Plenty Canada CampUs
Read about our journey throughout the past several years below:
October 2023
CampUs Open House an Energized Success
Plenty Canada had been anticipating its October 21st Open House for many months, finishing up renovations and advertising the event numerous times on its various social media channels. Given the importance of the CampUs when it comes to Plenty Canada’s future as a carbon negative organization, it was critically important that the Open House went off without a hitch. First impressions are important, after all, and the organization wanted to ensure the public that the new space would be ready for any possible set of activities.
For almost 40 years, Plenty Canada’s office has served as an important gathering place for cross-cultural work. Over the past two years this remote rural headquarters has been transformed into a site that features significant solar energy generation, environmentally sustainable windows and siding, new sustainable heating and water systems, newly furnished rooms for classes and lodgings, and much more.
Luckily, the event was a smashing success! The overcast, slightly chilly weather didn't deter the numerous attendees one bit. The attendees weren't just from the local area either. Some travelled hours to visit the Open House, including representatives from the Bruce Trail Conservancy, the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Network, and our Six Nations office in Southern Ontario. Gathering under a large tent that was rented for the occasion, everyone came together for a series of wonderful presentations from experienced elders and educators, in between opportunities to tour the transformed CampUs buildings.
Programming ran from 9:30 in the morning with an opening address from Executive Director Larry McDermott, to 3:30 in the afternoon with a follow-up talk by Larry on the future of the CampUs. It is difficult to pick a single highlight among all the fascinating presentations. As previously mentioned, Tim Johnson and Amanda Harwood came up from Plenty Canada's Six Nations Bureau and provided a fantastic update on the Great Niagara Escarpment Indigenous Cultural Map. The visitors were also treated to a talk from celebrated Cuban Indigenous educator and long-time Plenty Canada collaboratorJose Barreiro, on Plenty Canada's Maya-Guatemala project, which empowers Indigenous women in the region to preserve their ancestral knowledge and values. Of great interest, of course, was Plenty Canada's CampUs reveal that took place immediately following the opening address, along with the announcement that the new building was officially certified Net Zero just a few days before the event. In fact, the organization as a whole is now Energy Negative!
In a program entitled Carbon Negative: The Sun Is Our Sources, recent testing has revealed that Plenty Canada nailed its net zero qualifying numbers, with a reduction from 9 to .75 (a lower number indicates a greater degree of air tightness). With the addition of 72 more solar panels the goal is to inspire other organizations and individuals to do their part to mitigate climate change while demonstrating to other not-for-profits, businesses, and even individuals, that achieving carbon neutrality or even negative carbon status is possible.
Other programs focused on Healing and Legacy Places, Land-Based Learning, Youth Programming, Community Based Governance of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Network, Indigenous Perspectives on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Language Preservation, and Two Eyed Seeing To Share Knowledge of Ontario’s Breeding Birds.
Visitors were given the chance to tour through all of the rooms within each building. From the new accessible stairway and beautiful cobblestone walkway outside, to the sustainable energy systems and multiple rooms renovated for educational programs, offices, and lodging inside, pretty much everything about the buildings was brand new for most every visitor. The integrated design of the interior and exterior programming spaces was beautiful.
Overall, it seems that the new CampUs was a big hit! Those involved in the process are extremely grateful for the positive reception to the unveiling of the CampUs. Every single compliment meant the world to members of the staff; the organization will work hard to make sure that upcoming programming at the Plenty Canada CampUs lives up to the early hype. You won't have to wait long for news on new programming. With energy from the sun and water supplied by nature the complex has been activated.
— Breton Campbell and Tim Johnson
For almost 40 years, Plenty Canada’s office has served as an important gathering place for cross-cultural work. Over the past two years this remote rural headquarters has been transformed into a site that features significant solar energy generation, environmentally sustainable windows and siding, new sustainable heating and water systems, newly furnished rooms for classes and lodgings, and much more.
Luckily, the event was a smashing success! The overcast, slightly chilly weather didn't deter the numerous attendees one bit. The attendees weren't just from the local area either. Some travelled hours to visit the Open House, including representatives from the Bruce Trail Conservancy, the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Network, and our Six Nations office in Southern Ontario. Gathering under a large tent that was rented for the occasion, everyone came together for a series of wonderful presentations from experienced elders and educators, in between opportunities to tour the transformed CampUs buildings.
Programming ran from 9:30 in the morning with an opening address from Executive Director Larry McDermott, to 3:30 in the afternoon with a follow-up talk by Larry on the future of the CampUs. It is difficult to pick a single highlight among all the fascinating presentations. As previously mentioned, Tim Johnson and Amanda Harwood came up from Plenty Canada's Six Nations Bureau and provided a fantastic update on the Great Niagara Escarpment Indigenous Cultural Map. The visitors were also treated to a talk from celebrated Cuban Indigenous educator and long-time Plenty Canada collaboratorJose Barreiro, on Plenty Canada's Maya-Guatemala project, which empowers Indigenous women in the region to preserve their ancestral knowledge and values. Of great interest, of course, was Plenty Canada's CampUs reveal that took place immediately following the opening address, along with the announcement that the new building was officially certified Net Zero just a few days before the event. In fact, the organization as a whole is now Energy Negative!
In a program entitled Carbon Negative: The Sun Is Our Sources, recent testing has revealed that Plenty Canada nailed its net zero qualifying numbers, with a reduction from 9 to .75 (a lower number indicates a greater degree of air tightness). With the addition of 72 more solar panels the goal is to inspire other organizations and individuals to do their part to mitigate climate change while demonstrating to other not-for-profits, businesses, and even individuals, that achieving carbon neutrality or even negative carbon status is possible.
Other programs focused on Healing and Legacy Places, Land-Based Learning, Youth Programming, Community Based Governance of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Network, Indigenous Perspectives on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Language Preservation, and Two Eyed Seeing To Share Knowledge of Ontario’s Breeding Birds.
