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COCHRANE— Capping off their graduating year with an award celebrating their commitment to the environment, The Cochrane High School Sustainable Development Committee were crowned the winners of the Alberta Emerald Award for Climate Change.
The group took home the award in early June for their work on the Sustainable Development Project Phase IX Rooftop Solar Array.
Grade 12 committee members Emilio Spagnolo and Travis Price said they were in awe when it was announced they had won.
“We try and do whatever we can,” Price said. “Our committee focuses on sustainable projects for the environment— We want to set a precedent for other schools to follow.”
The Alberta Emerald Foundation award elebrates the outstanding environmental achievements of large and small businesses, individuals, not-for-profit associations, community groups, youth and governments.
The Cochrane High School Sustainable Development Committee is dedicated to improving the school environment and helping the Town of Cochrane become more sustainable, Price said.
Projects pursued by the group spans the gambit from their award-winning solar panel project to helping push for policy changes at the school that encourage sustainable action.
Price joined the group in Grade 9 and the solar panel project was launched in Grade 10. Spagnolo joined at the end of Grade 10.
The goal of the Sustainable Development Project Phase IX Rooftop Solar Array was to install a 130 50.05 kWh photovoltaic system to offset the school's electrical consumption from traditional carbon sources.
The project took 18 months to accomplish, Spagnolo said, and hundreds of hours of collaborative work.
It was an important project to complete he added because the students were able to band together to create a tangible sustainable solution to promote lowering their environmental footprint.
They did everything they could to raise money for the project, Price added, explaining that the committee learned to apply for grants, host fundraisers and reach out to local businesses in town for support.
In the end, they were able to raise more than $100,000 in support of the project.
“Initially when we started the project we were all very excited— It’s the biggest project we’ve ever take on,” Price said. “It was very ambitious of us to try and do something like this.”
Spagnolo said they learned patience during the project, explaining that it took intense research to understand if the project was feasible for their school paired with taking time to raise the money to secure the solar panels.
It was challenging raising the money he added because the project took place as the economy experienced a recession causing some backers to pull funding.
Price said the moment he knew they would be able to pull it off is when they launched their “Adopt a Panel “ campaign, which saw great success.
The final panel for the project was installed in April 2019.
As soon as the final piece was in place Price said he drove up to Sunterra Ridge so he could look down onto the project.
“It was amazing,” Price said. “It was a great feeling to finally see that after 18 months.”
The project was led by Sustainable Development Committee Advisor and Cochrane High School teacher Stephanie Bennett who helped keep the students on track and apply for grants, Price said.
“As an educator, there’s no greater feeling than watching your students rise to a challenge. That’s precisely what our committee members did. It entailed 18 months of hard work, patience and tenacity to see this particular phase to the end,” Bennett said in an email statement. “I’m so happy that they have been recognized for these attributes that they possess. The Sustainable Development Committee has left a great legacy at our school.”
The number of Cochrane High School Sustainable Development Committee members fluctuates year-to-year, Spagnolo said explaining that there has been between around 12 dedicated members during the project.
Each project is created by students, Price said, explaining that they would gather together in a classroom to discuss what they wanted to do and how they could make an idea reality.
They learned many important skills during the project, Spagnolo said, adding they he found the public speaking opportunities especially fulfilling. It was challenging learning how to ask for support and donations for the project, he said, but the experience proved invaluable.
Price said he is excited to see what students at the school pick up for their next project. He added that he hopes they can be patient and persevere to ensure they see projects completed.
“We could have totally given up after a couple of months in, if it hadn’t been for the perseverance of our member I don’t think we would have completed it,” Price said, explaining how they kept their eye on the prize and adjusted their methods as needed.
The W.I.L.D. Program created by École Manachaban Middle School were also honoured during the awards with an Emerald Award for education. The program created six distinct outdoor field excursions to help educate students about the environment while encouraging safety awareness students can use throughout their lives in their outdoor pursuits.
