Canadian Centre for Sustainable Living Opens in Windsor, ON

Media Release

For release June 16, 2010

Canadian Centre for Sustainable Living Opens in Windsor, ON

Windsor, ON – Effective July 1, 2010, the Canadian Centre for Sustainable Living (CCSL) will be opening its doors in Windsor, ON. The initial focus for the Centre is to deliver high quality education and community awareness programs focused on renewable energy technologies. Some of the programs available were previously offered through the Renewable Energy Technology Center. Robin Easterbrook, founder of CCSL, said “I felt that it was important to remove education programs from an association with a commercial enterprise in order to ensure a balanced approach to the technologies available. Further, it is important that Windsor have access to education focused on more than just solar technology. For example, CCSL will soon have program offerings for small wind, and geothermal technologies as well.”
The first program offering through CCSL will be a class for trades people or those with some “hands-on” skills who are looking to gain design and installation experience in solar photovoltaic (solar PV) systems. The first offering of this class will take place July 5 – July 9. The class totals 40 hours of classroom time and is fully compliant with the standards of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and the Canadian Electrical Code. Graduates of the exam will be ready to challenge the NABCEP solar PV basics exam which will be offered in Windsor for the first time following the conclusion of this class. Cost of the class is $2,495.00 plus applicable taxes and includes the examination fee. This is the first time such a class will have been offered in Southwestern Ontario to general members of the public or the solar PV industry.
“Given the growth in the number of solar PV installations happening in Ontario at the moment, it is almost criminal that people with no qualifications or only marginal experience are being allowed to work with these systems” said Easterbrook. “Anyone considering a residential or commercial installation of a solar PV system should demand that their installer have this type of education. Better system design leads to optimal system performance and better installation processes lead to a safely installed system with long life.”
This first class is limited to 20 participants and is expected to fill up quickly. Registration is through the Center’s website www.cdncsl.com after June 21. Alternately, people can reserve space by calling CCSL at 519-791-4096.

The Canadian Centre for Sustainable Living is located at 1680 Kildare Road in Windsor, ON.

For more information about CCSL, contact:
Robin Easterbrook
Telephone: 519-791-4096
Fax: 519-254-5442
e-mail: reasterbrook@hotmail.com

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