Visitors were given the chance to tour through all of the rooms within each building. From the new accessible stairway and beautiful cobblestone walkway outside, to the sustainable energy systems and multiple rooms renovated for educational programs, offices, and lodging inside, pretty much everything about the buildings was brand new for most every visitor. The integrated design of the interior and exterior programming spaces was beautiful.
Overall, it seems that the new CampUs was a big hit! Those involved in the process are extremely grateful for the positive reception to the unveiling of the CampUs. Every single compliment meant the world to members of the staff; the organization will work hard to make sure that upcoming programming at the Plenty Canada CampUs lives up to the early hype. You won't have to wait long for news on new programming. With energy from the sun and water supplied by nature the complex has been activated.
— Breton Campbell and Tim Johnson
June 2023
Hard work pays off. CampUs nears completion!
It is almost surreal to think that I'm writing this letter to you now. After years of hard work and cooperation, and so many incremental improvements (many of which were talked about in this Contact newsletter), the Plenty Canada CampUs is almost ready to be unveiled.
Really, I could act even more surprised that we pulled this off, but that would imply that our success was due to luck. In actuality, it was due to nothing more than the combined determination and cooperation of many exceptional people -- including people like you, our donors and supporters! It might be a cliche, but hard work really does pay off.
For those of you not already in the know about how this project came to be, at this point it might be valuable to give you a bit of a “crash course” on the CampUs -- its origins, its development, and our plans for its future.
Given that we had a second building on our property which was rarely used, and a host of workshops and other community outreach activities that could do with an expansion, we thought it would be a great idea to transform that building into a space dedicated to holding these workshops, increasing Plenty Canada’s capacity to act as a hub for Indigenous and environmentalist activities in the region. Of course, this plan would have never gotten off the ground without the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario -- a thousand thanks to them for believing in the potential of this project.
We thought that a gradual approach would work best, so we set out to work on adding incremental, environmentally sustainable improvements to Plenty Canada’s HQ: environmentally sustainable windows and siding, new sustainable heating / water systems, newly furnished rooms for classes and lodgings, and much more. I hope you'll stick around to read some of the following articles, which will go into more detail about the specifics. As of right now, the CampUs is ready for use, but will continue to evolve, adding even more features such as a kitchen area for Indigenous cultural food projects.
As a whole, the building is an expression, a culmination, of both Plenty Canada's core values and the principle of “Two-Eyed Seeing” — using Indigenous knowledge and Western science to solve societal issues. Using scientifically honed building materials and additions, we've created a space that will ideally service as a meeting ground for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples from all walks of life, a space where they can educate themselves on the work required for true reconciliation and environmental sustainability, and to use this education to better the world around them.
Thank you again for cheering us on throughout this entire process. Please enjoy the following issue of our newsletter—a “victory lap” of sorts—and look forward to future updates on the space as it grows to even greater heights. In particular, we will be holding an Open House event in the fall, so please stay tuned to your email and Plenty Canada’s website!
Chi Miigwech. Niá:wen. Merci. Thank you.
— Larry McDermott, Executive Director, Plenty Canada
Really, I could act even more surprised that we pulled this off, but that would imply that our success was due to luck. In actuality, it was due to nothing more than the combined determination and cooperation of many exceptional people -- including people like you, our donors and supporters! It might be a cliche, but hard work really does pay off.
For those of you not already in the know about how this project came to be, at this point it might be valuable to give you a bit of a “crash course” on the CampUs -- its origins, its development, and our plans for its future.
Given that we had a second building on our property which was rarely used, and a host of workshops and other community outreach activities that could do with an expansion, we thought it would be a great idea to transform that building into a space dedicated to holding these workshops, increasing Plenty Canada’s capacity to act as a hub for Indigenous and environmentalist activities in the region. Of course, this plan would have never gotten off the ground without the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario -- a thousand thanks to them for believing in the potential of this project.
We thought that a gradual approach would work best, so we set out to work on adding incremental, environmentally sustainable improvements to Plenty Canada’s HQ: environmentally sustainable windows and siding, new sustainable heating / water systems, newly furnished rooms for classes and lodgings, and much more. I hope you'll stick around to read some of the following articles, which will go into more detail about the specifics. As of right now, the CampUs is ready for use, but will continue to evolve, adding even more features such as a kitchen area for Indigenous cultural food projects.
As a whole, the building is an expression, a culmination, of both Plenty Canada's core values and the principle of “Two-Eyed Seeing” — using Indigenous knowledge and Western science to solve societal issues. Using scientifically honed building materials and additions, we've created a space that will ideally service as a meeting ground for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples from all walks of life, a space where they can educate themselves on the work required for true reconciliation and environmental sustainability, and to use this education to better the world around them.
Thank you again for cheering us on throughout this entire process. Please enjoy the following issue of our newsletter—a “victory lap” of sorts—and look forward to future updates on the space as it grows to even greater heights. In particular, we will be holding an Open House event in the fall, so please stay tuned to your email and Plenty Canada’s website!
Chi Miigwech. Niá:wen. Merci. Thank you.
— Larry McDermott, Executive Director, Plenty Canada
Progress on the Plenty Canada CampUs: Land-based Learning Centre
Though we’re still very much in the midst of making improvements to the Land-Based Learning Centre that constitutes the Plenty Canada CampUs, the area still looks like a construction site, I thought I’d draft a quick update on our progress so far as we work toward completion in the fall.
To provide a little perspective on work completed this past winter, here is what the Makwa Inn (second building in the CampUs complex) looked like mid-January before construction on the building envelope got in full swing:
To provide a little perspective on work completed this past winter, here is what the Makwa Inn (second building in the CampUs complex) looked like mid-January before construction on the building envelope got in full swing:
The second building of the Plenty Canada CampUs, known as the Makwa Inn (Bear's Inn), before significant work commenced.
