Waste Reduction Week happens the third week in October each year.  It’s your chance to join hundreds of Canadian’s across the country taking steps to cut waste and improve the environment.

At Red River College we tackle waste reduction every day!  In fact, we collect and recycle over 9 tonnes of paper, food and beverage containers and cardboard each month.  We can also proudly say that our College’s diversion rate is over 50%.  This is a huge accomplishment considering that Winnipeg’s residential diversion rate is about 28%.

During Waste Reduction Week, we want to encourage you to take action, rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle this week and every week on campus!

Here’s 3 ways you can participate: Read More →

For years the dedicated staff in the Pavement & Grounds department have worked tirelessly to make the Notre Dame Campus grounds a beautiful space for students and staff to enjoy.

Over the years, as health and environmental concerns around the use of conventional pesticides have increased, the College has taken steps to dramatically reduce the use of conventional pesticides on campus. Now, just in time for the 2014 growing season, we are happy to let students and staff know that the Notre Dame Campus is entirely eliminating the use of conventional pesticides! Read More →

Red River College is pleased to be holding our 4th annual State of Sustainability. Read More →

The Students’ Association is throwing the question out there – Should Red River College students adopt a U-Pass program?

A U-Pass is a Universal Bus Pass that would give RRC students unlimited access to transit throughout the school year at a deeply discounted rate. U-Pass programs involve mandatory participation, making it similar to the Students’ Association Health and Dental benefits program. While some individuals may benefit more directly than others, U-Passes work by benefitting the student group as a whole.

Why would I want a Red River College U-Pass?

Here are 8 reasons why the U-Pass program might work for you. Read More →

For two years Red River College has offered the EcoPass — a 60% subsidized monthly transit pass — to employees who work at one of our downtown buildings. Negotiated as part of the Collective Agreement, the purpose of the program is to provide a benefit to our downtown employees in light of higher parking rates and more frequent and accessible bus service in Winnipeg’s downtown.

We’ve crunched the numbers on the Ins and Outs of this program and discovered some interesting tidbits to share with you, our sustainably-minded readers. 🙂 Read More →

During Waste Reduction Week we successfully caught hundreds of students reducing, reusing and recycling. Special thanks to RRC Food Services and Aramark, College Relations, Steve Coates and the Recycling Team for helping make this event such a success! Read More →

From October 21 – 27, Red River College will join hundreds of schools, businesses, non-profit groups, municipalities and Canadian households by participating in Waste Reduction Week.

Throughout the week, the Sustainability Office has planned a bunch of events to engage, inform and promote waste reduction and recycling on campus. Come out to one event or join them all – just don’t waste these great opportunities! Read More →

The Sustainability Office (Sue & Sara) celebrates Red Goes Green with a red velvet cupcake.

Happy 1st Birthday Red Goes Green,

You were conceived several years ago. And one year ago today you were finally brought to life.

You were created as a one-stop-site for all of Red River College’s sustainability happenings, events and news to help meet the College’s strategic action of increasing sustainability awareness among students and staff. Between events, speakers, policies and programs, you are one the many tools the Sustainability Office is using to promote sustainability and effect change. Read More →

Gord McLeod shows off the budding bounty! Red River College is pleased to be participating for the first time in Winnipeg Harvest’s Grow a Row Project.

Grow-A-Row’s roots date back to 1986 when Winnipeggers Ron and Eunice O’Donovan produced more potatoes in their backyard garden than they could consume. Their vegetables were so well received by Winnipeg Harvest the O’Donovans encouraged friends and neighbours to donate their surplus produce too. Since then Grow-A-Row has yielded millions of pounds of fresh fruit and veggies.

At the College, the project is being led by Gord McLeod and his Pavement & Grounds team. In between weed-whacking, mowing and their other regular duties, Sandhu, Brady, Rob, Ron and student employees take time out of their day to tend to the garden. Read More →

Sue Hayduk – RRC Polytech Sustainability Coordinator

Hi everyone. Last week I confessed that I had never commuted to work by bike. I’m pleased to let you know that I succeeded in my commuter challenge and biked to work!  I found that once I got on my bike and started riding, any fear I had at the outset melted away. I prepared by using the City of Winnipeg’s 2013 Cycling Map to plan my bike route and took note of the bike lanes or wider roadways on my drive home. What really made the difference was mapping my route on Google Maps using the bike filter. I was surprised to see that the commute was only 9 km. I thought, “I can do that”, and, well, I did!  The savings to the environment were also significant. I saved 1 litre of fuel and avoided 1.87 kg of CO2 from going into the atmosphere! Read More →