Backgrounder
Greening Ontario's Schools
April 21, 2009
Investing In Green, Energy-Efficient Learning Environments
Energy audits, energy efficient heating and cooling and the reconfiguration of existing school spaces will help make more than 1,000 of Ontario's publicly funded schools better places to learn.
A $550-million, two-year investment will help make schools more energy efficient, while supporting a stronger and greener economy and creating and sustaining over 5,500 jobs. The investment will also help keep costs down for boards and reduce impacts on the environment by:
Investment |
Project Examples |
Benefits |
$100 million |
- energy audits
- energy management systems
- smart thermostats
- light occupancy sensors
|
- energy savings
- better learning environments
- allows for best use of retrofit dollars
- learning opportunities about energy conservation
- creates jobs
|
$300 million |
- energy efficient heating and cooling systems
- high efficiency windows, roofs and boilers
|
- more consistent temperatures throughout the year
- energy savings
- better learning environments
- learning opportunities about energy conservation
- creates jobs
|
$150 million |
- reconfiguring existing student space
- replacing old, inefficient portables with new school additions
|
- improved learning environment for students
- learning opportunities about energy conservation
- creates jobs
|
Other Supports For Safe, Healthy Learning Environments
- Good Places to Learn: a $4.8 billion investment to repair, rebuild and expand schools across the province. To date, almost 12,000 renewal projects are underway or completed, and include replacing roofs, windows and boilers. Since 2003, more than 200 new schools have been opened or are under construction, with plans for an additional 100 schools underway
- Green Schools Pilot Initiative: piloting new green products and technologies at schools
- Energy Conservation Officer: to identify and promote best practices for energy management and conservation at schools
- Utility Consumption Database: to track school's electricity and natural gas consumption and give boards a tool to set and measure energy conservation targets
- Green Schools Resource Guide: to provide boards with planning and design guidelines on how to build a green school
- Expert Panel on Capital Standards: to identify best practices in energy efficient school design, construction and capital project management.
Environmental Education
Teaching students about the importance of environmental stewardship from an early age can help position them for success in the green economy of the future. Starting in fall 2009, schools will begin implementing a new policy framework, created as part of the advice of the Curriculum Council and recommendations made by a working group on environmental education chaired by Dr. Roberta Bondar.
The new framework complements other initiatives to support the environment, including:
- Embedding environmental education in all curriculum
- Offering Specialist High Skills Majors related to the environment at over 25 schools
- Offering new courses in environmental science
- Working with Ontario EcoSchools to help teachers plan environmentally focused classroom programs and with schools to reduce their environmental impact. EcoSchools has received $1 million to date, and will get another $500,000 for 2009-10.
See also:
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