RE-THINK McGILL About sustainability Jeanne M. Wolfe School of Urban Planning

SUSTAINABILITY We are building for at least 200 years McGill’s efforts are very poor compared to other Canadian Universities (UBC, Guelph, Calgary) As we teach, so should we build…

Energy Consumption HVAC – (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) – one of the biggest budget items in both construction and maintenance of most modern buildings Most campus buildings are not individually monitored

Heating and Cooling Geothermal: - a known technology (Benny Farm, etc.) - not experimental - plenty of space on campus to introduce it - can be done gradually

Geothermal Advantages: - Savings in energy costs - Greenhouse gas production less - Saving of space taken up by present heating gear, mechanical rooms etc. - Much lower maintenance costs

Example: 1925 five-storey office building in Montreal Savings -60% yr. reduction in heating and cooling costs -reduction in GHG of 6.5 tons (co2) per year -space of old mechanical rooms, chimneys etc. -maintenance costs Installation Costs -about 10% more than “normal” system Payback time -7 to 8 years

Maintenance Maintenance of buildings very poor, especially cleaning Problem of student funding Suggestion: employ student labour for routine maintenance, cleaning, cafeterias etc. How much does McGill pay now? (100 low-skilled $30,000 per year Cost $3,000,000)

Pros and Cons Difficulties -Present workers -Unions -Scheduling around class obligations etc. Advantages -Income for students -Informal control of the abuse of buildings -”Responsabilisation”

In Summary 1.Alternative energy sources, (likely geothermal), must be introduced on a building by building basis as they are built or renovated 2.All new buildings and all building renovations must be designed to the highest LEED standards LEED = Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

Summary (cont.) 3. The first rule of community development is to keep the resources of the community within the community. McGill should find ways to employ many more students on the campus over the course of time 4. Energy management should become the responsibility of building users. Consumption should be recorded for each building, and monitoring made widely known to the users, perhaps with incentives for savings