Royal Roads undertakes challenging 'green' plan

by Jeff Bell

Hatley Castle, the centrepiece of the Royal Roads site, is one of a number of older buildings that university officials would like to make more energy-efficient, said associate vice-president Steve Grundy.

From the restoration of an overgrown wetland to the possible "green" transformation of Hatley Castle, a sustainability plan coming together at Royal Roads University aims to make the campus a pillar of environmental practice.

Hatley Castle, the centrepiece of the Royal Roads site, is one of a number of older buildings that university officials would like to make more energy-efficient, said associate vice-president Steve Grundy. But it won't be an easy task, he said, especially since the castle and its environs are a national heritage site.

"How do you 'green' a castle?" he mused. "It's always been a campaign objective to do building retrofits, and there's a lot of interest in something like Hatley Castle, obviously.

"The province and federal government have thousands of heritage buildings and I know they're kind of scratching their heads about what to do about all of them. If we can figure out how to green heritage buildings, I think that will be of tremendous value."

Delving into an area that demands such an inventive approach is just fine with him, Grundy said.

"That to me is the role of the university, to try things that break new ground."

Plans to make Royal Roads increasingly sustainable emerged last spring and have now been laid out in a report that looks at all aspects of bringing the university more in tune with the highest environmental standards. Among the goals are making the campus carbon-neutral, making it self-sufficient in energy, water and waste-treatment by 2018 and cutting greenhouse-gas emissions in half by 2020.

A focal point in the effort is the Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre, which is in the design phase and is coming about as a result of a $10 million donation (made up of art, archival material and a cash bequest) from Bateman and his wife, Birgit.

The centre is envisioned as a "living" building that features the newest green building technology and emits almost no greenhouse gas.

"It basically says your building is just about as close to zero [emissions] as it can possibly get," Grundy said.

Reclaiming a former wetland next to the building is also an important part of the project.

Another intriguing concept put forward in the sustainability plan is a "waste and energy recovery research centre," which fits with Royal Roads having already been eyed by the Capital Regional District for one of a series of sewage-treatment plants -- as have many other locations around the region.

Dry wood waste, wet organic waste and sewage would be treated at the Royal Roads facility.

"What we're proposing in that plan would essentially treat the whole of Langford and Colwood, and us," Grundy said. "The whole facility would generate significantly more heat and power than we can use, so we need the ability to sell power back to B.C. Hydro. We'd also like to be able to be in a position to sell heat, as well."

The plant would be situated on flat ground past the top of the hill that shapes the campus, and would position Royal Roads to be "part of the solution" for the CRD's needs, Grundy said.

"We know that the Colwood/Langford main sewer line goes right past the main entrance of Royal Roads. We'd be proposing to put that facility right up as close to the road as possible."

The report on the sustainability plan says that the university is in early discussions with a private company and the CRD about the treatment site.

Grundy said excitement is growing for the potential of the plan, in part due to the recent appointment of Nancy Wilkin to a co-ordinating role. Wilkin moves over from her position as an assistant deputy minister in the Ministry of Environment to serve a term as an "executive-in-residence" for the Royal Roads initiative.

It's part of a program established with the Public Service Agency, Wilkin said.

"I feel very privileged," said Wilkin, who worked in her ministry's environmental stewardship division. "It's just a great opportunity. Royal Roads is a very special place."

The sustainability efforts are part of an overall vision for Royal Roads being fuelled by a $100-million fundraising campaign that began last April. The campaign was already at $35 million at the time it was announced, thanks to early contributions.

Fundraising efforts continue, and Grundy is optimistic that the sustainability plan will proceed as expected.

"It's coming along very well. The tricky bit will be getting the money, of course, to do all this, but I always think money follows good ideas."

Reprinted with permission from the Times-Colonist