Munro Academy gets honourable mention in Greenest School in Canada contest

A school in Balls Creek, Cape Breton has garnered more attention for its renewable energy projects.

Christian school Munro Academy got an honourable mention this month in the Canada Green Building Council's "Greenest School in Canada" contest.

It follows on the heels of a major award earlier this year.

In January, the Academy won a $100,000 grant through the international Zayed Future Energy Prize.

Since then, the school has been adding to its renewable energy infrastructure.

"What the Zayed Future Energy Prize allowed us to do was just expand sort of beyond anybody's wildest dreams," said teacher Leslie Donovan.

"To the point that right now, we are in excess of 90 per cent renewable energy usage at this school."

And the students have had some hands-on involvement.

Students design prototypes

Part of the grant money was used to pay for a new entrepreneurship course at the school.

Grade 12 students are working to market a passive solar air heater that was designed by their fellow students.

Alex Whyte, a Grade 9 student, helped to design the original prototype. Her model used recycled pop cans. 

She says the Grade 12s refined her design using layers of wire screen. It's now in use on the side of the school.

"The cold air comes in from the outside of the building and the screen which is like black, will heat it up, and the air will just rise and go into the top of the vent into the classroom. If you put your hand in it, you can feel like a ton of heat."

The prize money has afforded the school to install an array of photovoltaic panels on its roof.

There are also plans to build a wood pellet storage facility for the school's biomass burner.