Two of the buildings comprising the Okotoks Operations Centre have been recognized by the Canadian Green Building Council.

On October 23rd, the administration and fleet buildings received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Gold Certification.

The certification was granted due to several of the buildings' eco-friendly aspects, including low energy and water consumption, as well as the building materials.

A solar PV system will be installed on the roofs of both buildings, which Environment and Sustainability Manager Dawn Smith says will offset the power used by all three eco-centre buildings, and have the potential to provide backup power to a major Okotoks facility.

"It'll be physically connected to the Waste water Treatment Plant, so if there's a loss in power, the solar system can still provide redundancy and backup to that key piece of infrastructure."

She says the project will be completed by the end of the year. Though financial figures have yet to be made public, she estimated the project will come in at roughly one million dollars, 43% of which will be covered by a government grant though the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre.

Additionally, a Nature Centres Grant from Alberta Environment and Parks will fund educational signage in and around the Environmental Education Centre, to be completed in 2020.

A plaque will be delivered within the next few weeks to commemorate the certification, with an unveiling ceremony planned to follow its arrival.

 

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