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This is what the Makwa Inn looks like today.
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The most notable sustainable improvements can’t be seen in the photo — these are hidden under all the green siding. What is under the siding and galvanized steel roof is a building envelope that was engineered to be a continuous air barrier. Air barriers are one of the key ways in which all buildings can reduce energy waste and cost while preventing the negative environmental impacts of heating and cooling structures.
The term “air barrier” doesn’t just refer to one material; it is a system of materials that are installed in a specific manner to stop air leakage caused by variations in air pressure and temperature. The more openings there are in an air barrier, the more leakage a building will have, and the more energy is wasted. Given that we were looking to mitigate our overall impact on the environment when renovating the building, installing a continuous air barrier was essential.
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For an air barrier system to work optimally, the system must be continuous and include insulation with a high R value. (R value is the rating given to insulation indicating its ability to resist heat flowing through it.) In addition to reducing costs of heating and cooling, a continuous air barrier contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while preventing pollutants, debris, insects, and other animals from finding ways in through openings in the building envelope.
Our building team was up to the task of creating a continuous air barrier on all four exterior walls as well as the roof. The attention to detail was immense, in order to ensure that the components installed will prevent air from passing through the barrier. This was a major undertaking, with a team of four crewmembers working full time for over three months to complete the project this winter. The following photos show the process of creating the air barrier around the building envelope: |
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Next, the team went on to make great improvements to the roof, to prevent air leakage and infestation from local wildlife in the future. We initially had budgeted for minor work to the roof, but on closer inspection we realized that, over the years, wildlife had occupied the attic, leaving little insulation. We undertook a plan to make improvements to the roof, which has prevented air leakage and increased the quality and quantity of insulation, with a combination of a 6” depth of Roxul “Comfortboard” and dense pack cellulose.
Roof Installation.
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Application of galvanized steel roof.
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After the envelope was completed in April we prepared for the window and door installation. One of the most common, and preventable causes of wasteful air leaks in buildings is around doors and windows. The team applied multiple layers of sealants and tapes, to again create “air barriers” around all windows and doors to prevent air leaks. These efforts contribute significantly to reducing home heating and cooling costs and are a big part of reaching net zero emission goals.
May 2023 Installation of new Vetta window and doors completed!
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June 2023 view of Plenty Canada CampUs from the back of the complex.
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The work on the CampUs will continue for the foreseeable future. As we progress, we’ll be sure to share updates with you.
We are proceeding with the net zero certification and will look to install a solar apparatus onto the roof of the Makwa Inn that will produce enough energy to completely offset the energy use of all appliances, including the new heat pump, HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator), ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilation) and air cleaning systems. We’re very much looking forward to having this work recognized with Net Zero certification.
In the coming months, Plenty Canada will complete multiple landscaping projects, including native plant installations, a new entrance, a porch and stairs, and the completion of the interior of the Makwa Inn, with new drywall, paint, and local white cedar trim for windows and doors.
In August, new kitchens made in Canada with Canadian yellow birch, and local black cherry countertops will be installed, creating a beautiful place to gather and practice Two-Eyed Seeing, where knowledge is shared with generosity, kindness, and respect.
— Louise Sherwood, sustainable building coordinator
Net Zero Energy Certification
Sol-Ark inverter.
Plenty Canada doesn’t just want to create a new educational space that symbolizes environmentally friendly aspirations — we want to put in the work in order to turn the building into a living embodiment of those principles.
Which is why, throughout the renovation process we strive to work towards a Net Zero certification for the new building. As you may know, buildings that have obtained a Net Zero rating produce net zero greenhouse gas emissions, rendering them completely environmentally friendly.
To accomplish net zero goals, Plenty Canada is following the guidelines recommended by the Net Zero Home Labelling Program, created and continually refined by the Canadian Home Builders' Association. In essence, the CHBA provides a series of specific technical requirements that are needed to recognize a new home as Net Zero, or an existing building as Net-Zero ready. Once the building has been built or renovated, its Net Zero status needs to be verified by multiple sources, including the CHBA, the builder or renovator, a net zero service organization, and a qualified net zero energy advisor. As you can probably tell, it's not exactly a quick and uncomplicated process (especially when it comes to retrofitting old buildings that weren't created to match these standards), but Plenty Canada was eager to take on this challenge.
Already, the team has made fantastic progress. One of the metrics determining the potential efficiency of a net zero building is the “airtightness” of the building, measured with a decimal number. Before the organization started the renovations, the building was tested by HomeSol and the result was high, rated as a 9.
After installing the continuous air barrier, installed new windows and doors ensuring air tightness to the best of our capabilities, we had HomeSol return to do another test on May 24. This test revealed we had nailed our net zero qualifying numbers, with a reduction from 9 to .75! (a lower number indicates a greater degree of air tightness). We then decided to proceed with an Aero Barrier application that promised to enhance airtightness by filling any smaller openings that were previously not filled. After the Aero Barrier was applied the number was reduced to 0.24 — the equivalent of adding up all the tiny air leaks throughout the building, that equals a 5.9 square inch hole.
As long as the continuous air barrier remains intact, the building is approximately 75 percent more air-tight than what is required by the Ontario Building Code. With the addition of solar energy supply, the Makwa Inn is well on its way to accomplishing Net Zero Energy Certification.
— Breton Campbell & Louise Sherwood
Which is why, throughout the renovation process we strive to work towards a Net Zero certification for the new building. As you may know, buildings that have obtained a Net Zero rating produce net zero greenhouse gas emissions, rendering them completely environmentally friendly.
