Sustainability and environmental stewardship were on the minds of residents who attended a public meeting to discuss the future Jasper Junior/Senior High School last week. 

People suggested the new school, scheduled to open September 2014, should have green space, natural light and that it be a “living building.” They also suggested that it be built to a LEED Gold standard, exceeding the government standard of LEED Silver. LEED is a green building certification that is meant to improve the sustainability of a building.

Robert Rabinovitch of Edmonton-based Workun Garrick Partnership is the architect designing the new school to be shared by the Grande Yellowhead Public School Division (GYPSD) and Conseil Scolaire Centre-Nord (CSCN).

During the public meeting, which drew about 40 participants, Rabinovitch said he doesn’t want people  “chasing LEED points.”

He explained that the certification is a checklist that in many cases gives points to decisions made as the structure is being built, not decisions that make the building more energy efficient or sustainable in the long run.

“I always tell our clients to be very careful of chasing LEED points,” he said.

Rabinovitch gave an example of a recently completed school in Edmonton that had four parking stalls reserved for electric cars. 

“I will bet anything right now there is not a person in that community that attends that school that has an electric car. But it got them LEED points. That may have been the point that got them to LEED Silver or LEED Gold.”

He suggested instead of chasing points, residents should consider what the school’s environmental goals should be and how those goals can be achieved.

Nicole Merrifield, former communications director for GYPSD and facilitator for the meeting, said the same suggestion was given to the students.

“The students are coming up with some phenomenal examples that would be very specific to Jasper, that would make the building sustainable and environmentally aware, that aren’t focused on certification, but are visible to the student body.”

An example of one of those ideas is a tracking system for the school’s electricity use, said Merrifield. The students suggested that if those numbers were posted, they would then be able to challenge themselves to lower them through behavioural changes, she said.

The school boards and Rabinovitch met with students, parents, community members and school staff to help create a vision for the school before pen hits paper and the design comes to life. 

The plans for the design must be approved by the boards by January 2012. 

“So between now and Christmas is our opportunity to have input and discussion as to what the new school facility will look like, what will be included and what won’t and how it will be incorporated,” said Merrifield.

After the design has been approved, a bidding process will take place for the construction of the building. Merrifield said the province hopes construction will begin in the spring. 

To learn more about the project or share your ideas, visit the GYPSD website at www.gypsd.ca