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Robert Bateman Centreat royal roads university
Come forth into the light of things. Let Nature be your teacher.
William WordsWorth, poet
The Robert Bateman Centre will broaden core strengths of Royal Roads University. It will be a catalyst for dialogue, research, education, outreach and involvement, action and stewardship through a range of life-long
learning programming; a place where art and science merge, where cultures overlap, and where relationships between the university and community leaders are forged. The Centre will embrace people
from all walks of life (business leaders, artists, practitioners, researchers, naturalists, children, youth and seniors) from around the world, in virtual and real classrooms. It will lead sustainable community development by deliberately bringing the best, diverse minds to the table in democratic dialogues around critical public policy issues. Its programming will also explore the design and redesign of the built environment by equally taking into consideration stewardship of place and the sustainability of the natural environment.
Learners at this unique living laboratory for sustainability will explore the basic tenets of interconnectedness, living sys-tems, ecological literacy and the arts as an expression of humanity’s engagement with, and responsibilities to, the natural world. It will be a centre of centres of
excellence for people of all walks of life, providing opportunities for reflection and enrichment; a reflexive
space to develop and test creative ways to connect generations of learners with the skills they need to ensure a sustainable and viable future for all species.
ann dale, trudeau Fellow (2004)professor, School of environment and Sustainability Faculty of Social and applied Sciences Canada Research Chair on Sustainable Community Development Royal Roads University
Learning at the leading edge, grounded in the past, sharing knowledge centred in the present with an eye to the future, underpins a Royal Roads education. Its curriculum moves practitioners and decision-makers from a model where communities lurch from one crisis to another to one where we learn from our history, under-
stand our dynamic relationship with the natural world and anticipate and plan more sustainable futures. Royal Roads University’s interdisciplinary focus acknowledges that one of the greatest challenges today is not necessarily one of scientific or managed origin, rather it is about dealing with people, their diverse cultures, interests, visions, priorities and needs to effect change for a more sustainable world. Royal Roads is a leader in both place-based
and virtual teaching methods and techniques; a Royal Roads education brings people into a rich learning environment, where students learn equally from their educators and from one another’s diverse experiences.
The ability to reconcile, reconnect and redesign ecological, social and economic systems is at the heart of our univer-sity curriculum for the 21st century. teaching and learning embedded in critical inquiry creates graduates capable of thinking for themselves, and capable of questioning
without reservation, while exercising intellectual humility and empathy. Royal Roads University is, and always has been, committed to leadership in sustainability through the integration of natural and social sciences programming. Its interdisciplinary and applied research focus is designed
to contribute to the creation of useful knowledge for Canadian communities, and internationally.
A University of and for the 21st Century
The University will continue to be a global leader in environmental
sustainability through innovative strategies which foster the protection
and preservation of the environment.
Peter robinson, RoyAL RoADS UnIveRSIty BoARD ChAIRmAn AnD ChAnCeLLoR
Robert Bateman Centreat royal roads university
Royal Roads University & hatley park national historic Site
A stately old castle facing the sea, manicured gardens, old-growth forests, and meandering streams— hatley park has retained its edwardian elegance for
more than a century as Greater victoria has developed around it. Coast Salish people used this site for thousands of years before the early 1900s when the land became the private estate of coal baron James Dunsmuir. hatley park later served as a military college for 55 years until 1995, when Royal Roads University was established here and the 230-hectare property was designated a national historic Site, the largest and most diverse in Canada.
This diversity, a unique blend of natural and human history in the midst of the British Columbia capital, is a vital asset for the future of Royal Roads University. RRU’s undergraduate and post-graduate programs in communications, tourism, business, technology, and environment are closely tied to the physical setting of the campus at hatley park.
now RRU has embarked on a plan to take this campus “off the grid,” to become the nation’s first carbon-neutral, self-sustaining university. At the heart of this ambitious goal is the Robert Bateman Centre at Royal Roads University, an art and environmental education centre where the renowned artist’s works are showcased and his conservation philosophies are shared.
