The National Occupational Analysis (NOA) outlines curriculum requirements for all Canadian trades programs, but in Joinery it does not include the topic of sustainable materials and practices. The Joinery program is addressing the absence of a sustainability competency by using sustainable materials and practices on our shop floor. The Joinery department has implemented an aggressive recycling program which diverted approximately 345 cubic yards of waste from the landfill in 2013. The department has also discontinued the use of solvent-base contact cement and switched to a water-base product. The other adhesive Joinery uses extensively is polyvinyl acetate (PVA), which is also a water-base product.
Highlights about the project:
- Approximately 345 cubic yards of waste diverted from the landfill in 2013
- 7,220 board measure of solid wood purchased in 2013 and 67% were Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified (Note: 1 board measure = 1 square foot of 1” thick material)
- 840 sheets of panel product purchased in 2013 and 78% of these had no-added-urea-formaldehyde (NAUF)
- 14 Apprenticeship classes (224 students/yr), 4 Foundation classes (64 students/yr), 6 Trades Discovery classes (120 students/yr) and 4 Interior design classes (96 students/yr)
This project was recently presented at the Sustainable Materials in Education Symposium in Illinois.
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