As the new school year starts many are coming to RRC for the first time, and many are returning after a long time away. So, to help your transition, here’s a roundup of what you need to know about being sustainable on campus.

Getting to Campus Sustainably

If you are coming to campus, there are many options for traveling sustainably and the College is working actively to support you in choosing those options.  Below are some tips to help you plan your transit or bike trip to campus.

Taking Transit to Campus

Check the real-time status of your bus at one of four Transit Screens.

Many Transit routes conveniently service our Winnipeg Campuses. Here are some tips to help you plan your trip:

• Transit has a handy trip planning tool called Navigo. Simply enter your information and it will provide multiple options. Tip: If you don’t know the address of your campus, type in “Red River College” and a list of campuses will pop up for you to select from.
• You can use one of many park-and-ride locations across the City if Transit isn’t an option for your complete commute.
• If you have accessibility barriers to using the City’s fixed route transit system, Winnipeg Transit Plus offers door-to-door transportation.
• On campus and wondering when your next bus will arrive? Look for one of our Real-Time Transit Screens – stay warm and dry inside while you check the real-time status of your next bus.
• Did you know that RRC Students and Staff are eligible for reduced rates on some Winnipeg Transit passes?
• Please make sure to review Winnipeg Transit’s COVID-19 protocols before planning your trip

Cycling to Campus

Considering riding your bike to campus? Here are some tools to support you:

Trip Planning:

• Google Maps allows you to plan your trip by bike and also has a “Biking” layer to check which routes are most bike friendly.
• The City of Winnipeg Bike Map outlines cycling routes and the Pedestrian and Cycling Proposed Network to help you plan your trip. Pick up a copy at Security at both the Notre Dame Campus and the Exchange District Campus.
• Still not sure about riding your bike to campus? Contact us! We’ll be happy to help you plan your route and we can even help set you up with a bike buddy!

Bike Maintenance and Security:

• 

  Rent a bike locker at NDC for free at the Campus Store.

  If you’re using a conveniently located bike rack at one of our campuses, be sure to use a U-Lock and follow these tips to dramatically increase the security of your bike.

• Traveling to the Exchange District Campus and looking for added security? There are 35 indoor bike parking stalls in the card-swipe secured bike room in the basement of PGI. Staff and students can get access for free (but you need to provide your own lock). You will need your Staff/Student ID Card to access the room.
  • NOTE: The New Innovation Centre will also feature a bike parking room with 16 bike parking stalls, including fat bike friendly stalls. Stay tuned for information on how to access this room coming soon!
• The Notre Dame Campus has 34 bike lockers to offer extra security and protection from the elements for your bike, bag and helmet. These lockers are free to use (subject to availability) although there is a refundable key deposit. To sign up for a bike locker, visit the NDC Campus Store.
• If you need to perform some minor maintenance on your bike before heading home, we have repair stations available at both the Notre Dame Campus and the Roblin Centre. These stations have a stand to hold your bike and some commonly used tools.

Working Towards a Zero Waste Campus

We’ve got a variety of programs to divert materials from the landfill and give them another useful life. But, we can’t do it without you! Here are some ways you can help us in our work towards becoming a Zero Waste Campus:

Waste, Recycling and Compost

Our “Pitch In” signs help you find out which bin your waste goes in.

Garbage and Recycling bins are conveniently located in central locations around campus. Our program consists of three bins: two for recycling (paper and containers) and one for garbage. Large “Pitch In” signs above many of these trios will help you figure out where to put something if you’re not sure.

At the Notre Dame Campus, pre-consumer organic waste is collected from kitchens and taken to our on-site compost pile which is managed by our Grounds crew. At PGI, both pre-consumer organic waste collected from kitchens and culinary labs and post-consumer organic waste (your unfinished lunch for example) collected in the Annex are transported to a commercial composting facility.

Other Recycling Programs

ReBins are located at the Notre Dame Campus (by the Campus Store and in the Library) and the Roblin Centre (in the Atrium outside the Campus Store). These bins collect markers, pens, and pencils for recycling; plastic bags for reuse; and batteries for recycling.

