The Green Building Tour
One of the first things you see when you walk into the building
The Green Building Tour with Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC)
A tour of a building. Is this a good idea for kids? Will they find it boring? Will they listen? Will they complain? We knew we wanted to go to CNSC, but we weren’t sure how our kids would like it. When we contacted CNSC, we asked about just that. Can we do the Green Building Tour with kids? Will they enjoy it? Will it be fun for the whole family? They reassured us that kids are welcome, and they would make sure the tour would be family-friendly. With their assurance, we said yes, let’s do it!
How to Get to CNSC
We organized a shuttle with CNSC to pick us up from our hotel in Churchill and take us to the building, approximately 30 minutes away. Lara, our guide, and CNSC’s Research Coordinator shared her knowledge about Churchill and the surrounding area as she drove us to CNSC.
A Vibrant Place
We were immediately struck by how vibrant the place was. From the moment we opened the doors we could see people learning, talking, collaborating, sharing their knowledge, and eating food together.
Sustainable and Energy Efficient
“to understand and sustain the north”
CNSC is a LEED certified research centre that houses scientists, researchers, and groups year-round. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. CNSC was awarded this certificate because of their commitment to sustainable design, construction, and operation of its building.
To understand what it looks like to have an LEED certificate, we toured the building and saw examples of their intentionality and creativity. The building was constructed with cold winters and snow in mind; rounded roof and large windows to let light in. To lower costs, there are composting toilets and water is pumped in from a lake nearby instead of trucked in from Churchill.
Green Building Tour
Stairs to the indoor Aurora Dome
Our tour around the building was fascinating and we love all the creative ways they are being sustainable. Inside we explored the indoor Aurora dome, classrooms, gift shop, kitchen, and laboratory.
Outside on the 2nd floor platform we saw the beautiful tundra landscape, spotted the rocket range, and learned about the solar wall panels.
When in the laboratory, Lara had a few objects and interactive games for the kids. The kids learned about some of the animals that live up north, experienced firsthand the size of a polar bear paw print and felt some fuzzy polar bear fur. And of course, when asking the kids later, what was their favorite thing they did at CNSC? They said: seeing the composting toilets. Which means we saw poop. And worms. Poop and worms: Best tour ever for the boys!
Gift Shop and Kal Barteski
At the end of our tour, we checked out the gift shop. When we arrived in Churchill, local Winnipeg Artist Kal Barteski had just finished an Owl mural and fun artwork inside. We love her murals in Winnipeg and Churchill and it was fun to see her newest addition. And my science teacher husband was happy with his "Have a Scientific Day" T-shirt he bought at the gift shop.
To sum it up we had a fantastic time at CNSC, learned a lot of valuable information and our kids had fun. We are so thankful that our kids were able to see how organizations are making sustainability choices and see it in action. They got to see firsthand how a building can be created to reduce carbon emissions. We knew it was important to come to CNSC and we are so happy to have our kids see others taking action to protect our planet. We are not alone. Community creates climate hope.
Learn more about CNSC: check out their website!
After the Green Building Tour we went kayaking with Beluga Whales. Check out it out here!
