Sustainability

Staff

RRC marks Bottled Water Free Day

March 18, 2014

Bottled Water Free Day is a nation-wide event that raises awareness about the issues and impacts of bottled water. March 19, 2014 marks the 4th year that Red River College is participating in the event.

Over the past two years, we’ve spent more than $70,000 to retrofit campus water fountains to chilled, re-usable bottle fill stations. We encourage students and staff to “ditch the Dasani” and say “no to Nestle” and quench their thirst at one of the fountains scattered throughout our campuses. Sales of bottled water on campus have declined by 7% since we undertook these retrofits. But after Coke, bottled water is still the second most consumed cold beverage on campus.

Effecting behavior change starts with information. So here are some reasons for you to consider going “back to the tap”. Read More →

Get spotted using your EcoMug and WIN!

March 3, 2014

1 blog post

You may have noticed some new posters around campus reminding us that only 7% of staff and students use a reusable mug, and we continue to create a mountain of disposable cup waste at Red River College. You may have also noticed that the Sustainability Office has been busy trying to turn that around and increase the use of EcoMugs on campus. For example, last October we sold more than 700 EcoMugs to staff and students! We also started a “Mug Shot” campaign that caught over 600 staff and students lugging mugs and we rewarded them with a chance to win FREE coffee! Read More →

RRC staff and students learn about Fairtrade

February 26, 2014

new blog photoIn our first Sustainability Speaker Series of 2014, we were joined by 2 fantastic speakers telling us about the many merits of Fairtrade.

“I think that we need to change how we “do business” rather than keep people impoverished and hand them aid – I’m excited about fair trade as it is a positive, practical response to sustainability issues – it’s fun, it’s growing and being accepted,” Zack Gross. Read More →

2014 Sustainability Speaker Series: You voted – and here are your top 10!

February 3, 2014

blog photoThanks to our extraordinary respondents who completed our online survey and had their say in designing the 2014 Sustainability Speaker Series! Now in its second year, the series continues the dialogue on campus sustainability and educates Red River College students and staff on topics of interest.

This survey told us that you were interested or very interested in our proposed topics. You also gave us a few new ones to consider. Read More →

The EcoPass Edition

January 7, 2014

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 →

Spotted on Campus – EcoMugs, lots and lots of them

October 28, 2013

Waste Reduction Week Lug-A-Mug 2013

Last week we asked staff and students to lug their mugs for Waste Reduction Week. We spotted more than 600 people on campus toting a reusable mug and sold another 720 EcoMugs to those who typically savour their Double-double with a disposable cups.

We have a lot of campus sustainability accomplishments to celebrate, but EcoMug use isn’t one of them (she writes with pangs of shame). Our current EcoMugs use on campus is 7%. 7%!! Back in 2009, we hovered around 30%. What’s changed? We ask ourselves. Read More →

Waste Reduction Week – Events not to be wasted

October 21, 2013

Waste Reduction Week 2013

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 →

Bags, bins and elbow grease

October 10, 2013

Sustainability at WorkIt takes a whole lot of bags, bins and elbow grease to run Red River College’s recycling program. By the numbers it’s:

  • 25,000 bags annually
  • 450 bins of various shapes and sizes across our campuses
  • 17-member Recycling Team

I like to call it Sustainability at Work – the active, team effort needed to get all of our recycling out of the bins and out the door. Our Recycling Team is divided across 3 campuses, the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, Roblin Centre and Notre Dame Campus. The team is responsible for the day-to-day operations of collecting and sorting, cleaning and preparing our cardboard, bottles, plastics, paper, cans and food waste for recycling and composting.  Thanks to them, we recycle 963 kg of bottles and cans, 1796 kg of paper, 3070 kg of cardboard and compost 5425 kg of food waste every month. That’s enough to fill 187 residential recycling bins every month!

This isn’t everything we divert from the landfill, but represents a sizable chunk of what we recycle on a daily basis, and provides a good snapshot of the sizable efforts our Recycling Team. So keep the recycling coming, and next time you see a member of the Recycling Team, tell them what a good job they’re doing. 🙂

RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anishininwak, Dakota Oyate, and Denésuline, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.