ROOFS 4 KIDS EcoVision Project

What is EcoVision?

• EcoVision is a environmental club that grows students leaders through projects.

• EcoVision’s three main pillars are:

  • Encourage Collaboration with Community

  • Enhance Education opportunities

  • Improve the Environment

The impact of EcoVision by Harika

• EcoVision member for 4 months.

• Passionate about helping people and animals

• Helps with fundraising, processing honey, presentations and making beeswax wraps.

• Volunteer 3 to 4 hours a week

• Excited that Roofs 4 Kids project will be the first of its kind in Alberta.

The impact of EcoVision by Gage

• EcoVision member since November 2019.

• Passionate about helping people.

• Helps with market sales, making beeswax wraps and presentations.

• Volunteer 2 to 4 hours a week

• Excited that Roofs 4 Kids project because of the leadership and communication skills I will develop.

The impact of EcoVision by JJ

• EcoVision member for 1 year.

• Passionate about taking actions to improve the environment and educate others

• Help with fundraising, gardening, beekeeping, AYLEEE (Environmental Youth organization) and processing honey.

• Volunteer 3 to 4 hours a week

• Believes Roofs 4 Kids project will help people become aware of solutions to environmental issues like food security and pollution.

The impact of EcoVision by Sneha

• EcoVision member for a 4 months.

• Passionate about environment

• Help with fundraising, making Beeswax Wraps, processing honey and tours.

• Volunteer 3 to 4 hours a week

• Believes Roofs 4 Kids project will allow LCHS to start new animal husbandry courses

What are the Educational Benefits

• Building of the rooftop garden and goat sanctuary, will provide the students & community members with design, fabrication and construction opportunities.

• A new Green Certificate Goat technician course will offer 16+ grade 12 credits and animal husbandry skills, which will allow us to fund the operating costs for taking care of the goats.

• The Living Roof will provide landscaping skills and opportunities for horticulture dual credits with Olds College.

What are the Environmental Benefits

• Repurposing the sea containers will prevent them from ending up in a dump or ocean.

• The goats will remove weeds & keep the grass short, decreasing the need for the grass to be cut.

• The gardens will increase the biodiversity of the plants and beautify the school.

• The solar energy system will reduce greenhouse emissions and eliminate the need for utilities infrastructure.

• Refillable Water storage will eliminate plumbing infrastructure costs.

What are the community benefits?

• Volunteer opportunities to share expertise or give back to students/school.

• Workshop and tour opportunities.

• Healthier environment through lower emissions, less pesticide use and beautification of LCHS.

• Showcase Lacombe to the local, provincial, federal and international community.

• A draw for people to visit and move to Lacombe due to the unique educational & environmental opportunities.

• Increased access to local food and goat products.

• We are consulting with our neighbors to work out issues

Who are we collaborating with?

• The construction of the classroom would provide an opportunity for LCHS to partner with a Sea Container Construction (Sea Box), Screw Pile (?) & a framing company (Scott Builders)

• LCHS would be partnering with a landscape design expert (Living Lands) to design the landscape and living roof

• The raising of goats would allow LCHS to partner with a goat farmer (Rock Ridge Dairy)

• The project would allow us to partner with several financial partners such as County of Lacombe, Home Depot, ECHO Group, Province of Alberta, TEF, BP A+ for Energy, UFA, MEGlobal, Dow & Peavey Mart

• This project will provide opportunities for LCHS students to make presentations for schools, workshops, conferences and international events.

What does the Goat Sanctuary look like?

• The building will be made of one recycled sea container with a solar system mounted on the south wall. We can expand to three if successful.

• Once we have built the building, siding will be added to the outside to give it a ‘barn’ look.

• The building will be used to house the goats and gardening for 6-8 months and storage for 4 months.

What does a living roof look like?

• Cynthia Pohl runs Living Lands design

• Living roofs have to have hardy plants to seal up the roof. Once you have the plants then you have a living roof.