This project is the latest manifestation of our commitment to leadership
in understanding, celebrating, and protecting our natural world, and one that
will make key contributions to the province’s climate change action plan.
allan Cahoon, pReSIDent, RoyAL RoADS UnIveRSIty
Robert Bateman Centreat royal roads university
envisioning itself as a model campus for the 21st century, Royal Roads University has launched a Legacy Campaign to raise $60 million to transform
RRU into a “Living and Learning Sustainability Laboratory” by 2020. Greenhouse gases will be reduced through the production of biogas energy. Waste water will be filtered through restored wetlands and reused. vehicle traffic will be minimized, new walkways will be built, and existing campus trails will be upgraded.
Funds derived through the Legacy Campaign will also finance advanced learning and research, as well as heritage preservation work, including the “greening” of hatley Castle. The impetus for the Legacy Campaign is the Bateman Centre, scheduled to open in 2011. Robert Bateman has donated $10.7 million worth of original art, prints, photographs, sketchbooks, archival materials, and funds, and he is leading the drive to raise another $20 million for the Robert Bateman Centre.
The Robert Bateman Centre is a catalyst for the development of the university’s sustainability master plan, which involves surrounding communities. Among the objectives is a district-wide waste recovery plant to generate energy by processing waste from the nearby Canadian Forces Base esquimalt and the City of Colwood, the municipality in which Royal Roads University is located.
The Royal Roads University Legacy Campaign
A Bateman picture is full of information. It reflects a scientific knowledge of the
species and a feeling for its nature and behaviour, and it shows a landscape that
is accurately detailed and fully realized....It is a painting that depicts the whole
environment of the species, alive, inter-relating, and constantly changing.
ramsay derry, AUthoR, The ArT of roBerT BATemAN
Robert Bateman Centreat royal roads university
Since childhood, Robert Bateman has given a voice to nature through his art. he has earned worldwide stature as a wildlife and landscape artist, an environ-
mentalist, and teacher. now literally hundreds of his works created over nearly eight decades, including originals, giclées, sketchbooks, carvings, and sculptures, will remain in Canada, and new works will be added as they are created.
however, the Robert Bateman Centre at Royal Roads University is much more than an art gallery; it is an international model
for environmental learning and a think-tank for study and research – all focused on reconnecting us with the natural world. The Robert Bateman Centre celebrates what works, pushing the boundaries of knowledge about sustainability and environmental protection, blazing new territory, and constantly evolving as new challenges and needs are identified.
An officer of the orders of Canada and British Columbia, Robert Bateman was named by the national Audubon Society as one of the 20th century’s 100 Champions of Conservation. his artistic and environmental convictions and wisdom are the ideological basis of the Robert Bateman Centre.
“We have an opportunity to show the world a better way forward,” notes Robert Bateman, “one that celebrates and protects our natural world, inspires involvement and creates an evolving legacy of wonder for our children.”
A Centre for Art and environmental education
The spirit of the building took root in Bob’s mind when he first looked out
at the pasture and the wetland. And I think that when he stood there
and felt that presence, he knew that this was the place for the centre.
riChard iredale, pRoJeCt ARChIteCt
Robert Bateman Centreat royal roads university
Shell middens on the beaches below hatley Castle, and other archaeological evidence, suggest that Coast Salish people revered this
site for more than 3,000 years. They gathered clams, shellfish, and fish from esquimalt lagoon, collected medicine and food plants from the forests, and peeled bark from cedar trees that remain standing on campus to this day. Like the First nations, builders of the Robert Bateman Centre are utilizing renewable resources from the site.
The Living Building
Conceived in response to the Cascadia Region Green Building Council’s “Living Building Challenge,” the Robert Bateman Centre is entirely self-sufficient in energy and water use. Constructed from local materials, the 2,400-square-metre structure ( 26,000 square feet ) generates its own electricity through solar panels. Winter heating is provided by a huge masonry “solar wall” in the building’s atrium that captures sunlight entering through clerestory windows. Water flowing through pipes in the solar wall is pumped through the floor slabs to heat the rest of the building. on cold winter days, when warmth from the sun is low, four high-efficiency wood-burning appliances built into the solar wall burn waste wood.
traditional forced-air ventilation systems produce greenhouse gases; the Robert Bateman Centre, instead, is ventilated naturally and silently by air currents flowing in through the concrete floor slabs and out through the central atrium. The floor slabs will heat and dry the outdoor air before it flows into the climate-controlled atrium gallery, requiring minimal energy.