To accomplish net zero goals, Plenty Canada is following the guidelines recommended by the Net Zero Home Labelling Program, created and continually refined by the Canadian Home Builders' Association. In essence, the CHBA provides a series of specific technical requirements that are needed to recognize a new home as Net Zero, or an existing building as Net-Zero ready. Once the building has been built or renovated, its Net Zero status needs to be verified by multiple sources, including the CHBA, the builder or renovator, a net zero service organization, and a qualified net zero energy advisor. As you can probably tell, it's not exactly a quick and uncomplicated process (especially when it comes to retrofitting old buildings that weren't created to match these standards), but Plenty Canada was eager to take on this challenge.
Already, the team has made fantastic progress. One of the metrics determining the potential efficiency of a net zero building is the “airtightness” of the building, measured with a decimal number. Before the organization started the renovations, the building was tested by HomeSol and the result was high, rated as a 9.
After installing the continuous air barrier, installed new windows and doors ensuring air tightness to the best of our capabilities, we had HomeSol return to do another test on May 24. This test revealed we had nailed our net zero qualifying numbers, with a reduction from 9 to .75! (a lower number indicates a greater degree of air tightness). We then decided to proceed with an Aero Barrier application that promised to enhance airtightness by filling any smaller openings that were previously not filled. After the Aero Barrier was applied the number was reduced to 0.24 — the equivalent of adding up all the tiny air leaks throughout the building, that equals a 5.9 square inch hole.
As long as the continuous air barrier remains intact, the building is approximately 75 percent more air-tight than what is required by the Ontario Building Code. With the addition of solar energy supply, the Makwa Inn is well on its way to accomplishing Net Zero Energy Certification.
— Breton Campbell & Louise Sherwood
Closed-loop Waste and Water Systems
Editor's note: Garrett Johnson of Plenty Canada designed and installed three systems that follow the conservation pattern demonstrated by nature. Nature operates on what is called a closed loop system, where nothing is wasted, only returned to the cycle itself to sustain and strengthen the system. The three systems return what is often considered waste: rainwater and human sewage. We asked Garrett to enlighten us with some knowledge about these fascinating systems that are now part of Plenty Canada’s land-based learning centre.
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Constructed Wetland
Part of our responsibilities when existing with other non-human species is to respect our impact when releasing waste into the environment. Rural properties are generally not connected to centralized infrastructure like sewers in the city. Instead, they depend on septic systems or outhouses to dispose of their waste. Both approaches end up releasing our sanitary waste onto or into the ground, and often the contaminants and nutrients from our bodies end up in groundwater supplies or surface water supplies. In many instances, it is desirable to have an extra level of treatment for these sewage systems beyond a standard absorption trench system. In Ontario, these systems are all proprietary method that require ongoing maintenance agreements with delegates of suppliers. There is currently no non-proprietary method for an extra level of treatment. Plenty Canada designed and constructed a system called a “constructed wetland” or “engineered wetland,” which is essentially a sand filter in a basin in which the underground root zone of plants stays permanently saturated, to allow wetland plants to thrive and help out with the treatment of water. The system at Plenty Canada was not the first in the region — the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority office uses a similar system for their sewage treatment. |
Constructed wetland at Plenty Canada. This complex system will soon be covered in wetland Plants that will naturally support this environmentally sound water filtration system.
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Rainwater Harvesting System
Thousands of litres of clean water fall from the sky onto your house every year. The rainwater harvesting system at Plenty Canada’s Makwa Inn safely collects and stores this water for use inside the house before using it and releasing the water back to the earth. This system is intended to be used as an example to showcase an alternative approach to supplying our homes and bodies with clean water. Given that many remote rural communities no longer have clean sources of drinking water due to industrial and agricultural pollution in ground and surface waters, this could act as a viable alternative method of gathering water.
North Americans often view rainwater as a hazardous source, however, in other countries the perception is often quite different. In Australia, for example, millions of modern homes use rainwater either as a supply to offset potable use, or as the sole source of water with city infrastructure as a backup. With a few simple guidelines, it is easy to collect and store a safe supply of rainwater that should not pose a risk to health — and, with a bit more filtration, can be a great source of potable water. These small-scale systems can have huge benefits to municipal infrastructure and can also act as a path toward self-sufficiency in areas that are not connected to a municipal supply.
Thousands of litres of clean water fall from the sky onto your house every year. The rainwater harvesting system at Plenty Canada’s Makwa Inn safely collects and stores this water for use inside the house before using it and releasing the water back to the earth. This system is intended to be used as an example to showcase an alternative approach to supplying our homes and bodies with clean water. Given that many remote rural communities no longer have clean sources of drinking water due to industrial and agricultural pollution in ground and surface waters, this could act as a viable alternative method of gathering water.
North Americans often view rainwater as a hazardous source, however, in other countries the perception is often quite different. In Australia, for example, millions of modern homes use rainwater either as a supply to offset potable use, or as the sole source of water with city infrastructure as a backup. With a few simple guidelines, it is easy to collect and store a safe supply of rainwater that should not pose a risk to health — and, with a bit more filtration, can be a great source of potable water. These small-scale systems can have huge benefits to municipal infrastructure and can also act as a path toward self-sufficiency in areas that are not connected to a municipal supply.
Eavestroughs flow water to downspouts that flow through filters before going to a large underground tank that will store rainwater underground. Right: downspout and rainwater filter.
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Extra-large rainwater storage tank ready to be placed in the ground.