• To have a green roof you need

1) vegetation

2) growing media

3) drainage, aeration, water storage and roof barrier

4) insulation -Geofoam

5) waterproof barrier

Where is it going to be located?

• The goat barn will be located on the North West side of the gravel parking lot of LCHS

How is the barn getting power?

• The project will be powered using solar power which is renewable.

• Solar panels will be attached to the south wall barn

• We will need 1300Wh/day system to power three 10W LEDs and one water pump.

How are we going to insulate it?

• We will use Spray Foam insulation around the whole sea container.

Taking care of the goats?

• 25 Students taking the Green Certificate Course will take care of the goats during the day. (Up to 120 students/year).

• Community Volunteers will take care of the goats on weekends and holidays. (4 already signed up)

• Rock Ridge Dairy will provide us with training and will take care of the goats when we return them.

How are we going to supply water?

• We will fill a 275 gallon tote, installed in the barn, with water every week using a hose from the greenhouse.

• Goats need 1 to 1.5 gallon of water per day.

• Maximum water for 6 goats: 10 gallons/day; 70 gallons/week; 280 gallons/month

Weaning the goat?

• Weaning the baby goats from milk will happen before they arrive at LCHS when they are 25 lbs.

  • We will be feeding the baby goats solid food, hay, pasture feed and other feed recommended by Rock Ridge Dairy.

  • If we need to feed them milk, it will be under the recommendations of Rock Ridge Dairy

Dehorning the goats?

• Horns are great for the wild for defense but a danger for domesticated goats.

  • horns get stuck in the pen

  • horns injure other goats

• Horn buds will be removed with a debudding iron by Rock Ridge Dairy.

Vaccinations?

• Our goats will be vaccinated for clostridium and tetanus at Rock Ridge Dairy before they arrive.

  • Clostridium will help prevent overeating disease types C and D.

  • If our goats get sick we will utilize the veterinarian in Lacombe

Feeding our goats?

• We will feed our goats grain, hay, grass, corn, oats and barley. Rock Ridge Dairy will provide us with the suppliers.

• Feed will be paid through fundraising and sponsorship.

Socialize the goats

• We want a friendly, loyal goat so the kids will “imprint” on us by spending time and feeding them during our agriculture course.

• We will allow our goats to socialize with the other goats, so they view us as members of the herd.

• Our goats will avoid adults or humans with illness as the kids immune system is not strong.

What are we going to do with the manure?

• Clean the manure and bedding twice a week.

• Pile the manure bedding in a composting pile (3 box system) and work into the soil in our gardens.

• One goat produces 0.35 kg of waste per day.

  6 goats for 2 months = 126 kg

What are we going to do about smell and noise?

• We are going to have 3 to 6 baby goats for 2 months at a time. Manure will be cleaned on biweekly basis and composted.

• The goats will be returned to the farm before rut so we don’t have to worry about these smells.

• The goats will be located on the north west side of the school, far away from residential homes, so noise should not be an issue.

What about predators, weather or vandals?

• The goats will be fenced in at all times and monitored with video surveillance on the school

• The goats will have access to the sea container during the day to get away from poor weather.

• The goats will be locked in the sea container overnight to protect them from predators and vandals.

Who are our funders? Income?

• Donations & Fundraising $5000

• A+ For Energy: $5000 grant

• Lacombe County: $2800 grant

• Emerald Foundation: $1750 grants

• Rising Youth: $3000 grant

• AEP: $1000 grant

• Whole kids Foundation: $3000 grant

• Echo $25000 grant

• Battle River watershed $5000 grant

  TOTAL: $50,550

What is our timeline?

• November - fundraising, applications with City, presenting to school board

• December - fundraising & presenting

• January - fundraising & presenting

• February - fundraising & presenting

• May - ordering & start building

• September: finish building & introducing the goats

• September: start animal husbandry class with goats and living roof

In Conclusion

Roofs 4 Kids Project is a great project for Lacombe because the goats and gardens:

• enhances educational opportunities and builds student leaders

• improve the air, water and soil

• encourage collaboration with the community