Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR) is pleased to announce that the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, has become the northernmost facility in Canada to gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver-level certification. Attaining LEED Silver in a large and complex group of buildings in the Arctic is a ground-breaking achievement.
LEED, the global standard in green building, measures excellence in low carbon emissions, resource conservation, and sustainable practices that lower operational costs. LEED standards are normally and more easily applied in southern environments and urban locations, whereas Cambridge Bay is a remote, northern hamlet in the Kitikmeot region.
POLAR funds and undertakes research that advances its science and technology goals, which includes researching sustainable energy, technology, and infrastructure solutions for the unique environmental, social, and cultural conditions in the North. By operating out of a LEED-certified facility, POLAR demonstrates its fundamental commitment to this work.
Earlier this year, POLAR assumed custodianship of CHARS from CIRNAC. This facility will now be operated in the North for the North; where Arctic science, research and innovation, and respect in Indigenous Knowledge all come together to better understand climate change for Northerners and all Canadians.