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Composting Outhouses
As part of nature, we exist within many cycles. One of these cycles could be called a nutrient cycle: Soils have nutrients -> a plant absorbs these nutrients -> an animal eats the plant -> the animal turns nutrients into its body -> it relieves itself -> micro-organisms break it down to turn it into soil -> a plant absorbs nutrients -> an animal eats the plant. We are this animal! And right now, we often try to separate ourselves from this cycle as follows: Soils have nutrients -> a plant absorbs these nutrients -> human eats the plant (or the animal that ate the plant) -> a human turns nutrient into their body -> the human goes to the bathroom -> we bury it deep underground or dump it into a river and forget about it forever. No cycle. Human activity has created a huge amount of waste, while at the same time stripping soils of nutrients. One of the major ecological problems we currently face is depleted soil fertility across the world, and there is a huge industry creating synthetic nutrients to add to soils as fertilizer. If we were to close the cycle, we would also save vast swaths of marine life from pollution. |
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Our first composting outhouse will be completed with a living roof, a wheel chair accessible ramp and full accessible bathroom inside.
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Plenty Canada has built a composting outhouse as a small-scale solution to this issue. The waste from visitors to the facility will be collected, stored, safely converted to stable compost (as in, a form that does not readily leach nutrients into groundwater) and put back onto the land. While Plenty Canada has not yet progressed to grow food with outhouse compost, we will showcase the methods which people (or groups of people) can safely close the nutrient cycle. — Garrett Johnson, sustainable building (water management system) |
Investigating feasibility for EV Charger Installation
Though there is an electric charging station within a 20-minute drive from Plenty Canada (a set of public use units in Perth), only having one charging station within this fairly spread-out rural area often comes with its own unique difficulties. For instance, tow trucks lugging in electric cars that couldn't make it to a charger in time are a common occurrence around the Lanark and McDonald's Corners area; it seems that even veteran drivers of these vehicles can often have trouble navigating between the sparse charging stations that dot the countryside.
This is merely an anecdote, of course, but it speaks to the deep need for robust infrastructure to support alternatives to fossil fuels, especially in areas of the country that are often overlooked in this regard. Now that Plenty Canada has firmly established itself as a carbon-negative organization, a living testament to the viability of solar energy, they would also like to become a local advocate for electric vehicles as well.
This is merely an anecdote, of course, but it speaks to the deep need for robust infrastructure to support alternatives to fossil fuels, especially in areas of the country that are often overlooked in this regard. Now that Plenty Canada has firmly established itself as a carbon-negative organization, a living testament to the viability of solar energy, they would also like to become a local advocate for electric vehicles as well.
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As a result, Plenty Canada has recently been researching the potential installation of an EV charging station to accompany its new CampUs. Given that the organization expects a surge of new visitors to the office after the CampUs has been opened, now is the perfect time to offer a much-needed utility to both new friends and dedicated supporters. And with more and more vehicles becoming electric, the new chargers will, ideally, both support and hasten this trend, sending a message to the entire country that a world without fossil fuels is very much within our reach.
— Breton Campbell ***Update: as of October 2023, an EV charging station has been installed at the Plenty Canada CampUs!*** |
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Q & A with Plenty Canada’s Program Managers
How will Plenty Canada’s project managers utilize the CampUs as a land-based learning centre?
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“Plenty Canada's environmental stewardship activities are wide-ranging but all are connected by the foundation of “Two-Eyed Seeing” — weaving Indigenous and Western knowledge systems. The improved and expanded spaces at the CampUs will allow us to bring more people of all ages and backgrounds together to learn on the land about our responsibilities to each other and the natural world. Plenty Canada’s staff is excited to be able to expand our in-person land-based programming with Indigenous communities, local schools, community groups, conservation and environmental organizations, and the general public.” — Emily Morris, Operations & Environment Programs Manager |
A group gathers upon the forest edge at Plenty Canada, immersed in land-based learning.
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A traditional sweat lodge constructed of maple saplings from Plenty Canada’s forest. This traditional Indigenous structure was made by students from Upper Canada District School Board at the Plenty Canada “CampUs” this spring.
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“Plenty Canada is dedicated to intergenerational learning, with programming dedicated to supporting young people as they build their capacity to contribute to society. At the same time, we are always benefitting from their fresh ideas and enthusiasm to make a difference in the world! “Plenty Canada’s school and youth programming will benefit from all aspects of its CampUs, from the beautiful new accessible bathrooms, sweat lodge, and outdoor classroom, to the leading examples of green building systems supporting the indoor learning spaces that are available to participants.” — Joanna Jack, Youth Programming Manager |
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"Through our conversations with many leaders working toward Indigenous food sovereignty we learned that gatherings that involve hands-on learning, relationship building, knowledge sharing, and mutual support are very important to their work. The new beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces will allow Plenty Canada to host these gatherings to support these goals.'' — Dr. Rosie Kerr, Ginawaydaganuc Post-Doctoral Mitacs Intern |
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September 2021
Tripling Down on Solar
Among its many operational and programmatic plans Plenty Canada's CampUs renovation prioritizes environmental sustainability. With this objective in mind, the organization has decided to focus heavily on the area of solar energy, adding new elements to its existing solar apparatus and improving the components that have already been installed. These improvements will stand as the most visible example of the organization's commitment to green energy.
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Anyone who has visited Plenty Canada’s Lanark office for events or workshops knows that the organization has been committed to renewable energy for many years. For example, in the early 1990s Plenty Canada’s Village Technology Training Centre in Lesotho utilized photovoltaics and a wind generator to supply power to offices, classrooms, a soy dairy, and accommodations. Now, some 30 years later, that commitment is expressed in plans for the CampUs to incorporate three innovative solar electricity approaches. These include MicroFIT, net metering, and off-the-grid technologies.
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Ontario's MicroFIT program was created in order to allow 'micro' solar systems (10kw of power or less) to 'sell back' a portion of the power they produce back to their local grid service provided, for a fixed per kilowatt price. Though the MicroFIT program is no longer accepting new applications, Plenty Canada was fortunate enough to enter into a 20-year contract with the program, meaning that the solar power the office currently produces contributes to the green energy output of the entire region.
