In the course TRAV 272 Sustainable Tourism, I take our students on a field trip around the Humber Campus, always supported and made possibly by Aman, Roma and Lindsay in our Sustainability Office. Humber has won several LEED certifications, has been named one of the greenest employers and has managed to have a food outlet be fully fair trade certified. So why not show our students around?
Who knew the LRC had a 7th floor? We do! Aman takes us up via a special elevator tucked waaaay back and we get to see the massive ducts and machinery that keeps the LRC heated and cooled.
Next is the visit to the Arboretum, a space students often don't know about until later. And it's the best place to spend midday breaks whenever it's warm outside!
But then it's back to the classroom, where we now have to draw the connection between the Humber Campus and the tourism industry. The closest comparison is of course to think of sustainable building efforts in the hotel and resorts industry. I give students whiteboard markers, and they can go wild! Their task is to draw a hotel that incorporates all the aspects that we have just discussed during our field trip. That way, they have a visual summary of their excursion and they are welcome to take a picture.
We learn about the use of recycled materials that went into building the LRC, the energy-saving light bulbs, the carpets, the water-permeable parking spaces in Lot 7 and surrounding sidewalks, the way the lighting works, and the rooftop gardens insulating the building.
About to exit on top of the roof!
Left and right: the difference between the Jan/Feb group and the Mar/Apr group. A lot less snow if any, and the Arboretum slowly waking up to spring. Knock on wood, we have had dry weather so far on our field trip days. Extremely cold some days, but so far so good. The students always enjoy this walk. Some have spent time here before, others wished they had spent more time here. It's definitely a nice way to spend class outside the classroom!
The best part about being on top of the Humber World is to step out onto the roof and enjoy the view. Of the solar panels. And of the city in the distance. Our first group usually goes out in Jan/Feb, so it's still snowy up there.