Suncrest College received two ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ awards last week for both the institute’s Sustainable Construction and Biobed Demonstration projects.

The Sustainable Construction project is an 11-week employment-focused program that partnered with Colleges and Institutes Canada, Keeseekoose First Nation, Hipperson Construction and Suncrest College to build a greenhouse for the Keeseekoose Chiefs Education Centre.

The Biobed Demonstration project is a mechanism used to treat the water used to rinse out agricultural sprayers. It works by collecting the water and trickling it over two beds. The beds contain a mixture of straw, peat and soil in tanks, and bacteria and fungi in the beds break down the chemicals until about 99% of them removed. Once the water has completed the path through two tanks, it is free of chemical, and it can be used to water trees, lawns or released into a water course.