Net metering is a similar cost-saving and environmentally friendly program. Through Hydro One, Plenty Canada will be able to save money on its electricity bill by sending some of its excess solar energy back into Hydro One's grid. For a non-profit organization every dollar counts, so even this small amount of savings allows Plenty Canada to divert more of its budget towards sustainable projects at home and abroad.
Finally, and very importantly, Plenty Canada's planned solar apparatus will contain an off-the-grid application. This allows Plenty to continue operations in the event of a power outage and operate completely on solar energy for a short period of time.
Plenty's current MicroFIT solar system has served the organization well for many years — and has become almost a signature visual element of the organization's main office. But with the organization’s ongoing capital campaign, the system's capabilities will be taken to exciting new heights.
On a basic level, the system's power output will be radically increased. Plenty Canada hopes to install an additional 36 ground-mounted panels, each producing 435 watts of power on a 10kw converter. For a simple comparison, this installation will save Plenty Canada $3,800 on hydro bills each year. The new solar grid will also be outfitted with a powerful new battery backup, capable of keeping the office, furnace, and Internet running for days. Because Plenty Canada provides Internet to over 20 homes in the region, this means that the entire community will benefit from the solar improvements. As an additional community benefit, the new installations will include at least one charging station for electric cars, as both a convenient tool for the public and an expression of Plenty Canada’s commitment to green energy.
Though these may seem like extremely drastic improvements for a single capital campaign, the organization has taken the position that a rapid transition to green energy is required in order to create a sustainable future for everyone. These additions will continue an important transformation for the organization and continue throughout the coming years. As the rest of the country appropriately begins its shift away from fossil fuels, Plenty Canada will continue to advocate for respect toward the environment and for a society that follows natural law (science).
— Breton Campbell
Net metering is a similar cost-saving and environmentally friendly program. Through Hydro One, Plenty Canada will be able to save money on its electricity bill by sending some of its excess solar energy back into Hydro One's grid. For a non-profit organization every dollar counts, so even this small amount of savings allows Plenty Canada to divert more of its budget towards sustainable projects at home and abroad.
Finally, and very importantly, Plenty Canada's planned solar apparatus will contain an off-the-grid application. This allows Plenty to continue operations in the event of a power outage and operate completely on solar energy for a short period of time.
Plenty's current MicroFIT solar system has served the organization well for many years — and has become almost a signature visual element of the organization's main office. But with the organization’s ongoing capital campaign, the system's capabilities will be taken to exciting new heights.
On a basic level, the system's power output will be radically increased. Plenty Canada hopes to install an additional 36 ground-mounted panels, each producing 435 watts of power on a 10kw converter. For a simple comparison, this installation will save Plenty Canada $3,800 on hydro bills each year. The new solar grid will also be outfitted with a powerful new battery backup, capable of keeping the office, furnace, and Internet running for days. Because Plenty Canada provides Internet to over 20 homes in the region, this means that the entire community will benefit from the solar improvements. As an additional community benefit, the new installations will include at least one charging station for electric cars, as both a convenient tool for the public and an expression of Plenty Canada’s commitment to green energy.
Though these may seem like extremely drastic improvements for a single capital campaign, the organization has taken the position that a rapid transition to green energy is required in order to create a sustainable future for everyone. These additions will continue an important transformation for the organization and continue throughout the coming years. As the rest of the country appropriately begins its shift away from fossil fuels, Plenty Canada will continue to advocate for respect toward the environment and for a society that follows natural law (science).
— Breton Campbell
June 2021
CampUs Building Principles and Practices
As Phase One of the Plenty Canada CampUs renovations draw to a close, it feels like a fitting time to pause and reflect on the principles that have guided the process so far. This Trillium Foundation funded capital project has allowed our organization to become even more rooted and connected to this beautiful Algonquin environment, as we invest in renovating our structures and planning our work for generations to come.
Buildings too often have the effect of separating us from our surroundings, yet they are essential components of our daily lives that influence how we interpret and interact between human-constructed and natural environments. The layout of our rooms and common areas affect how we gather. Windows and doors facilitate our connections to the outdoors. And the materials we choose determine the impacts we have on our surroundings.
The work we do on, and within, our buildings present us with opportunities to do great good or great harm. Such opportunities challenge us to define what we believe is important. Under the leadership of Plenty Canada Executive Director Larry McDermott, we have continually asked ourselves these fundamental questions. Through the lens of Two-Eyed Seeing, what does sustainable building look like? Within the rubric of truth and reconciliation and environmental justice, how can our buildings reflect our values and our work?
To answer these questions, we turned to important voices in the field of Indigenous architecture. These include internationally renowned architect Douglas Cardinal and the seventeen other distinguished Indigenous architects who created the exhibition Unceded: Voices of the Land for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. We also consulted Patrick Stewart’s dissertation Indigenous Architecture through Indigenous Knowledge: Dion Sagalt'apkw Nisim (Together We Will Build a Village). In addition, Bruce King and Chris Magwood, who have advanced to mainstream audiences, data related to carbon storage within buildings, were important influences on our thinking. From those sources, we developed a starting point to define sustainable building practices at Plenty Canada. These include:
Place-based approach: To design buildings that operate in conjunction with our surroundings, using local materials and employing a collaborative design process.
Embracing, representing, and reflecting Indigenous culture: To provide a space for cultural practices, teachings, and ceremonies where multiple generations may gather.
Ecological Responsibility: To design our buildings and the surrounding landscape to be safe for human and non-human users to protect and enhance biodiversity and be low-carbon in construction and operation.
Our current building industry is doing well at producing energy-efficient buildings. However, at Plenty Canada, we are equally concerned with how we get energy-efficient buildings. We are concerned with where the materials come from and the impacts of harvesting and manufacturing. We are concerned with the safety of installation for our tradespeople and with how materials will impact indoor air quality and the health of our occupants. We are also concerned with what toxins materials put into our surroundings and how much carbon was emitted into the environment from their extraction, manufacturing, and transportation.
