Green Operations & Campus

MEET AMANDA CECCARELLI, LCC’S FACILITIES MANAGER

BY DANA KOBERNICK , COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

As a young child Amanda Ceccarelli was fascinated with the inner workings of just about everything. Helping her father with repair projects or home renovations was, in her words, magic. The real pièce de résistance, and what led her to the field of building engineering, was the heated garage and workshop that was constructed in the family’s driveway. Ms. Ceccarelli recalls running home after school every day to see the progress of the project and to join forces with her dad and grandfather.

AMANDA CECCARELLI WITH LCC’SFACILITIES TEAM

So many years later, Ms. Ceccarelli knows that she chose her profession wisely. She was in no way daunted by entering a male-dominated field. In fact, she never thought about it until she showed up to her first class at university to find that she was one of the only women.

Her training and subsequent work experience are serving LCC well, particularly with the launch of its five-year strategic plan that features environmental action as one of the pillars. “I have a good understanding of what makes a complex place like LCC run,” she says. “I have worked in organizations that are advanced in terms of sustainability and am able to apply much of my knowledge and expertise.”

Under the leadership of LCC’s chief operating officer, Ms. Ceccarelli is the professional responsible for everything related to the school’s infrastructure and grounds, including lighting, heating, air conditioning, security systems, building access and housekeeping. Most recently, she and her team have overseen a series of projects, such as replacing the lighting in the Velan gyms with energy-saving LED fixtures, installing occupancy sensors so that lights are turned on only when someone is in the space, reducing the heat in the buildings after school hours, among many other activities. She and her team have also been actively involved in collecting data, such as greenhouse gas emissions, and energy use and waste, for a sustainability metrics dashboard. This will be useful in the evaluation of the school’s sustainability initiatives.

IN THE SHORT-TERM, MS. CECCARELLI HAS SET OUT A SERIES OF GOALS, SOME OF WHICH INCLUDE:

• Installing electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lots

• Collaborating with the Green Team and coordinator of sustainability (see p. 22) to build an urban garden on the roof of the Webster Learning Activity Centre, with vegetable plants and flowers to act as pollinators

• Replacing windows to reduce heat loss

ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS

“Beyond these specific initiatives, it is critical to incorporate sustainable practices into all of our plans,” Ms. Ceccarelli says. “Our greatest challenge is changing the way that we do things and distancing ourselves from society’s throwaway culture. As a school community we are doing well in some areas, like the store’s second-hand sale, composting in the dining hall, and incorporating sustainability in our programming. Other areas, however, need more work. For example, we should be making efforts to reduce the number of cars on Royal Avenue, so I’m hoping there will be a demonstrated interest in an expanded bus service. And the number of items that are left unclaimed in the lost and found is significant and should be addressed.”

Ms. Ceccarelli believes that we all have to think about how we can be part of the solution and recognize that changes in our individual behaviours have measurable results. Looking to the future, she aims to have the facility performing optimally so that the school is not wasting resources. Then, even more time and energy can be dedicated to dreaming big and implementing practices and projects that have high impact.

ENERGY-SAVING LED FIXTURES

MS. CECCARELLI ’ S CREDENTIALS

• P.Eng.

• LEED AP (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional)

• PMP (Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute)