Earth Rangers — the kids' conservation organization dedicated to educating millions of children across Canada about the importance of protecting biodiversity — has been awarded Platinum Certification from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) through its LEED for Existing Buildings (EB) green building rating system for The Earth Rangers Centre located in Woodbridge, Ontario.
The Earth Rangers Centre certified LEED® Gold for New Construction in 2004, is home to Earth Rangers' Animal Ambassadors and staff and is also a showcase for leading edge sustainable building technologies that reduce energy, water and resource consumption, while also maintaining the highest levels of functionality and comfort for occupants and tenants.
“Achieving a score of 92 of a possible 110 points in the rating system, The Earth Rangers Centre is currently the highest scoring LEED EB building in Canada. The Centre features technologies such as:
- Solar photovoltaic generation
- On-site wastewater treatment
- Earth tubes
- Solar hot water
- Stormwater control
- Geothermal heating and cooling
- Vegetated green roofs
The LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating system focuses on measured performance of the building, and requires participants to track and prove the performance of their facility. Notable metrics attained by the building include:
- Energy consumption 83% below energy code baseline
- 130,000 kWh of annual solar energy generation (enough to power 12 average Canadian homes for a year)
- 1.5 million liters of water recycled in 2011
- 100% of power supplied comes from renewables or low impact hydroelectric generation sources
- 100% of all cleaning products meet green cleaning standards
- Native and drought hardy landscaping that needs no irrigation and uses no pesticides
- An extensive preventative maintenance program that includes infrared scanning of building components
- An online commuting alternative program for staff and tenants
- 80% diversion of waste from landfill
“I would like to congratulate The Earth Rangers Centre for becoming the highest rated LEED for existing buildings project in Canada. This is the first time ever that the CaGBC has certified a building initially as LEED Gold for New Construction, and then seven years later as LEED Platinum for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance," says Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council. "It is key for LEED certified buildings to not only achieve this high level of performance, but maintain it as well. Earth Rangers took this a step further by exceeding the performance targeted under their initial certification. This project sets a benchmark in Canada that any building owner can follow to create lasting dividends for the environment and their pocketbook."