The building collects and stores its own water supply, both for drinking and for landscape irrigation. Usable rainwater is channeled over the sod roof into a catchment pond at the building’s entrance, then is naturally filtered through downstream pools and wetlands. enough water can be stored to meet domestic and irrigation needs year-round.
Like Robert Bateman’s art, the building “should communicate the message of living in an ecologically sensitive way,” says project Architect Richard Iredale, adding that it is a model for other development at Royal Roads and the surrounding communities.
The robert Bateman Centre, or as I would call it the Bateman Lelum,
will be very much integrated into the land that we have here. This living
building will come full circle and take the best of old, take the best of lessons
learned, and make the future even better.
Charlene GeorGe ~ kQWat’st’not, ARtISt
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
Architectural concept drawing by David Barker—view from northwestVisitors to the Robert Bateman Centre cross a reflecting pool to arrive at the building’s graceful covered porch and carved cedar entrance doors. The porch affords broad views over the newly restored wetland. The pool stores rainwater collected from the building’s sod roof.
The artwork and the educational activities at the centre will promote
environmental understanding in the minds and, just as importantly,
in the hearts of all the people who will come here.
Paul CreCCa, USA ChAIR, LeGACy CAmpAIGn
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
Architectural concept drawing by David Barker—view from southeast
The gently sloping timber roof structure of the Robert Bateman Centre floats over the reflecting pools of the wetland. Solar panels shade the windows and provide electrical power to the building.
Love for the natural environment is the key sentiment driving
our landscape design approach for the robert Bateman Centre….
We invite the users to explore the natural environment through
a choreographed sequence of visual and sensual experiences.
Jonathan losee and Kristina Zalite, LAnDSCApe ARChIteCtS
Robert Bateman Centreat royal roads university
A notable part of the human heritage at hatley park national historic site is the contribution of Chinese immigrants. employed by the Dunsmuir family,
they helped transform wild woodlands into luxuriant gardens and productive farmland. While hatley park’s formal gardens remain intact, natural features at the site of the Robert Bateman Centre will be restored and enhanced.
Drainage patterns that were altered to create pastures are being re-established with a series of swales to retain freshwater for marshes and lakes. Douglas fir and western redcedar trees will be planted with other native forest species; a greater variety of wetland plants, and changes in topography, will provide feeding and nesting areas for birds.
“For this special centre, we are creating a site that limits direct impact on the natural environment, adds diversity to the disturbed areas, and invites you into an exploration of nature,” notes Landscape Architect Jonathan Losee.
Architectural concept drawing by David Barker—Robert Bateman Centre site plan
Sunset marsh—photo by Jim Purvis
Robert Bateman Centre
It is the marriage of the soul with Nature that makes the intellect fruitful,
and gives birth to imagination.
henry david thoreau, nAtURALISt AnD AUthoR
Robert Bateman Centreat royal roads university
A Salish carving at the welcoming portal, Douglas fir pillars and beams under redcedar ceilings: this building is quintessential West Coast. But the contents are
decidedly global—paintings of an Indian rhinoceros, African pygmies, Chinese pandas, Alaskan grizzlies, a Canadian Inuit guide, Saltspring Island otters. The galleries in the Robert Bateman Centre present the worldly perspective of a well- travelled, environmentally-conscious artist. These works reveal his insatiable curiosity, adventuresome spirit, and reverence for the natural world.
to wander these galleries is to share this curiosity, to sense the adventure and awe. visitors immerse themselves in the artistry of Robert Bateman and other like-minded artists, as well as an unparalleled collection of Bateman memorabilia. This is the only place in the world where insights into the life and philosophies of this internationally revered artist and naturalist can be explored through his sketchbooks, personal journals and photographs, books, films and private collectibles.
Building on a foundation of the living legacy of Robert Bateman’s art, writing and teaching, the centre nurtures creativity, dialogue, discovery, education and research about humankind’s dynamic relationships in the natural world. The preservation, conservation and regeneration of the living world is at the heart of the Robert Bateman Centre experience, beginning with the stewardship of the unique ecological treasure that is the University’s campus at hatley park national historic Site.
