Sustainability Edition Spring 2008 Pearsonnewsletter of Lester B.times Pearson College of the Pacific The United World Colleges makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. [United World College Mission] A strong environmental focus he United World Colleges ecosystem on Vancouver Island, (UWC) are unique. They Lester B. Pearson College of the Tmake up the only global Pacific has always maintained a educational movement which strong environmental presence brings together students from and focus. Renowned architects all over the world – selected on Ron Thom and Barry Downs personal merit, irrespective of race, made excellent use of the physical religion, politics or the ability to setting, creating a seaside village of Students, faculty and staff serve as environmental stewards for the sensitive ecosystem pay – with the explicit aim of wood timber buildings linked by at Race Rocks. fostering peace and international footpaths when they designed understanding. the campus in the early 1970’s. mentally sensitive,”asserts College bio diesel plant which will allow us Sustainability is a critical issue This remote forest “village” Director David Hawley. “Our goal to convert waste vegetable oil from for United World Colleges. The provides an ideal classroom for is to find ways to reduce our our cafeteria and local restaurants UWC mission statement commits the international students to impact on the planet. Beyond the to fuel for use in our boats and the movement to education for a experience new environmental work we have done at Race Rocks, campus vehicles. We have started sustainable future and therefore and sustainability concepts and to we have taken a number of an organic farming project and implies that UWC must itself share traditional concepts culture important steps towards being are establishing relationships with become a sustainable organization. to culture. In addition to a long more sustainable. We replaced all local growers so our cafeteria In March 2007 the UWC history of environmental steward- of our showerheads, reducing food will come from increasingly International Board established a ship at Race Rocks, early students, water flow by 50 per cent to two local sources. policy of no increases and, where faculty and staff were actively litres per minute and installed new David Hawley describes future possible, encourages a decrease in engaged in forestry activities and dual six or three litre per-flush plans at the College, “We have a the use of energy, water and paper salmon enhancement in nearby model toilets throughout the much longer list of things we are on a per-student basis in all twelve creeks. There was also a firm campus. Our open fireplaces have exploring. These include installing colleges worldwide. “We need to commitment to recycling that been fitted with high efficiency underground or underwater heat hold ourselves accountable today has lead to the strict procedures wood stoves, we have plans for a pumps to heat our buildings, solar by measuring our environmental in place today and the annual water heaters for our pool, wind impact, however difficult and eco-audit to assess the ecological “Our goal is to turbines overlooking the campus, uncomfortable it may be,”Director footprint of the College. replacing all of our single-pane David Hawley wrote in the March “Given the interdependence find ways to windows with double-pane low-e 2007 issue of United World. of all living things and the urgent reduce our impact models, upgrading all appliances Located on the rugged shores of need to address the challenge of to energy efficient models, the Pacific amidst the Garry Oak climate change, every part of our on the planet.” installing green roofs – growing and old growth Douglas Fir forest world must be treated as environ- David B. Hawley, College Director perennial herbs on our rooftops.” Cornelia Hahn Oberlander architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, Kurt Hahn’s niece, Kurt Hahn’s vision continues as a friend of the College and architectural consultant. he United World College United World Colleges, each with Cornelia Oberlander has movement was founded its own distinctive character, but worked to re-establish the native Tover forty-five years ago sharing a common mission and plant landscaping on the Pedder and originated with the ideas of values. In the turbulent world of Bay campus. In addition she has German educator Kurt Hahn who the twenty-first century, Kurt been instrumental along with believed traditions of hostility Hahn’s theories are as relevant architects Eva Matsuzaki and and conflict could be overcome today as they were in 1962 – David Rousseau in the GreenHome if young people from various perhaps more so. project. After extensive consulta- nations, races and religions could Pearson College has been tion with the campus community be brought together to learn from fortunate for many years to have they have produced a sustainable each other. Today there are twelve world-renowned landscape (GreenHome) design for the Continued on page 2 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander Speaking to students at the Continued from cover convocation at Simon Fraser renovation initially of student University in 2002, Cornelia residence Calgary House and Oberlander summarized her then ideally the other four passion for sustainable design: student residences. “Achieving a fit between the Cornelia Oberlander’s landscape built form and the land has been design not only works to integrate my dictum. I dream of green cities the overall architectural project with green buildings where rural with the natural environment, but and urban activities live in also does so by respecting and harmony.” enhancing the native landscape. Calgary House will be renovated as part of the proposed GreenHome Project. Some of Oberlander’s numerous awards include the Order of Canada Her work has increasingly been The C.K. Choi Building at UBC (1990), the Royal Architectural concerned with the design and (Matsuzaki/Wright Architects, Institute of Canada Allied Arts Medal development of environmentally 1996) set new standards for (1995) and the Lifetime Achievement responsible landscapes. She made sustainable design, construction Award, Canadian Society of use of indigenous plants in her and operations. By way of very Landscape Architects (2006). For her landscape design for the Museum inventive engineering and land- innovative work in landscape design she has received honorary degrees of Anthropology at the University scaping, it was not necessary to from University of British Columbia of British Columbia (UBC), connect the Choi building to Cornelia Oberlander, Eva Matsuzaki and (1991), Simon Fraser University David Rousseau have designed the specifying plants that were used by municipal storm and sanitary (2002), Smith College (2003), GreenHome project with extensive Northwest Coast First Nations sewers. The notion of a building Dalhousie University (2008) and community input. Peoples for food and medicines. “off the grid” was thus spawned. McGill University (2008). Oikos Project is launched By Alex Fletcher, PC 27 Canada and Virginie Lavallée-Picard, PC 27 Canada “It was apparent ive years ago we left the that the College forested shores of Pedder needed to rise above FBay to study Human Ecology at the College of the the ‘green’, ‘sustain- Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. The Students check out the green roof at the Burnside Gorge Community Centre. field of Human Ecology examines able’ and ‘climate the relationship between society the Greek etymological root of two • articulate policies that reflect and the natural environment with friendly’ rhetoric words: ‘economics’ (oikonomia) long-term ambitions; an emphasis on an interdisciplinary and ‘ecology’ (oikologia). ‘Oikos’ • take concrete actions on water approach to problem solving. This that has become means the ‘household’,‘home’ or conservation; calls for creativity and collabora- ‘family’.Accordingly, ecology is the • integrate renewable energy; tion between a wide range of trendy these days.” study of the home and economics academic disciplines, integrating is its management. • increase local food security; diverse personal experience and a The Pearson College oikos • and measure real savings and broad spectrum of perspectives. presented a unique opportunity to perspective encompasses the reinvest those savings to further reduce costs and needs. Our experiences at Pearson College promote the kind of change that allocation of inputs and the and at the College of the Atlantic we had been taught to seek. It was production of outputs that provide In so doing there is the potential were quite complementary since quickly apparent however that the and maintain the overall systems to enhance the educational experi- both are dedicated to the promo- College needed to rise above the which keep everyone here safe, ence and value for current and tion of increased awareness, respect ‘green’,‘sustainable’ and ‘climate warm and well fed – essential future international students and and the need to take responsibility friendly’ rhetoric that has become elements for a happy, healthy to greatly embolden the mission of in a complex, interconnected and overwhelmingly trendy these days. community which fosters educa- the College. The grant portion of challenging world. Pearson College was founded on tional excellence. Ideally, and this project will continue until We returned to Pearson College the highest of ideals and vision logically, our economic systems and October of