Give used markers and pens, batteries and plastic bags new life by placing them in one of our ReBins.

While many of us choose to use reusable masks, we know disposable masks are still used, either through preference or necessity. We’ve set up three disposable mask recycling boxes at the Notre Dame Campus: in the South Parking Lot, by Commissionaires Booth; outside the STTC building main entrance; and at the north entrance of Building J. The boxes accept all non-woven, disposable, plastic-based masks including 3-ply surgical, dust masks, KN95, and N95 masks. Paper or cloth masks or anything else isn’t allowed in the bin.

Find out more about our integrated waste and recycling program.

Water

Fill up your reusable water bottle at one of our many bottle fill stations

There are more than 50 water bottle filling stations located in convenient locations around most of our campuses. Save money and the environment this year by filling your reusable water bottle with cold, filtered water at one of these stations.

Connect With Us

Our Sustainability Team holds many events throughout the year (virtually for now, but hopefully in person again soon!). To keep up to date with our latest news, get involved with us, or learn more about how to make your campus life more sustainable: find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and subscribe to our blog.

The last days of autumn fell quickly and just before the snow landed, ACC baking students joined our Grounds Department to assist with this year’s Grow-A-Row harvest. Led by Grounds Gardener Shivcharan Sandhu, the team broke the RRC record with 4,270lbs of carrots, beets, onions, pumpkins and potatoes. Read More →

RRC is celebrating Waste Reduction Week from Monday October 22^nd to Friday October 26^th to engage and raise awareness on how much waste we as individuals create, and the easy changes we can make to reduce this. This is also an opportunity to celebrate the changes we have made, and the impacts both of these can make on the health of our planet environmentally, socially and economically.

Read More →

At Red River College, we’re growing more than innovative minds. Throughout the spring, summer and fall, the College’s Grounds department went above and beyond their regular responsibilities to maintain a vegetable garden at our Notre Dame Campus. On this 30’ X 60’ plot of land, we grew a variety of vegetables to donate to Winnipeg Harvest in support of the corporate Grow-A-Row initiative – a program that’s collected more than 4 million pounds of produce since its inception in 1986.

Last week we assembled an enthusiastic crew of students and staff (including our Prez, Paul Vogt) to join the Grounds department in the harvest. Once all the digging, trimming, scrubbing and boxing was complete, we were thrilled to donate a whopping 3,100 lbs of carrots, beets, onions potatoes to Harvest, with a portion going straight to the RRC Students’ Association food bank. Click here to see the full gallery of the 2018 Grow-A-Row Harvest.

Read More →

Brady Barron (left)

Congratulations to Brady Barron for receiving this year’s BRAVO Award for Sustainability Leadership. This award is a recognition of his dedication, innovation and commitment to sustainability here at RRC.

Brady has been a valued part of the College community for nearly 10 years, first as a graduate of the Greenspace Management Program (2012) and then as a Groundskeeper at the Notre Dame Campus. Brady’s up at the crack of dawn tending to the College’s grounds and parking lots in rain, sleet and snow. Throughout his work, Brady maintains a keen eye for sustainability, often going above and beyond. Read More →

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.

This year we are tackling food waste and disposable packaging! 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 a few ways to participate: Read More →

Are you wondering what can be recycled on campus, what to do with old office equipment or where your shredding or battery bins are located?

Visit RRC’s NEW Sustainability SHARE site and you will find those answers and much more. You can also save the NEW Recycling 101 card to your desktop for easy reference!

View our site and complete our SHARE Site Search Quiz between May 11-31 you will be entered to win a Camelbak water bottle, value $25.

Last week was Waste Reduction Week and Canadian’s across the country took steps to cut waste and improve the environment.  At Red River College we reduce waste every day, about 9 tonnes every month, but even we lost a few “extra pounds” this week.

During our fall e-waste round up, staff and students recycled more than 2.3 tonnes of electronic waste. Everything from home computers, printers, microwaves and overhead projectors were responsibly recycled.

Read More →

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 →

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 →