The visitor experience
As an artist, robert Bateman is able to convey a vivid comprehension of diversity
because, as a naturalist, he has mastered the particularity of nature.
stanWyn G. shetler, SmIthSonIAn InStItUtIon
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
Architectural concept drawing by David Barker—view from entryThe principal Bateman galleries, as well as an ever-changing program of visiting exhibits, are visible from the entry lobby. Insulated white skylight panels illuminate the building with soft, natural light.
Heritage – Bald Eagle; acrylic on canvas
In fact, I think of myself as a 12- or 13-year old kid.
I don’t think I have changed any of my basic standards
in life, or what I want out of life, which is to get out there
and have adventures in nature and put it down in paint.
I was always totally driven to paint.
robert bateman, ARtISt AnD nAtURALISt
Midnight – Black Wolf; acrylic on board
Ocean Rhapsody; acrylic on canvas
Gentoo Penguins and Whale Bones; acrylic on board
Long Light – Polar Bear; acrylic on canvas
Driftnet; acrylic on canvas
Red-winged Blackbirds and Rail Fence; acrylic on board
Queen Anne’s Lace and American Goldfinch;
acrylic on board
Rocky Wilderness – Cougar; acrylic on board
Sheer Drop – Mountain Goats; oil on board
Cardinal and Wild Apples; acrylic on board
A lifetime of accomplishments by Canada’s most notable natural history artist is exhibited at the Robert Bateman Centre. Paintings, prints, sketchbooks, sculptures, photos, slides, and collectibles comprise the world’s most comprehensive Robert Bateman collection.
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
his paintings have a third dimensional activity, a movement in space,
that many wildlife artists fail to master.
roGer tory Peterson, ARtISt AnD oRnIthoLoGISt
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
Visitor Experience concept drawing by Reynold Knowlton—Saltspring Studio
The Saltspring StudioVisitors get a true sense of Robert Bateman’s working life in an authentic re-creation of his Saltspring Island home studio, complete with all the tools of his trade. This rich, creative environment is a storehouse of memories and memorabilia, an intimate opportunity for live storytelling and interpretation, and an interactive, multi-layered showcase of a lifetime of learning, teaching, and artistic achievement.
If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions
and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow.
raChel Carson, BIoLoGISt AnD nAtURe WRIteR
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
Visitor Experience concept drawing by Reynold Knowlton—Story Stations
Interpretive Story StationsThroughout the galleries, visitors will have the opportunity to experience and interact with Story Stations featuring milestone, life-changing events in the life and times of Robert Bateman; his research and painting years in the 1940’s in Algonquin Park; travels across North America, through Europe, ‘around the world’ with Bristol Foster in the 50’s; the inspiration of realist Andrew Wyeth’s 1963 exhibition at the Albright-Knox Gallery; his record-breaking 1987 exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, among others. These Story Station vignettes make it possible to know and appreciate the person, and thereby gain a deeper appreciation for the body of his work.
I’m really amazed, and delighted, at how often I go back for reference material
to the sketches that I did when I was a teenager and in my early twenties.
robert bateman, ARtISt
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
Visitor Experience concept drawing by Reynold Knowlton—SketchbooksSketchbooks GallerySketchbooks are an artist’s visual diary and all of those filled by Robert Bateman since his teenage years are on display here. Visitors can appreciate the rarity, the diversity and the spontaneity inherent in this large collection of originals, or they can sit at an art table and leaf through oversized pages of beautiful reproductions. There is a feeling of privilege in sharing Robert Bateman’s keen observations, his practice and his dedication to understanding and recording both human and natural history in these sketchbooks.
If I had tried to dream up the perfect fit between an institution and my art,
my philosophy, and my life, I could not have come up with a better connection
than royal roads University. The protection and celebration of our natural
and human heritage are at the core of rrU.
robert bateman, ARtISt AnD teACheR
Robert Bateman Centreat royal roads university
named for a man who is as much a teacher as an artist, the Robert Bateman Centre complements and expands existing initiatives at Royal Roads University.
