The Ecology Action Centre, Halifax’s Hub for Environmental Initiatives
The Ecology Action
Centre
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY DYLAN LEEDER
PROFILE
The Ecology Action Centre (EAC) describes itself as a “Member based environmental charity in Nova Scotia taking leadership on critical issues from biodiversity, to climate change, to environmental justice.”. Based in Halifax, EAC not only acts as a hub for various environmental actions around the local community but has also begun working internationally on various projects (LINK).
When researching the organization it is easy to get lost in the various initiatives and success stories throughout their history. The organization focuses on seven different areas; Built Environment, Marine, Coastal and Water, Wilderness, Food, Transportation and Energy. They have grown to now have 5,000 members, 300 volunteers, and around 40 full and part-time employees, which is far from the recycling promotion program they started as in the 1970s.
‘No Fracking Way’ protest signs
Because EAC is such a large organization with so many exciting things in the works, it’s hard to pin down the highlights or even approach the story of such a successful organization. Knowing this, we thought a potentially powerful approach would be to highlight their physical home and how it showcases not only a success story, but more about how the offices became a showcase for green-possibilities within building design.
The building utilizes 10 solar thermal panels on the roof to generate hot water that is then used to heat the building.
Located close to downtown Halifax, the building was originally built as a home in 1915 but became the EAC’s offices in 2006. With their initial renovation that year they became the first working demonstration of a green office renovation in Atlantic Canada. In 2014 they needed to expand due to the increased size of the organization and decided to renovate the same location to continue investing in their neighbourhood of Halifax’s North End.
They approached the second renovation with the same environmental consideration and hired Solterre Design and Tekton Design+Build to help them create a workspace that acts as an environmental showcase while also properly reflecting the organizations environmental and welcoming ethos.
100% of wall paint is clay paint, made entirely with natural and locally sourced ingredients.
Paving stones salvaged from a local, recently demolished house.
Obviously important to EAC was not only the completion of the ambitious project, but also the importance of using the project as an educational tool. On their website is a detailed outline of their various decisions and steps that explains the environmental rationale behind each decision - not only is it an interesting read, it’s a great look into how impactful building design and construction is on our planet. We encourage you to check it out HERE.
“All our windows feature a low-e coating, which is able to reflect infrared light while not impacting visible light. By reflecting infrared light the window is able to help trap heat inside the building.”
The beautiful, custom-made sliding doors on the EcoDanceHall are made from doors salvaged from the Roy Building. There are five other Roy Building doors throughout the building.
Muffler piper bent by a local garage wrapped around FSC certified studs.
In addition to FCS certified wood, they also used aqua salvaged wood from the Deanery Project. Approximately 150 years ago the boards were sunk into a lake on the Eastern Shore of NS to reduce the rotting process; they were recently retrieved and dried using the solar kiln at the Deanery Project.
Repurposed subfloor boards are featured on the walls in the entry and the main level meeting room. These beautiful, old whitewashed floor boards were carefully salvaged during the deconstruction of part of the main level.
After learning about EAC and so much about their building we caught up with one of the architects at the head office; Jordan Willett from Solterre. We talked to Jordan to get an idea of the green construction movement from his perspective.
The following is a few of our many questions and Jordans answers to each;
Good Planet: Do you find theres a growing interest in environmental considerations within architecture and your field? Do you find there is perhaps an increase in these considerations with the ‘green movement’ growing?
Jordan: There are certainly big changes happening in this field, and for good reason; the built environment has a huge impact on the globe.
“Nearly 25% of CO2 emissions on earth can be tied back to the construction and operation of buildings.
That figure always blows my mind. While there is a growing interest in the green movement, I don’t think that figure is a common knowledge. That said, I’m encouraged by the change I’ve seen in this industry; from clients and professionals (designers, builders, suppliers). The big challenge moving forward in this industry is twofold – 1) cutting through the greenwashing (eg. solar panels don’t necessarily make a building green) and 2) utilizing and upgrading the current building stock to conserve land, minimize urban sprawl and reduce carbon emissions.
In terms of difficulties or challenges, how difficult is it to implement green considerations in a typical build or building project? And with that, do you find its becoming easier with time and new technologies?
Many clients come in the door with ambitious goals and really push us. It’s so fun to start a project running, when everyone is on the same page. Nowadays, people are better informed about green design and construction (including myself!) which makes conversations quicker and easier. We like to get everyone (owner, builder, us, other consultants) together as early as possible to talk about everything. This helps build a ethos for the project and opens up everyone’s mind to possibilities and connections.
In order to pull off a project and maintain a budget, it’s critical to keep it simple. Before we get into onsite energy production or high-tech mechanical systems, we start each project thinking about passive measures to reduce consumption because good design is naturally green. Old farmhouses were often sited with the path of the sun in mind to maximize passive solar heat gain while minimizing overheating. We gravitate to daylit building with views of the outdoors because it makes us feel better and we can minimize lighting demands. A well designed, well insulated, air-tight wall assembly will keep a building warm and dry for the life of that building. The problem is that insulation and air barriers are not sexy when compared to new tech. They get covered up and are not seen again. The problem with a some new tech is that it has heaps of moving parts, and moving parts eventually fail and will need to be replaced again and again throughout the life of the building.
Do you have any advice for home owners that are looking to perhaps implement some green alternatives to their current place or perhaps their next project?
Use healthful products (paints, cleaners, furniture, etc). We are inside our houses for so much of our lives. Indoor air quality and wellness are connected in a big way. Oh, and paint all your walls white (you don’t have to think about colour anymore and can reserve that brain space for crosswords!).
Thanks Jordan!
If Interested in further reading we strongly encourage you to head to EAC’s website, https://ecologyaction.ca/, or HERE for the details on their office build. You can also check out Jordan and Solterre’s work at https://www.solterre.com/ .
