People passing by Bloomfield Centre may not notice something is different about StFX’s Students’ Union building. But indeed, 40 new solar panels have just been installed on the roof in a student-led initiative this is ever moving the university in a green direction.
“We are all really excited about this project for the initial environmental impacts, but also for the future benefits,” says Mikaela Henderson, internal sustainability officer with the StFX Students’ Union.
Ms. Henderson is part of a student group, working with Facilities Management, on the project. Earlier this year, they submitted a proposal to StFX Vice-President Finance and Administration Andrew Beckett, successfully requesting that two per cent of the facilities renewal fee go towards this project.
“The purpose of the solar panel project is to not only to reduce the carbon footprint of the university, but also to start bringing more green initiatives to campus,” the student team write in their report. “To many perspective students, this is a very important factor in selecting a post-secondary institution as the climate change threat looms more and more over the younger population.”
Ms. Henderson says the project started at the beginning of last year. The Sustainability Office, with Ms. Henderson as internal officer and external officer Victoria Cullen, have been working with Facilities Management Energy Supervisor, Kevin Latimer, to kick start a student-led solar panel project.
After many Students’ Union discussions, the Sustainability Office decided to approach a group of engineering students to help with the project. Patrick LeClair, Jenn Samson, Jasmine DeZeeuw, Joe Deering and Erica MacIsaac, students in Dr. Emeka Oguejiofor’s Design and Communications II class, agreed to come on board with the project as part of their final design project for the class.
As a team they worked on developing this proposal to help implement this initiative with the help of the Students’ Union and the university administration.