RRU’s School of environment and Sustainability is at the forefront of research on climate change, environmental stewardship, and atmospheric science. As host of the Canadian Centre for environmental education, RRU offers training and accreditation for people in the growing “green” professions.
A “special-purpose” university, much of RRU’s emphasis is on graduate and undergraduate students seeking career changes, and on business people planning to apply sustainable principles to their companies. Also, non-credit Continuing Studies programs take advantage of the natural, historic, and cultural features of RRU’s hatley park campus. Seminars, lectures, interpretive walks, workshops, short courses, school tours, and eco-adventures blend subjects such as art, culture, design, science, environmental and economic sustainability, and natural and human history.
now, the Robert Bateman Centre at Royal Roads University will continue to break new ground as it demonstrates and teaches the highest level of leadership and innovation in sustainable development, fosters dialogue and collaboration to solve environmental and social challenges and inspires action to implement solutions.
environmental education
We must reinvent a future free of blinders so that we can choose from real options.
david suZuKi, SCIentISt AnD AUthoR
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads UniversityRobert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
Visitor Experience concept drawing by Reynold Knowlton — Centre for Sustainability
A Centre for SustainabilityThe Robert Bateman Centre inspires and influences respect for human heritage and the natural world through the arts, education and the media. It is a catalyst for dialogue, research, education, action and stewardship – opening new pathways for engagement with the global community.
We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts.
William haZlitt, WRIteR
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
Visitor Experience concept drawing by Reynold Knowlton — Window Gallery
The Window GalleryThe Window Gallery, in the light-filled southwest corner of the Robert Bateman Centre, is a meeting place; a place to come together for discussion and interpretation of art and the environment. It’s also a contemplative space for reflection on the experience here. Exhibits inside change with the seasons outside. The floor-to-ceiling windows on the natural world surrounding the Robert Bateman Centre invite visitors to explore the beauty and diversity of Hatley Heritage Park National Historic site through a network of interpretive trails. Small group presentations and a library of art and environmental books, publications and media enhance an atmosphere of relaxed learning.
Beauty in nature is a quality which gives the human senses a chance to be skillful.
bertolt breCht, pLAyWRIGht
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
Visitor Experience concept drawing by Reynold Knowlton—Interpretive Trails
Interpretive TrailsFrom the upper reaches of forested streams, down through the wetlands and ornate gardens to the seashore, Hatley Park National Historic Site’s 230 hectares are accessible by a network of interpretive trails. The Bateman Trail wanders through the natural environment, connecting to the Heritage Trail, which takes in the human history, including First Nations, the military college, Royal Roads University, Hatley Castle and other heritage buildings.
We can provide solutions. We should all be about the same thing,
we should all be about protecting and enhancing our environment.
Joe van belleGhem, Co-ChAIR, LeGACy CAmpAIGn
Robert Bateman Centreat royal roads university
environmental opportunity
In donating gifts valued at nearly $11 million to Royal Roads University, Robert Bateman is leading by example. he has also agreed to serve as honorary
chair of the effort to raise another $20 million for the Robert Bateman Centre. This is one-third of the Legacy Campaign’s goal: another $10 million is needed to take RRU “off the grid,” to make it a carbon-neutral, grid- positive model for environmental learning and research; $15 million is required for the “greening” of hatley Castle and the restoration of hatley park national historic Site; and $15 million is needed for scholarships and bursaries, professorships, teaching and research projects.
This is an unprecedented opportunity for Royal Roads University and our donors to do something of fundamental importance for our community, our country, and the world; the preservation of one of Canada’s most treasured art and personal collections for future generations to celebrate and enjoy, and the creation of an evolving global model of sustainable living and learning.
The royal roads university Foundation 2005 Sooke Road victoria, British Columbia Canada v9B 5y2 250-391-2617 [email protected] www.royalroads.ca
I can’t conceive of anything being more varied and rich and handsome than the planet
earth. And its crowning beauty is the natural world....I want to soak it up, to understand
it as well as I can, and to absorb it. And then I’ d like to put it together and express it in
my paintings. This is the way I want to dedicate my work.
robert bateman, ARtISt AnD ConSeRvAtIonISt
Robert Bateman Centreat royal roads university
Robert Bateman was 35 years old before he sold his first artwork. By then, he’d been drawing and painting for three decades, had travelled around the world, and had
been a teacher for 10 years in ontario and nigeria. his paintings were finding their way into homes and galleries, yet he con-tinued his career as an art and geography teacher for another decade before becoming a full-time artist.
