RRC Polytech is an anchor tenant on the list of Canada’s Greenest Employers, which is compiled annually by Mediacorp Inc. and unveiled each Earth Day. This year marks the 12^th consecutive time the College has earned this distinction. It’s an enviable streak made possible by a campus community committed to environmental awareness, and the ongoing expansion of programs and practices that enhances sustainability.

“We’re proud of how universal the commitment to sustainability is at RRC Polytech,” says Maria Mendes, Director, Environmental Stewardship and Campus Renewal. “Earth Day is a perfect occasion to celebrate the steps we’ve taken together toward greater sustainability. It’s also a time for us to reflect on how we will enhance these efforts in the years to come.”

In addition to recognizing RRC Polytech’s environmentally friendly policies and programs, the award also honours the opening of Manitoba a bi Bii daziigae – a significant new expression of sustainable design.

The new facility expands the green footprint of RRC Polytech’s Exchange District Campus. Its state-of-the-art design includes Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) along its exterior that use Kromatix glass panels to allow monocrystine solar cells to absorb and conduct energy while also protecting the building from the elements. This installation is the first of its kind in Canada and will reduce energy consumption by an estimated 15 to 20% per cent.

Elevators in the facility use regenerative braking to capture energy, which helps to partially power the building along with other energy efficient technologies, including Power Over Ethernet lighting, Smart LSI Breakers, Wi-Fi outlets and roof top solar panels. Rainwater is also collected in cisterns and reused. The 100,000 square-foot space houses meeting spaces such as a 200-person capacity roundhouse, classrooms, and testing rooms for the College’s Language Training Centre and ACE (Applied Computer Education) Project Space.

With a goal of 100 energy use intensity and a near net zero efficiency, Manitou a bi Bii daziigae is on track to become RRC Polytech’s fourth LEED-certified building, joining the Gold-certified Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, that features a heat recapture system to recycle cooking heat generated in culinary arts labs and kitchens; the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre that features the first modular tray green roof in Manitoba; and the Vehicle Technology and Energy Centre, which uses passive solar systems to pre-heat indoor air. The Roblin Centre, which features one of the first BIPV systems in Canada is BOMA Best certified.

“Manitou a bi Bii daziigae proves that we can incorporate alternative energy sources, promote sustainability, and honour Indigenous culture and traditions in the design of leading-edge learning environments,” says Mendes. “We continue to shape a better tomorrow, when we think and act differently today.”

Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, the College’s Sustainability Team engaged staff and students in fun and creative ways and kept them connected to sustainability, from afar. This included blog posts and social media offering tips on “Maximizing Summer and Minimizing Waste” for a Plastic Free July; inviting participation in a Commuter Challenge and Grow-A-Row from home; and virtual support of the maker community at RRC Polytech whose holiday shopping fare couldn’t be sold in person at our annual market due to the lockdown.

“Our team works across administrative and academic areas to implement, coordinate, support, and celebrate sustainability programs and initiatives,” says Whitney Crooks, RRC Polytech’s Sustainability Specialist. “Sustainability is a journey with no final destination. It’s about continuously adapting resource use for maximum efficiency and minimal environmental impact. And we’ve been successful because we have a campus and community partners who are completely on board with this mission.”

RRC Polytech recently added a Zero Waste Coordinator position to its Sustainability Team to help orchestrate changes in campus waste streams. Amanda Wolfe focuses on waste reduction, reuse, and continuous improvement of current College programs such as composting and recycling. Through these efforts, the College will divert materials such as e-waste, plastic bags, batteries, writing utensils, and mattresses from the landfill and give them another useful life.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the College partnered with Terracycle to address concerns about the environmental impact of disposable masks. RRC Polytech was the first public institution in Manitoba to set up a disposable mask recycling program at its Notre Dame Campus in February 2021. All faculty, staff and students can conveniently place their used disposable masks – including three-ply surgical, dust masks, and KN95/N95 masks in boxes scattered throughout high traffic areas.

These masks are then trucked to a facility in New Jersey where they are disassembled and sorted and reused in a variety of new applications, for example: metal nose pieces becoming bar stock and metal sheeting or polypropylene mask components becoming composite decking.

Building on the program’s success, the disposable mask recycling program now operates at the Exchange District Campus.  An estimated 44,000 masks have already been shipped off to be recycled.

Some other reasons RRC Polytech stands out as a Greenest Employer:

• Our sustainable transportation plan, which offers employees telecommuting flexibility while increasing electric vehicle charging stations and cycling infrastructure
• Drastically reduced printing and paper usage
• Doubling water bottle fill stations across campuses and removal of water coolers
• Creating a garden of pollen-and-nectar-producing plants for bees and other pollinators at our Notre Dame campus
• Weighing and tracking all materials leaving campus and using this data to continuously improve waste management programs
• Integrating workplace sustainability training into new employee orientation
• Giving surplus furniture new life by reusing it within the college, sending it to auction or donating it to charitable organizations
• Pumpkin and Christmas tree composting programs

Earth Day is a great opportunity to support the environment and represents an open invitation to everyone in our campus community to support each other in taking steps towards sustainability. Here are some ways you can participate in today’s celebration.

• Join our virtual presentation  State of Sustainability for highlights from the past year
• Enter our Show us your Sustainability! photo contest to win great prizes
• Take part in a Community Clean Up 
• Follow our Sustainability blog for more info and ideas