Sustainable Building Features

The Camp Kawartha Environment centre has a number of innovative sustainable features including:

Straw bale and pre-fabricated straw bale walls

The Environment Centre's north wall is constructed using the traditional site baled method of dropping straw bales in place one bale at a time. Once all the bales are sized and installed, the exposed sides are plastered. The CKEC north wall uses a plaster mix of local clay and sand.
Pre-fab straw bale wall technology dramatically cuts down labour costs and shortens the construction time. Pre-fab walls were built off-site in shop conditions, loaded onto a boom truck and craned into position on foundation walls. This technology makes straw bale construction financially competitive to conventional stick-frame construction. The Environment Centre features load-bearing prefabricated straw bale wall technology in our east and west walls.

Hempcrete and slip-straw insulation

Hempcrete is a mixture of lime, water and hemp shives (core of the stem). Hemp is a fast-growing plant that requires little to no pesticides. Mixed with lime and water it becomes as hard as concrete, but offers excellent insulation and breathability.

Slip-straw is another good use for straw, an abundant byproduct in Ontario. It is the combination of clay and straw to insulate wall cavities. The straw is hand-tossed with slip, which is watered clay, then packed into the walls that have temporary forms up. Not all the seeds are removed from the straw before it gets bailed so seeds start sprouting from the walls days later. What’s really cool is that we won’t need a moisture tester to tell us when the slip-straw is dry inside because the sprouts will tell us when they die. Once that happens, in at least 3 weeks, it’s time for lime plaster.
Hempcrete and slip-straw insulation are featured in the Environment Centre’s south wall.

Grid tied solar panels (producing more energy than the building uses in a year)

Using the latest in photovoltaic technology and energy metering, the Environment Centre PV system will generate enough electricity to power the building, including a small surplus that will be sold back into the electrical grid at a rate of $0.80 per kW-hour. The PV system will be hooked up to an energy metering system that will demonstrate the benefits of solar power systems.

Energy-efficient lighting

The Centre uses low-wattage LED (low-emitting diode) light bulbs throughout the building in order to reduce the amount of energy consumption. LEDs use one-tenth of the power that incandescent light bulbs use. LED lighting also reduces waste as they need to be changed less frequently: lasting 40 times longer than incandescent light bulbs and six times longer than compact florescent light bulbs.

Composting toilets

Our two toilets require no water. They use small solar heaters that will speed up the composting process, producing compost that can be used for plant growth. Completely automatic, the toilet breaks down paper with a mixing mechanism and add moisture into the compost material. A fan speeds up decomposition and evaporation.

Geothermal radiant floors

Geothermal systems use the ambient temperature in the ground (below the frost line) to create and absorb heat energy that heats the building through pipes running through our 50% recycled steel mill slag concrete floor. The concrete’s thermal mass absorbs the heat from the pipes and radiates heat up into the air. This creates an indoor environment that is warm and cozy, especially if you’re wearing socks!

A living green roof

A portion of the Centre’s roof is covered in vegetation. It acts as additional insulation for the building and demonstrates how naturalized areas can be enhanced in urban settings. It is planted with local plants and provides habitat for migrating, and possibly endangered, butterflies.

Solar heated water

The Environment Centre heats its water primarily through a solar hot water system, using power harnessed from the sun rather than electricity.

Rainwater collection system with a wetland water treatment system

The Centre collects rainwater and filters it using sophisticated technologies. After being filtered, this water is potable and the only source of water for the building. Grey water from hand washing passes through our unique wetland water treatment system. The aquatic plants strain and purify the grey water before it is released into the environment.

About Our Centre