“I loved it. I loved preparing for classes, communicating,” he recalls of his teaching days. “I loved the mentality of the students, and I like teenagers.” Though he left the classroom in 1976, Robert Bateman has never stopped teaching. Three schools have been named in his honour, and he is one of Canada’s most sought-after lecturers on art and the environment. he is a spokes-man for organizations involved in preservation issues, and is the subject of numerous articles, books, and documentary films.
Robert Bateman’s work is a window to the natural world, a reflection of a man who has rightfully been described as a naturalist, environmentalist, artist, adventurer, explorer, teacher, geographer, storyteller, philanthropist, and lifelong learner. he is Canada’s, and one of the world’s, most noted wildlife painters. his works grace the palaces of royal families in england, monaco, and the netherlands; they are displayed in public museums across north America, and in private collec-tions throughout the world; they have been exhibited—usually to record-breaking crowds—at more than two dozen one-man shows, including one at Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian Institute. Among his numerous awards are 11 honorary doctorate degrees, the orders of Canada and British Columbia, and the Governor General Award for Conservation.
Born in toronto in 1930, he has five children, is a grandfather, and lives with his wife, Birgit Freybe Bateman, on Saltspring Island, British Columbia.
Study Nature. Love Nature. Stay close to Nature. It will never fail you.
FranK lloyd WriGht, ARChIteCt, WRIteR AnD eDUCAtoR
Robert Bateman Centre Royal Roads University
Architectural concept drawing by David BarkerA light snowfall covers the ground on a clear winter evening at Hatley Park. A warm, inviting glow emanates from the Robert Bateman Centre, welcoming visitors to a new exhibition and unveiling to mark the solstice.
What do we wish? To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means
to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.
terry temPest Williams, WRIteR, nAtURALISt AnD envIRonmentALISt
All programming offered through the Robert Bateman Centre at Royal Roads University will meet criteria harmonious with Robert Bateman’s
philosophy regarding the importance of natural and human heritage and the arts as an expression of our engagement with, and responsibilities to, the natural world. Among these criteria are the basic tenets of inter-connectedness, living systems, ecological literacy and the connection to the natural world that is facilitated through the art of Robert Bateman and his peers.
The Centre will create the necessary links with researchers at Royal Roads University and elsewhere to ensure we have, or can develop, the knowledge to model effective solutions to the problems we need to address. We will partner with those who have the skills, tools and networks to foster long term public commitment to conservation and positive environmental change and link collaboratively with other mission-aligned centres of excellence around north America and globally.
The Centre’s programming will:
> contribute to and enhance the learning of our learners
> generate and share widely new knowledge, create and confirm best practices and develop case studies and practical applications
> serve as a catalyst for program and research activ-ities throughout the university
> serve as a catalyst for the local and larger communities by providing leadership on critical issues and by increasing the university’s outreach
> open new paths for engagement with the larger community
> make stewardship of place and conservation of the university’s natural environment a priority
Programming initiatives for the Robert Bateman Centre will be focused on the following components:
> community engagement projects/initiatives > research options/agenda > education programming/options > executive education > children/youth education > hands-on immersive environmental opportunities
program plan for the Robert Bateman Centre at Royal Roads University
Activity / initiAtive ProgrAm comPonent
Development of a peer-reviewed online journal showcasing:
> best practices in sustainable development
> social agency
> social change
> impact on policy/legislation development/ change
> new and emerging research
> Community engagement
> Research opportunities
> Education programming/options (journal articles
to become course readings)
Green building design, development and production;
a round table/forum with a panel including:
> successful ‘green’ developers
> researchers
> construction trades
> municipal and provincial government representatives
> architects/architectural designers
> politicians
> environmental groups
The round table/forum would focus on, among other topics:
> best practices
> new techniques
> measuring and tracking emissions
> providing the opportunity to discuss issues around
policies, bylaws, costs, complexities, etc., that result
in barriers to creating living/green buildings
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Education programming/options
> Executive education
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
Development of an accreditation program for developers
and builders in the application of sustainable techniques
> Research opportunities
> Education programming/options
> Executive education
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
Impact of the informal learning environment of the Centre
itself on the creation of an ’ecology of intention’
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Education programming/options
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
Sustainability
Activity / initiAtive ProgrAm comPonent
Executive round tables, as well as sessions open to the
