Sustainability

News and Events

A Conversation on Legislation (it’s more interesting than it sounds – promise)

February 25, 2013

Last year the Province of Manitoba launched TomorrowNow – Manitoba’s Green Plan. This eight-year strategic plan sets out how the Province will advance the social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainability.

The Province is also developing new legislation to support the plan and replace the existing Sustainable Development Act. Tentatively titled the Green Prosperity Act, the new Act will define government’s goals and link all current and future activities and legislation related to environmental sustainability. Read More →

Compost Collection at PGI – the maiden voyage

January 22, 2013

A few months ago, before the snow was flying and the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute was open for business, I posted about our compost conundrum – how was RRC going to handle food waste at our new building?

After lots of input (thanks in particular to Jean Mark and Howard 🙂 ), research and number crunching, we’ve decided to contract our compost collection to Samborski Environmental. This means that all food waste – from food scraps during kitchen prep, to the leftovers on your plate can be collected in food waste bins and sent to be composted.

This first collection diverted 628 pounds from the landfill. Not too shabby! Stay tuned for more updates on composting at PGI in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

Thanks for Supporting Green Chili!

November 21, 2012

Bettina Allen – brought her own bowl and won!

Last week the Sustainability Office asked people to bring their own bowl and spoon to RRC’s Chili Cup. We did this to encourage participation in a waste-free event. To add an extra incentive, participants who brought their own bowl and spoon were entered to win a $25 gift certificate to Prairie Lights.

Most people liked the idea of “bringing their own” and rose to meet that challenge.  I saw a variety of creative “bowl” ideas – everything from coffee cups, Tupperware containers, candy dishes – whatever they could find! This was the case with our draw winner, Bettina Allen from our Library. Read More →

Greening events at RRC

November 9, 2012

If you are planning an event – MAKE IT GREEN

Greening an event means taking steps to minimize your environmental impact. Start by looking at your event as a whole, break down each activity and use the 4 R’s – Rethink Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Planning and executing a green event is an easy way to adopt the practice of sustainability; not only will you reduce your impact on the environment, but you typically will reduce costs and set a leading example for others to follow.

An event can be large or small, a small event might be a coffee meeting where you ask everyone to bring a reusable mug, or you ask your caterer for glassware instead of plastic plates and cups for a lunch meeting or workshop. When planning a large event consider things like, electronic invitations, using local growers and organic food, encouraging guests to carpool or take transit. These are just a few ideas – the options are endless.

One large event we are helping to green on campus is the annual Chili Cup. Working with the Wellness Committee, the Office of Sustainability put forward these recommendations to reduce waste: Read More →

Paterson GlobalFoods Institute – take a sneak peek

October 31, 2012

In a few short months, the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute (PGI) will open its doors to the public. One-hundred and nine years ago, back in the days of horse and buggy, the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute (formerly the Union Bank building) was western Canada’s first skyscraper. Today, it will be a state-of-the-art training facility and the College’s first student residence.

To meet the College’s commitment to sustainability, PGI is being built to achieve LEED certification.  Check out this video to see how PGI is reducing energy and conserving resources.

Whenever possible, the building’s original materials were retained and restored. The exterior facade, window frames, marble and hard wood floors and plaster walls are all more than 100 years old. Reusing these materials preserves a piece of history and reduces the environmental impacts from extracting, manufacturing and installing new materials.

Prior to renovations.

Student Residence

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cyclists will be will be happy to see that PGI has 35 secure, indoor bike racks.

A sustainable building is a lot more than how it’s constructed. We’re working hard to put programs and good practices in place to ensure PGI operates as sustainably as possible.

Some items in our PGI + Sustainability To Do list include:

– Implementing a post-consumer compost program

– Creating a “Green Residence Guide” to give our residents tools to reduce their impacts

– Developing a green building tour to showcase the building’s sustainable features.

See you at PGI!

Meet RRC’s new Sustainability Coordinator – Sue Hayduk

October 19, 2012

Hi I am Sue Hayduk, and I’m excited to be working in RRC’s Sustainability Office.

Somehow – I think – sustainability has always been inherent to me. My mom was frugal and “reuse and recycle” were part of our everyday household; my dad was an avid outdoorsman and I grew up knowing the value of healthy land, clean air and clean water; and I grew up in Winnipeg’s North End, a mix of people, cultures, languages, foods and traditions, a vibrant reminder of my roots and where I chose to live today. So this is where it all started for me this path of being where I am now as Sustainability Coordinator. Read More →

The Compost Conundrum

October 3, 2012

What keeps a Sustainability Officer up at night? The thought of eggshells, food scraps and coffee grounds ending up in the landfill.

As many of you know, RRC is slated to open the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute (PGI) in January, 2013. Located in the historic Exchange District, this architectural marvel will deliver the College’s Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism Management Programs. This means that students and staff working and schooling downtown will soon be able to dine on culinary delights and purchase warm breads and mouth-watering baking — my personal faves are the peanut butter brownies. On top of these programs (literally), floors 4 – 10 will house the College’s first student residence.

While this project is exciting for many reasons, putting a culinary school, three restaurants and a 100-bed student residence is a downtown setting can pose some operational challenges. This brings me to my initial question of why I’m tossing and turning over organics instead of counting sheep. Read More →

RRC instructors investigate sustainable drug testing

September 14, 2012

 

Curtis Aab & Michael Judge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the past year, RRC Instructors Michael Judge (Chemical & Biosciences Technology) and Curtis Aab (Pharmaceutical Manufacturing) spent their spare time investigating how to reduce the negative environmental impacts of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

[**Author’s disclaimer – The last time I thought about chemical compounds was in Mr. Valentin’s grade 11 chemistry class, so for you White Coats out there, please excuse the elementariness of these scientific descriptions.] Read More →

RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininew, Dakota, and Dené, 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.

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