News Release
STUDENTS CONDUCT ENERGY AUDIT AT CITY HALL
(Thursday, November 29/2001) - Halifax Regional Municipality's 111-year-old City Hall passed a three-part energy audit today with flying colors.
No dripping taps, no defective toilet cisterns, and overall good recycling/conservation practices by City Hall staff were noted; although it was suggested the exterior doors to City Hall could use some weather-stripping to keep out drafts.
Students from the grades five and six "Eco Team" at Holland Road Elementary School conducted the audit, as part of a Canada City Hall Energy Audit Initiative.
Out of a possible score of 4.0 in each category, the students rated City Hall in the following areas: water, 2.5; waste, 3.0; and energy, 2.5.
Three student teams toured the building and examined it for leaks, drafts and other breaches of energy efficiency. They also interviewed HRM employees about conservation practices.
The Eco Team presented its findings to Deputy Mayor Robert Harvey, who thanked the students for their thoroughness and their constructive suggestions for energy-efficient improvements.
Noting that City Hall dates back to 1888, the Deputy Mayor said he thought the teams were "very generous" in their assessment of the historic structure.
The audit is sponsored by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). Other cities staging City Hall energy audits today were Charlottetown, Fredericton, Ottawa, Toronto and Edmonton. Each city hall received a rating that sets a benchmark for future conservation practices.
The Holland Road School students are participants in a program called "Destination Conservation," which develops environmental educational programs on energy and water efficiency, and waste reduction in schools.
FCM supports municipal governments to achieve energy efficiency and related cost savings in their buildings and community facilities through the Municipal Building Retrofit Program.
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Deputy Mayor Robert Harvey
(902) 488-4820
