An environmentally-friendly cork-floor allows for a comfortable working place in the kitchen. Pictured here, the kids examine the material. Left to right: Grayce Trebinskie, Austin Turner, Emily Swick, Insha Ahmad, Christopher Recoskie, Joseph Malinowski, Benjamin Bucher. Background: Joshua Dombroski
CHRISTINE HUDDER
Staff Reporter
BARRY’S BAY – Students from Sherwood Public School had the chance to see how environmentally-friendly they could be if they put their minds to it.
On April 27, teachers took their students to explore Terry Newcombe and Diane Brown’s 1,450 square foot home on Paugh Lake Road. It is not just any old home; it’s a newly-built structure that leaves a light footprint on the environment.
It is heated and powered by solar electricity. To retain as much heat as possible, the house uses a technique called passive solar heating to keep the house cozy during the winter months and cool during heat spells. The windows are positioned at the south of the home, allowing for more heat to come in.
To prevent overheating, the floor tiles are placed directly on a concrete slab. This allows the floor to hold access heat and emit it as the house cools down. The home is also built into a hill, which further insulates the building.
On Friday, the students toured the complete home, and got to view things like the battery packs (which are connected to the solar panels,) the water barrels and the composting system set up outside.
Story continues in the May 3rd issue of The Valley Gazette.