That’s a lot to take into consideration. But as an example, let’s examine Plenty Canada’s wall system to see how we have made our decisions.
1. Fibreboard: We wrapped the whole building in a layer of fibreboard to increase insulation value. This fibreboard is manufactured in Quebec and is 97 percent wood fibre, with the rest being a wax binder. The most common choice for continuous insulation today is rigid foam panels. However, fibreboard has many fewer negative impacts on our environment and is, in fact, a carbon sink.
2. Weather and air barrier: Durability is essential for low-impact buildings and the number one obstacle to durability is water. We must keep our buildings dry. We selected a very durable, 3-ply weather barrier that while airtight, is vapour permeable so any moisture in the building can dry to the exterior. (Buildings don’t need to breathe, but they do need to dry.)
3. Rain screen and strapping: Strapping is essential to allow airflow behind our building and encourage drying. Strapping should only be laid vertically against the building wall, to allow drainage. If vertical siding is installed (as in our case), a second layer of horizontal strapping should be installed. In our case, we were able to reuse our old, weathered cedar siding as strapping.
4. Eastern white cedar siding: This siding was supplied by Don McGovern who runs a cedar mill just down the road from the Plenty Canada CampUs. Cedar has excellent longevity as siding because of its natural oils. Unlike western red cedar, eastern white cedar is grown in our local area and transported minimal distances.
5. Linseed Oil Paint: Linseed oil paint is an all-natural paint made of boiled linseed (flax) oil and natural pigments. It contains no solvents and is free from petroleum products. The oil penetrates the wood, rather than forming a coat, like latex paint. Because of this, the paint doesn’t peel, it simply fades. The paint is much more durable than latex paints and stains, which is of particular concern for the south and west facing sides of our buildings.
As the exterior of the building finishes up, we turn to the interior renovations. We have selected linseed oil paints for the interior, as well as Marmoleum flooring, a resilient flooring made from flax.
While social distancing has disrupted our in-person workshops, we are grateful to the opportunity to create a healthy and welcoming space for our programming. We look forward to opening our doors in the near future for our workshops and gatherings. We hope the work on our CampUs will help demonstrate the important role of sustainable building within our mission and inspire our visitors to apply Two-Eyed Seeing principles to building projects in their own lives.
— Lindey Touzel
Buildings too often have the effect of separating us from our surroundings, yet they are essential components of our daily lives that influence how we interpret and interact between human-constructed and natural environments. The layout of our rooms and common areas affect how we gather. Windows and doors facilitate our connections to the outdoors. And the materials we choose determine the impacts we have on our surroundings.
The work we do on, and within, our buildings present us with opportunities to do great good or great harm. Such opportunities challenge us to define what we believe is important. Under the leadership of Plenty Canada Executive Director Larry McDermott, we have continually asked ourselves these fundamental questions. Through the lens of Two-Eyed Seeing, what does sustainable building look like? Within the rubric of truth and reconciliation and environmental justice, how can our buildings reflect our values and our work?
To answer these questions, we turned to important voices in the field of Indigenous architecture. These include internationally renowned architect Douglas Cardinal and the seventeen other distinguished Indigenous architects who created the exhibition Unceded: Voices of the Land for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. We also consulted Patrick Stewart’s dissertation Indigenous Architecture through Indigenous Knowledge: Dion Sagalt'apkw Nisim (Together We Will Build a Village). In addition, Bruce King and Chris Magwood, who have advanced to mainstream audiences, data related to carbon storage within buildings, were important influences on our thinking. From those sources, we developed a starting point to define sustainable building practices at Plenty Canada. These include:
Place-based approach: To design buildings that operate in conjunction with our surroundings, using local materials and employing a collaborative design process.
Embracing, representing, and reflecting Indigenous culture: To provide a space for cultural practices, teachings, and ceremonies where multiple generations may gather.
Ecological Responsibility: To design our buildings and the surrounding landscape to be safe for human and non-human users to protect and enhance biodiversity and be low-carbon in construction and operation.
Our current building industry is doing well at producing energy-efficient buildings. However, at Plenty Canada, we are equally concerned with how we get energy-efficient buildings. We are concerned with where the materials come from and the impacts of harvesting and manufacturing. We are concerned with the safety of installation for our tradespeople and with how materials will impact indoor air quality and the health of our occupants. We are also concerned with what toxins materials put into our surroundings and how much carbon was emitted into the environment from their extraction, manufacturing, and transportation.
That’s a lot to take into consideration. But as an example, let’s examine Plenty Canada’s wall system to see how we have made our decisions.
1. Fibreboard: We wrapped the whole building in a layer of fibreboard to increase insulation value. This fibreboard is manufactured in Quebec and is 97 percent wood fibre, with the rest being a wax binder. The most common choice for continuous insulation today is rigid foam panels. However, fibreboard has many fewer negative impacts on our environment and is, in fact, a carbon sink.
2. Weather and air barrier: Durability is essential for low-impact buildings and the number one obstacle to durability is water. We must keep our buildings dry. We selected a very durable, 3-ply weather barrier that while airtight, is vapour permeable so any moisture in the building can dry to the exterior. (Buildings don’t need to breathe, but they do need to dry.)
3. Rain screen and strapping: Strapping is essential to allow airflow behind our building and encourage drying. Strapping should only be laid vertically against the building wall, to allow drainage. If vertical siding is installed (as in our case), a second layer of horizontal strapping should be installed. In our case, we were able to reuse our old, weathered cedar siding as strapping.
4. Eastern white cedar siding: This siding was supplied by Don McGovern who runs a cedar mill just down the road from the Plenty Canada CampUs. Cedar has excellent longevity as siding because of its natural oils. Unlike western red cedar, eastern white cedar is grown in our local area and transported minimal distances.
