Cloverdale Paint Inc. has pledged $50,000 worth of product to assist Okanagan College in beautifying classrooms, labs, shops and student spaces across its four campuses over the next five years.

鈥淐loverdale Paint is a B.C.-based, family owned business that was founded in 1933,鈥� said Cloverdale鈥檚 vice-president of branch operations Dave Chaulk. 鈥淲e are proud to support health care and education in the markets that we serve, and Okanagan College is an important facility for the community.鈥�

The first canvas for the donated paint will be the college鈥檚 new trades facilities in 琉璃神社, which opened to students in April.

The college is currently putting the finishing touches on the new three-storey complex, as part of the $33-million, 10,000 sq. metre renovation and expansion project in anticipation of an official grand opening this fall.

Cloverdale鈥檚 donation has been directed to the $7-million Bright Horizons fundraising campaign for the building, although the product will support the College in enhancing numerous other spaces.

Colour palette aside, green is the theme the College has kept in mind throughout the renovated and expansion project, as part of its institutional commitment to sustainability.

鈥淪ustainability is one of our core values,鈥� said  Okanagan College president Jim Hamilton. 鈥淭his generous gift from Cloverdale Paint supports our commitment to providing learning and work spaces that are healthy for our college community and for the environment.鈥�

The Cloverdale credit gives the college access to ultra-low VOC (volatile organic compound) and environmentally friendly coatings that will help keep classrooms, shops, study and work spaces as healthy as they are environmentally-friendly.

The new trades building will allow the College to accommodate more than 2,700 students per year in a facility that targets LEED Platinum standards, one of the highest measures of sustainability that can be achieved by a building.

In 2015, the college鈥檚 Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence (COE) building in Penticton became the first building of its size in the region to earn the coveted certification. Earlier this year, the COE was named the Greenest Post Secondary Building in Canada in a national independent review conducted by Corporate Knights Magazine.

Boasting the second largest solar-photovoltaic array of any non-utility building in the province (the largest is on the College鈥檚 Centre of Excellence), the new trades complex is expected to reach net-zero energy鈥攎eaning it should be able to generate enough energy to meet its operational needs without drawing power from the grid. Other sustainability features include geothermal heating and cooling, and the latest in energy efficient lighting and environmental controls.