Sue Hayduk – RRC’s Sustainability Coordinator

This week, Red River College held a little hallway shindig to participate in Fair Trade Campus Week 2014. This event is an opportunity to raise awareness about the Fair Trade movement and eat way too much Fairtrade-certified Camino chocolate. (Eating Fairtrade chocolate supports an important social movement, therefore I should eat lots of chocolate, right?)

Fair Trade Manitoba was on hand to educate our students (many of whom were just hearing about Fair trade for the first time).

The lovely ladies from RRC’s Bookstore set up a table to show off all the Fair trade and ethically-sourced items they sell – dresses, scarves, jewelry and more. Take a trip to one of the Bookstores to check it out!

They told me the story behind these beautiful made-to-order bracelets from a company called Wakami – a social enterprise from Guatemala that connects artisans from remote villages with urban markets around the world. Read More →

Just a few of our sustainable commuters from Roblin Centre.

Red River College has a long history of success in the Commuter Challenge competition. For the 4th year in a row, the College has earned a 2nd place finish for our workplace category. This impressive result comes from the enthusiasm and participation from staff across all of our campuses.  A total of 186 staff actively commuted  during the week and we had great attendance at our many Commuter Challenge events. You can review Winnipeg’s workplace results here. Read More →

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

In this month’s Sustainability Speaker Series we learned about why water matters, and that there are complex social, economic and environmental issues that surround water and its use. Read More →

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 →

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 →

In 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 →

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 →

Thanks 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 →

Last week, Karl, Brittnay, Reynaldo and Dave got a big surprise when they were caught RECYCLING at our Notre Dame and Exchange District Centre campuses!  The cast and crew from Recycle Everywhere team leaped out to cheer and celebrate our recyclers, and if that wasn’t enough they also walked away with a bike from Woodcock Cycle or a North Face jacket. Not bad for simply putting your empty beverage container in the recycling bin!

Read More →