“There’s teachers at all three schools that are sort of buying in and are going to be working on sustainability within their own classes,” said Robb, noting that the net-zero SEED classroom the students are fundraising for will create opportunities to facilitate that learning.
Robb has, along with other teachers, been working to create a curriculum for that building, so that each teacher in Jasper, no matter what school they’re with, will be able to take advantage of the space.
“We will have a basic idea of how every grade and every teacher is going to be using the SEED building at all three schools. That [curriculum] is a working document that teachers can add to all the time,” he said. “Through the SEED building, the message of sustainability will carry on.”
The sustainability club was created seven years ago, when Robb received a full-time position with Jasper Junior/Senior High School, and out of it grew the Sustainability class, which was created three years ago.
Through their work, Robb and his students have created a name for themselves among sustainable designers, architects and builders—especially in the United States, where the students have presented at numerous green building conferences.
That exposure and the students’ experiences providing input on the new joint school design is the reason Jasper will be the home of the SEED prototype.
Last week, during the last scheduled Sustainability class, Robb surprised the students with a guest speaker, who came to them over Skype. It was Jason McLennan, the creator of the Living Building Challenge—an international sustainable building certification program.
“He wanted to say goodbye to a lot of the Grade 12 students who have worked so hard and done so much,” said Robb. “He told them that Jasper is now officially on the map. He said everyone [in Seattle] knows who you are and everyone in Portland knows where Jasper is and everybody asks, ‘what are the Jasper kids up to?’”
With that kind of following, Robb said there’s a lot of momentum behind the students and there’s a lot of potential to keep things going, especially because there are so many community members who are motivated to maintain the club.
There is a strong parent network in town who want to ensure youth still have an opportunity to learn about sustainability and the environment, said Robb.
“And most importantly, we have this amazing group of kids that are looking for those types of challenges and are going to be doing it regardless, I think.
“The current group of Grade 10 girls are just this amazing force.”
