Encouraging students to participate
Camosun provides students with hands-on education in the green economy
"We're always looking for ways to provide students with hands-on education," says Ian Tol, Acting Director, Physical Resources. "If we can help our students develop the knowledge and skills they need to make our community more sustainable while earning a good salary after they graduate, Camosun will find a way to do it."
In one project, the Physical Resources Department is collaborating with Environmental Technology student Dusty Silvester to help reduce C02 emissions at Camosun.
Silvester won first prize in the 2009 Camosun College Green Initiative Challenge, a contest aimed at awarding students for their ideas to reduce the college's consumption of fossil fuel and improve sustainability on campus.
Finding a way to make use of an existing resource to reduce waste
The student's was idea to convert waste vegetable oil from Camosun's cafeterias and restaurants into a more efficient and cheaper blend of biodiesel, which could then supplement or even replace the commercially available biodiesel that fuels the small utility trucks used by Physical Resources on campus. Silvester's project will help reduce Camosun College's C02 emissions, not only from vehicles, but also because waste oil will no longer need to be trucked to the Lower Mainland for recycling. As well, the Environmental Technology Program, which purchased the equipment to make the biodiesel, is planning on incorporating findings from the project as a teaching tool.
A portable biodiesel processing plant is used to fuel Camosun utility vehicles.
Camosun students get practical experience working with green technologies
"We're also making sure Trades and Technology students can apply their learning to green technology projects right here on campus," says Tol. "Students get hands-on experience with green building controls that manage energy usage on campus, and we're making sure plumbing students can help install a solar hot water heater on the roof of the Drysdale building."
The modifications to the Drysdale building will play a part in helping Camosun College cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 1000 tonnes per year by 2012 by reducing energy consumption.
"At Camosun College we want to take a leadership role in making our community more sustainable," says Tol. "We want our students to graduate and start creating solutions as part of the green economy."
Comments: 2. Page 1 of 1.
Susan says:
25-Mar-2011 3:21pm
Cool!
Scott says:
29-Mar-2011 1:31pm
Camosun should offer a Green class worth credits students could take as an elective. I believe it would quickly become one of the most popular electives Camosun could offer and the benefits would last a lifetime.
Admin: Good comment, thanks Scott. In fact every year individual courses and programs undergo a "review and renewal" process which is aimed at ensuring what we teach is always up-to-date and relevant to careers and community. "Green relevance" is part of the review and renewal; one example of that is in our carpentry program: http://camosun.ca/ccr/news/2011/mar/building-it-better.html