general public, with leading organizations/individuals
looking at energy opportunities/options with government
officials/policy makers, researchers in these areas and
potential funders, ensuring a multiplicity of views
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities (faculty and students)
> Education programming/options (case studies, results,
issues, etc. to be incorporated into the curriculum)
> Executive education opportunities
Development of customized education/training programs
for leadership in the environment, energy and sustainable
business sectors (short term and long term)
> Research opportunities (related to the effectiveness
of the programs)
> Education programming/options
> Executive education
program planning is underway in the following areas:
Activity / initiAtive ProgrAm comPonent
Best practices/links to/with the implementation
of the university’s Sustainability Plan
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Education programming/options
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
Research undertaken on the Robert Bateman Centre
site, including:
> plant and species identification in the area
> pollen samples prior to wetlands reclamation
and regeneration
> best practices and effectiveness of the wetlands
reclamation and regeneration project
> archeological research on the site as an historic
First Nations gathering place
> soil/air toxicology and ongoing monitoring
> Research opportunities
> Education programming/options
> Children/youth education
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
Effectiveness of the Robert Bateman Centre programs
on getting children and youth into the environment
and ‘out-of-doors’, and the impact on larger social change
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Education programming/options
> Children/youth education
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
Research into ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ and its impact
and implications for the environment, for community
development/planning, and in turn, sustainability
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Education programming/options
> Children/youth education
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
A round table/forum with leading educators, curriculum
developers, researchers, etc., to look at ways to integrate
nature into the school curriculum
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Executive education
> Education programming/options
> Children/youth education
Sessions for school children to experience nature at the
Robert Bateman Centre and the grounds of Royal Roads
University / Hatley Park
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Education programming/options
> Children/youth education
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
Research to determine whether integrating nature into
the school curriculum contributes to lasting social change,
and if so, how this occurs
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Education programming/options
> Children/youth education
Activity / initiAtive ProgrAm comPonent
Development of the Child
and Nature Alliance
> Providing support, toolkits and networking for agencies and organizations
across Canada that support children and families getting outside, into nature
> Networking and collaborating with Children and Nature Network in USA
> Provide toolkits, resources to teachers, researchers, and non-formal educators
across Canada
> Celebrate Best-Practices of outdoor and health education in Canada
> Be seen as the go-to place for environmental and outdoor education initiatives
across Canada
Child and Nature Alliance
Children and families will experience un-structured play through outdoor programming on the diverse Royal Roads University/hatley park site
and the engaging, highly interactive youth-based areas of the Centre. Additionally, the Robert Bateman Centre
will be a centre of research on how to build strong and lasting connections between children, their families and the natural world, and also on how outdoor play can positively affect children’s cognitive, social, and physical development.
the Robert Bateman Centre is building a rela-tionship with the Child and nature Alliance, a society that focuses on improving the health
and well-being of children, youth and families through fostering a strong connection with nature. The Alliance, formally launched in march 2009, is a virtual network connecting programs that encourage children, youth
and families to play outdoors. It collaborates with the Children and nature network in the United States, an organization that was catalyzed by Richard Louv’s book, The Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. The Alliance supports groups, schools, teachers, youth and families by encouraging them to take part in activities and projects that get them outside.
Get outside! It’s in our nature
Activity / initiAtive ProgrAm comPonent
Forums/sessions with local communities regarding foods
and food issues for Vancouver Island:
> local growers
> restaurateurs
> policy makers/government officials
> researchers
> Centre for Non-Timber Resources (CNTR)
The goal is to develop a plan for the island, to identify
and discuss issues/barriers/opportunities
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Executive education
> Education programming/options
> Children/youth education
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
Development of programs (short term, certificate, degree
programs) in sustainable heritage gardening/agronomy
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Education programming/options
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
Exploration of the use of the campus for food production
(including community gardens, etc.)
