York Environment Centre

Staff of the York Environment Centre look after the maintenance of the St Nicholas Fields Local Nature Reserve, run environmental education courses and a community recycling scheme, and provide advice on environmental issues. The main fields of expertise at the moment are recycling and renewable energy. The Centre is open to the public and can be booked for meetings, group activities and events. The usual opening hours are Mon-Fri 9-5pm and Saturdays 10-2pm (between November and end of March the Centre opens Mon-Fri 9-4pm and Saturdays 10-1pm). Please feel free to visit us. If you would like somebody to show you around please let us know in advance. The building also houses the office of the Velovision Magazine.

The Centre, open in May 2000, has been designed to exemplify sustainability, energy conservation and energy production from renewable sources:

• There is a wind turbine (2.5kW at 26 miles per hour) and photovoltaic (solar) panels (1.7kW in full sunshine) which supply a good share of electricity needed to run the Centre.
• The building has large south facing windows, triple glazing and exceptionally good insulation to allow it to be heated directly by the sun's energy.
• Rainwater is collected and purified for use at the Centre.
• Solar-thermal panel heats the water and additional room heating comes from a smoke-free wood burning stove.
• There are modern composting toilets which reduce the need for water by thousands of litres - in November 2000 they saved about 2,000 litres - and provide a popular talking point.
• The building has a 'living roof', covered with low growing Sedum acre, a drought resistant succulent plant. The leaves turn red in dry conditions and green again when it rains. In late summer the whole roof turns yellow when the Sedum flowers. The blanket of plants helps to insulate the building, reducing heating requirements. The roof also contributes to the local oxygen balance and provides a habitat for a wide range of insects.