects and generated over $450 million in facility-related savings.

For more information about the New Valley View Public School and Rainbow District School Board’s Go Green initiatives, log on to rainbowschools.ca.

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Media Contact:
Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning, Rainbow District School Board, 705.674.3171, ext. 7217