New Trades Complex: LEED Platinum + Energy Neutral
Kalmalka Demonstration Garden
Green Roof Research at OC Penticton
New Okanagan College cycle event connects all four campuses
There is a new and exciting cycling event in the beautiful Okanagan!
An ambitious and dedicated group of Okanagan College cyclists with a geographic bent have decided to connect the dots between all four campuses with a three-day open ride June 21–23. Read more 
NEW! Sustainable Construction Management Diploma
Applications are now being accepted for Okanagan College’s first intake of the Sustainable Construction Management Technology (SCMT) diploma program, which starts this Fall, 2013 at the Penticton campus.
This innovative three-year diploma program is a reflection of significant changes that have taken place in the construction industry. Read more
Get Down and Dirty! Come Out and help Clean the Creek – Wed April 24th
We are meeting at 3:00pm – 4:30pm at the back of the campus half way behind the Student Residence and the Water Treatment Facility. We meet at the blue bridge. We will have gloves and safety vests for you as well as garbage pinchers and garbage bags. Please wear appropriate footwear as the banks can be slippery. Thank you for helping us to keep the water free of debris so that the ducks and others animals can enjoy their home. If you have any questions please contact Angie March ext# 4501
March 11, 2013 - Operating the Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence: Performance, lessons learned and future opportunities
This presentation will discuss the Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence (JPCOE) on the Penticton Campus of Okanagan College, one of the most water and energy efficient buildings in western Canada. The talk will cover how the project evolved, how the building is performing relative to expectations (and more standard buildings) and what the future holds. Time and technology permitting, there will be an online tour of energy and water consumption monitoring systems along with the automation control and mechanical system operation.
February 25, 2013 - Food and the City: Urban Agriculture and the New Food Revolution; Jennifer Cockrall-King
Jennifer Cockrall-King visited a dozen cities in five countries at the forefront of incorporating food production into their urban spaces to get a wide-angled look at this growing movement. This global garden-hopping slideshow and talk looks at community gardens and urban beekeeping in Paris, rooftop veggies and urban wine in London, commercial coop urban farms in Havana, urban fruit rescue outfits in Toronto, SPIN farming in Kelowna, and the world's first vertical farm in Chicago, among others.
February 18, 2013 - Food Security: Finding Local Solutions one garden at a time; Eva Durance and Jennifer Vincent
Join Eva Durance and Jennifer Vincent for an introduction to the Penticton Urban Agriculture Association (PUAA). The central objectives of PUAA, formed in 2010, are to educate people in how to grow some of their own food, assist those in need to have access to more locally produced, high-quality food, and promote support for local farmers. To that end, we have set up the Centre for Urban Agriculture (C.URB) on leased property in Penticton.
OC Speakers Series February 4, 2013 – Merle Kindred: Urban Agriculture in Kerala India
On February 4, join Merle Kindred at the OC Penticton Campus at 7pm for a talk about urban agriculture in southern India.
The State of Kerala on the southwest coast of India on the Arabian Sea is a largely agricultural region, yet the size of its population (nearly equal to that of Canada) means it’s still challenged in providing adequate food for its urban citizens. The state has a history of remarkable development over the past half century in the areas of education, health care, empowerment of women, and devolution of political power to villages. Kerala also focuses on improving its agricultural production, including urban agricultural initiatives and showcasing agriculture in its school programs. This presentation discusses progress in urban agriculture in this region of India.
About Merle Kindred:
Merle Kindred did her doctoral field studies in alternative communication strategies pertaining to increasing awareness and action about energy use in the built environment. Organizations in Michigan and Kerala were her case studies. Since completion of her PhD six years ago, she has continued her association with the Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development in Kerala and, as an informal consultant in communications, she has made lengthy annual trips to India. Here in Penticton, she is on the boards of both Habitat for Humanity South Okanagan and the Penticton Urban Agriculture Association.
For more information about the Speakers Series at OC Penticton, please visit: https://ocspeakerseries.wordpress.com/
Recyclemania 2013
Welcome to Recyclemania 2013. Okanagan College is registered to participate again in this international competition. As in the past two competitions we will again be participating in the Benchmark Division. Read more
Monday January 28 – Summerhill Permaculture and Biodynamic Viticulture with Gabe Cipes
On Monday January 28, join Gabe Cipes of Summerhill Winery to explore and discuss:
- Wild crafting or foraging for indigenous food, fiber and medicine plants in the many Okanagan mesoclimates.
- The 9 biodynamic preparations and working with the astral calendar in deciphering the cosmic rhythms of the moon and stars.
- Establishing ecosystems, animal integraton and whole systems horticulture design approach to farming.
Where: Okanagan College, Penticton Campus Lecture Theatre (583 Duncan Avenue; corner of Duncan Ave and HWY 97)
When: 7 pm
About Gabe Cipes:
Gabe Cipes makes and sources the nine biodynamic preparations applied to Summerhill Vineyard and has successfully led the transition to Demeter Certified biodynamic status. He is also diversifying the farm with food forests and edible landscaping, conducting experiments based on Permaculture principles to increase biodiversity within the vineyard system and grow complimentary crops between the vineyard rows. Gabe has completed courses in Permaculture Design Certificate at Selkirk College and Natural Earth Building at the Cob Cottage Company with Ianto Evans, and has completed the vineyard management courses and viticulture certificate at Okanagan College Penticton.
Gabe is inspired by the ideas and knowledge associated with creating self-sustaining food producing ecosystems and sees him self, planning and planting food forests and working with ecological communities for as long as he is able.
Aside from his work on the farm, Gabe is a visual artist, public speaker and festival producer. Over the past five years, he has produced a pan-Okanagan Art, Music, Craft and Spoken word, ecologically themed festival called Conduit.
Centre for Learning at the Kelowna campus certified LEED Gold
The first building in the Central Okanagan built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold standard has now been certified by the Canada Green Building Council. Following the stringent guidelines, Okanagan College broke ground on the five-storey $28-million Centre for Learning at the Kelowna campus in 2006. The doors opened to students in 2009, but the building only recently received certification.