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Children/youth education
> Hands-on immersive opportunities
Research projects exploring the impact of local food
production/consumption on urban planning and design,
agency, etc.
> Community engagement projects/initiatives
> Research opportunities
> Executive education
> Education programming/options
Food Sustainability and Vancouver Island
the results and progress of all programming activities will be showcased as part of the Robert Bateman Centre through exhibits, presentations,
a dynamic interactive online presence, access to data and copies of publications and presentations.
The Centre will serve as a resource for the inclusion of sustainability and sustainability concepts in all Royal Roads University courses and programs.
Along with the research undertaken to develop best practices, new ideas and strategies, the incorporation of these ideals into the Royal Roads University curriculum will provide students with the tools and skills they need to change their environment, influence policy in their communities and workplaces, produce lasting changes in their daily lives and habits, and grow into strong and effective leaders for future generations.
Activity / initiAtive ProgrAm comPonent
Research Nature Deficit Disorder,
ecological literacy, environmental
education experiences, technology
and outdoor experiences and health
and outdoor education
> Collaborate with educators, researchers and experts in these fields
> Provide best practices for environmental sustainability education research through
integration with Environmental Education Journals across North America
> provide cognitive and psychological research in immersive
educational experiences
> Close collaboration with Children and Nature Network
and Child and Nature Alliance
Building integration among formal
and non-formal education sectors
and supporting active and outdoor
learning experiences within all forms
of education
> Work closely with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Healthy Living
and Sport, and Ministry of Environment for policy and regulation support
for nature education
> Map relationships among government agencies for opportunities to influence
children, youth and families to get outside, into nature
> Map Integrated Resource Packages and Prescribed Learning Outcomes
for outdoor and health education
Round table with youth/educators/
researchers/curriculum developers,
to look at ways to integrate strategies
into the curriculum and into society.
Include school boards, school
personnel, teachers
> Enable a Canadian Speaker’s Bureau across Canada
> Enable a space for youth and adults to dialogue about critical
educational elements
> Use generative facilitation techniques for integration into Bateman Centre
activities – such as environmental art and creativity education
> Coordinate a Natural Leaders youth coalition across Canada – where hundreds
of active youth help support outdoor experiences
Immersive educational experiences
for schools, children, youth and
families at the Robert Bateman
Centre wetland, and RRU/Hatley Park
grounds to learn about nature, being
outside, and creativity
> Integrate with local school districts, and most importantly, support existing
outdoor education programs (e.g. School Districts in CRD and Island)
> Provide a space that is adaptable, functional, and multi-season-oriented
for schools, youth and families, with Bateman Centre staff, RRU students
> Host forums such as the Get Outside! Forum for educational practitioners
> Host a youth forum
A longitudinal research initiative
on sustainable education following
the progress of this topic and
determining the degree of measurable
social change
> Engage with other educators and researchers in the study of environmental
education and its impacts
> Provide RRU with a chance to increase its published resources including books
and peer-reviewed journal articles
Robert Bateman Centre Mission StatementThe Robert Bateman Centre at Royal Roads University is inspired by his life-long passion as an educator and artist, and commitment to the environment. Presenting Robert Bateman’s art as a living legacy, the centre is a nexus for creativity, communications, discovery, active learning and research, and for motivating positive global change in our dynamic relationships within the natural world.
Cover: Lone Raven, 2001; acrylic on canvas
Architectural Concept drawings by David Barker
Visitor Experience Concept drawings by Reynold Knowlton
Coast Salish designs by Charlene George ~ kQWA’ST’NOT
AnCient Song
Ancient Grandma returns with memories of songs and teachings. Combine old with new, put the Creator in all actions, respect every Being, have eyes open. Raven is her speaker, her hand open with many gifts. Be thankful, self-reflect, find joy and reflect outward.
Concept, design, art direction by Gary McCartie
Text by Bruce Obee
Production design by Media Technologies – Royal Roads University
Photos courtesy of: Robert and Birgit Bateman Media Technologies – RRU Derek Masselink P. Ag. Gary McCartie Bruce Obee Jonathan Losee
© 2009
100% recycled post-consumer paper