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VBCPS 2024 Update

Third Annual Climate Round Table for Southside Hampton Roads

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Sustainable Schools Committee

RE-ESTABLISHED MAY 2024

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Brookwood Elementary

Corporate Landing Elementary

Corporate Landing Middle

Plaza Middle

Thalia Elementary

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Tiny Forest at Wesleyan Park

Corporate Landing ES: “A Pond to Love”

The city arborist has met with Biology and AP Environmental teachers at Bayside High School to map out a plan for a tiny forest using the Miyawaki Method to rapidly increase tree canopy in a relatively treeless area of the city. The intention is to plant an entire tiny forest next year in late winter, early spring!

As one of the GO Learning partner schools, they were awarded some grant funding and wanted to start their project called “A Pond To Love.”

We helped design the concept, coordinated with P&R and wound up using the grant funding to pay for materials only while P&R completed the installation.

The entire school assembled at their newly finished outdoor learning space just in time for their official Arbor day celebration.

Every single student present at CLES that day “shoveled” a ceremonious spoonful of dirt onto the newly planted tree.

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Augmented Reality Sandboxes

B.F. Williams ES

College Park ES

Point O’ View ES

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Three students in the VBCPS Environmental Studies Program (ESP) recently used the augmented reality (AR) sandbox provided by NORESCO’s Green Operations team to influence a positive impact in the local community. Within the scope of an architectural internship, these students used the AR sandbox located at the Brock Environmental Center to help design infrastructure for the Virginia Aquarium that would help protect a marsh between the main building and the south building. Discharged rainwater from a pipe near the marsh was expelling rainwater at such high velocities that it was damaging marsh plants. Consequentially, loose mud in the surrounding area became susceptible to erosion, and the natural habitat for native plants and animals was rapidly diminishing.

The solution designed by students included permeable barriers made from coconut husks (represented by the bubble bottles in the AR sandbox in the image on the right). The barriers slowed the rate of water entering the marsh to minimize the effects of erosion. The AR sandbox became a critical tool for students to engineer and test their design. Decision-makers from Virginia Aquarium were impressed with the students’ creative solution and decided to install these barriers to control erosion.

Real World Application of Erosion Control

Using Augmented Reality Sandbox Technology

Three seniors (Pearce Redford, Zach Starr, and James Olansen) from the VBCPS ESP leveraged the capabilities of the AR sandbox, provided by the Green Operations team, to design real world solutions

Architectural rendering of one of the barriers designed by the ESP students to minimize erosion at the Virginia Aquarium

Is this just a cool toy or can we translate learning opportunities into a real-world application?

Through the ESP architectural internship, students used the AR sandbox located at the Brock Environmental Center to help design infrastructure for the Virginia Aquarium that would help protect a marsh between the main building and the south building.

Rainwater discharge from a pipe near the marsh was at such high velocities it was damaging marsh plants causing erosion and diminishing natural habitat for native plants an animals.

The solution designed by students included permeable barriers made from coconut husks (represented by the bubble bottles in the AR sandbox in the image on the right). The barriers slowed the rate of water entering the marsh to minimize the effects of erosion.

The AR sandbox became a critical tool for students to engineer and test their design. Decision-makers from Virginia Aquarium were impressed with the students’ creative solution and decided to install these barriers to control erosion.

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Kitchens: Scratch Cooking, Serving Lines, & HVAC Additions

8-26-2024

7-23-2024

7-16-2024

King’s Grant ES

Rosemont ES

Holland Road Annex 4-19-2024

7-27-2024

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Ocean Lakes ES: Zero Energy Building

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Ocean Lakes Electrical Use

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Solar Panel Installations

Old Donation (571 kW)

Redmill ES (462 kW)

Landstown MS/ES (1.2 MW)

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Rosemont Forest ES

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TCEC Welding Lab

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Thank You�

J. Ryan Hersey, PE, LEED BD+C, Sustainability Officer