5. Linseed Oil Paint: Linseed oil paint is an all-natural paint made of boiled linseed (flax) oil and natural pigments. It contains no solvents and is free from petroleum products. The oil penetrates the wood, rather than forming a coat, like latex paint. Because of this, the paint doesn’t peel, it simply fades. The paint is much more durable than latex paints and stains, which is of particular concern for the south and west facing sides of our buildings.
As the exterior of the building finishes up, we turn to the interior renovations. We have selected linseed oil paints for the interior, as well as Marmoleum flooring, a resilient flooring made from flax.
While social distancing has disrupted our in-person workshops, we are grateful to the opportunity to create a healthy and welcoming space for our programming. We look forward to opening our doors in the near future for our workshops and gatherings. We hope the work on our CampUs will help demonstrate the important role of sustainable building within our mission and inspire our visitors to apply Two-Eyed Seeing principles to building projects in their own lives.
— Lindey Touzel
March 2021
The Beginning of the CampUs Journey
For almost 40 years, Plenty Canada’s office has served as an important gathering place for cross-cultural work. Nestled within a 500-acre Algonquin nature preserve, bordered on the south by Ontario’s Mississippi River and on the west by Mud Lake, and featuring diverse ecosystems inhabited by all manner of plants and animals, it has long hosted visitors from its projects in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and, of course, Canada.
An incredible amount of history is imbedded within the site, evidenced by the wear and tear on the main office building and its adjacent annex, a secondary building once identified for environmental research residencies, programming, and additional office space. Due to the deterioration of these buildings, several years ago Plenty Canada embarked on a campaign to reconceptualize, resource, and renovate its physical properties.
An incredible amount of history is imbedded within the site, evidenced by the wear and tear on the main office building and its adjacent annex, a secondary building once identified for environmental research residencies, programming, and additional office space. Due to the deterioration of these buildings, several years ago Plenty Canada embarked on a campaign to reconceptualize, resource, and renovate its physical properties.
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That work began in earnest with the arrival of capital funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. But the stage was set years ago during visioning sessions held with world renowned Indigenous architect Douglas Cardinal, designer of numerous iconic buildings including the Museum of History in Gatineau and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. In 2008, Cardinal and Lee Bushey, an architectural student at the time, developed a holistic vision for the creation of an integrated structural and landscape complex, drawing up plans that have served as an important guide for what is now being called the Plenty Canada CampUs.
These current capital projects are designed to upgrade and repurpose the complex as a land-based learning centre. The main office building is undergoing a wide variety of renovations in order to better serve its evolving needs as an active space for environmental and Indigenous bio-cultural education. Originally built with energy efficiencies in mind, including burrowing the first level north portion of the building into the side of a hill, and installing large south facing windows to take advantage of passive solar gain, new upgrades are being made. These include wrapping the building in a new layer of wood fibre insulation and locally produced cedar siding, installing new high-tech windows, and replacing dated infrastructure equipment with energy efficient HVAC system mechanicals to meet Plenty Canada’s energy reduction goals.
These current capital projects are designed to upgrade and repurpose the complex as a land-based learning centre. The main office building is undergoing a wide variety of renovations in order to better serve its evolving needs as an active space for environmental and Indigenous bio-cultural education. Originally built with energy efficiencies in mind, including burrowing the first level north portion of the building into the side of a hill, and installing large south facing windows to take advantage of passive solar gain, new upgrades are being made. These include wrapping the building in a new layer of wood fibre insulation and locally produced cedar siding, installing new high-tech windows, and replacing dated infrastructure equipment with energy efficient HVAC system mechanicals to meet Plenty Canada’s energy reduction goals.
Plenty is also expanding its pre-existing solar energy investments (including microFIT) by installing off-the-grid and net metering technologies. Even the water systems at the Plenty Canada office will be altered to become more environmentally efficient, made possible by funding for innovative drinking and wastewater management systems.
Attention is also being paid to finalizing renovations to the secondary building on the Plenty Canada grounds. The two-story building is both spacious and modern, opening up new possibilities for Plenty Canada to establish in-person residencies and expand its training options. After the electrical system and plumbing have been completed, the secondary building will be able to support additional office space, guest rooms, and a common area for educational programs. Once this building is activated, the organization will double its onsite operational and project capacity.
All of these renovations are united by the idea that environmental efficiency and sustainability should be the highest priority of any responsible renovation project. In this way, Plenty Canada hopes to inspire other community organizations, individuals, and the youth who will eventually visit and spend time at the CampUs—urging them to think about sustainable building options in their own lives.
Attention is also being paid to finalizing renovations to the secondary building on the Plenty Canada grounds. The two-story building is both spacious and modern, opening up new possibilities for Plenty Canada to establish in-person residencies and expand its training options. After the electrical system and plumbing have been completed, the secondary building will be able to support additional office space, guest rooms, and a common area for educational programs. Once this building is activated, the organization will double its onsite operational and project capacity.
All of these renovations are united by the idea that environmental efficiency and sustainability should be the highest priority of any responsible renovation project. In this way, Plenty Canada hopes to inspire other community organizations, individuals, and the youth who will eventually visit and spend time at the CampUs—urging them to think about sustainable building options in their own lives.
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The land-based learning centre will develop and deliver an Indigenous led curriculum that fills gaps in current secondary and post-secondary education. The centre will host workshops that teach students to merge Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Western science, a practice known as Two-Eyed Seeing.
As a testament to Plenty Canada's continued commitment to environmental sustainability and education, progress of the CampUs will be tracked in the Contact newsletter.
As a testament to Plenty Canada's continued commitment to environmental sustainability and education, progress of the CampUs will be tracked in the Contact newsletter.
Thanks to:
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