This was the most comprehensive survey on sustainability at the college in 10 years, with questions on sustainability culture (how people feel) and literacy (what people know).  The survey results are used to help inform our Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) report and develop programs and initiatives. 

Here are some highlights from the survey results.

Sustainability Culture

The culture of sustainability at the college is resoundingly positive.  Most staff and students said that environmental sustainability is important, they want to learn more about sustainability, and they consider social sustainability when making purchases.  This echoes the value of sustainability in the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.

Environmental Priorities

With sustainability as a value that guides us, there are many different areas we can focus our efforts.  Staff and students identified reducing / minimizing waste and other waste diversion programs as the most important environmental sustainability issue to address.  Waste reduction and diversion are some of the most visible sustainability programs at the college.  The second priority identified is to increase awareness and education, followed by support for sustainable transportation.  All three priorities help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainability Literacy

Understanding sustainability and its main concepts can help affect change. When asked to identify the three main components of sustainability, 41% of staff and 31% of students successfully identified economic, environmental and social, while 43% of staff and 52% of students selected reduce, reuse, recycle.

This is not surprising, given the effectiveness of the 3R messaging and the decrease in visibility and communication on sustainability during the pandemic.  Historically more staff answered this question successfully.  This year had the lowest successful response rate.  

For the other literacy questions, most staff and students could successfully define a life cycle analysis (89% / 68%); define the concept of Zero Waste (91% / 77%); and identify the food with the highest carbon footprint (81% / 67%).

Social Sustainability

Social sustainability is fundamentally interconnected with environmental sustainability.  We asked staff and students to identify examples of social sustainability.  Most staff (76%) and students (68%) identified truth and reconciliation, which could be connected to increased focus and education.  A much smaller number of staff (29%) and students (18%) identified accessible technology (using closed captioning in course materials).  For this question, all the answers are examples of social sustainability at the college.

The survey results showed that staff and students value sustainability and have a good understanding of the concepts.  The results provided us with feedback on what’s going well and where we can improve.  Thank you to everyone who completed the survey, your answers provide valuable input and help inform sustainability work at the college. 

Looking forward to being able to greet you at one of our Commuter Welcome Stations again one day!

The Commuter Challenge is over for another year and while we didn’t get to greet you all with cinnamon buns and coffee as you arrived at campus like we’d hoped, we still enjoyed connecting with you all virtually! This year the challenge ran from May 30 to June 5 and celebrated not just sustainable work commutes, but all of the active and sustainable ways we get around.

RRC has a history of high participation in this event and we’re excited to announce that the tradition continues with us being awarded GOLD in Workplace Category this year! Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make that happen!

Tune up that bike and get ready for the 2021 Commuter Challenge!

The Commuter Challenge is an annual event that encourages Canadians to green their commute by choosing (or continuing to choose) sustainable transportation. This year the challenge runs from May 30 to June 5 and we’re celebrating not just sustainable commuting but all of the sustainable and active ways we get around. So, on top of logging your sustainable commute to work (yes, telecommuting counts!), you can count your walk at lunch, your family bike ride around the neighbourhood, walking your dog (or cat), taking transit to get groceries – any and all ways you travel sustainably during the week.

The Commuter Challenge at RRC last year encouraged you to reconnect with your commute, this year we’re encouraging you to reconnect with each other. It’s been a long 14+ months for many of us away from the office, away from colleagues, away from students, and away from our friends and family. While we still can’t get together in person let’s challenge ourselves to find new ways to connect, to stay active and to have fun. See below for some ideas on how to reconnect during this year’s Commuter Challenge.

To participate REGISTER HERE, log your sustainable trips over the week, and be entered to win great prizes (more on that later).

Join as a team

One thing we learned from the Jack Frost Challenge this year is that teaming up makes things more fun and helps create connection. So, this year we are encouraging you to form a team with your RRC colleagues for the Commuter Challenge. You and your team can check in on each other, support each other, challenge each other, even have a friendly competition – and of course win prizes together!

Here’s How it Works:

• Form a team: A team can consist of 2 to 5 RRC Staff and Faculty Members (you do not have to be in the same department or even based at the same campus)
• Register as individuals: Each person on the team should register as an individual on the Commuter Challenge site (as part of the Red River College team)
• Send your team info to the RRC Sustainability Team: Fill in this form to send us your team name and the names of your team members
• Participate in the Commuter Challenge May 30-June 5: Challenge each other, inspire each other, cheer each other on all week
• Log your trips: Each team member should log their own sustainable trips throughout the week on the Commuter Challenge website. You don’t need to log your team’s kms, our Sustainability team will do that for you.
• Celebrate and Win: Celebrate all of your wins over the week and be entered to win a lot of great prizes – including one for the best RRC team (see below)!

Don’t feel like joining a team? No problem, you can still join the Commuter Challenge as an individual.

Inspire Others and Get Inspired by Others

Inspire Others: Do you have a favourite place to walk, roll or ride? Has your team found a fun way to get everyone moving? Are you an expert cyclist, runner, kayaker, etc? Have you recently tried something new? Do you have tips, tricks or just a great story to share with others about a sustainable way you get around? We want to share stories and tips from our College community on Instagram and in this blog to help inspire our College community to have a fun and successful week traveling sustainably. If you want to share your experience, please fill out this form.

Get Inspired: Are you tired of walking the same path everyday? Do you want to try something new but aren’t sure where to start? Follow us on Instagram and check back on this blog to read stories, tips and tricks from your colleagues to help get you going.

Prizes

As always, the Green Action Centre has lined up a lot of amazing prizes for Commuter Challenge participants this year. But to add a little more incentive, we are offering three great prizes to Red River College participants only:

• Top Traveler: The RRC participant who logs the most kms over the week
  • $50 Gift Certificate to Jardins St-Léon Gardens
• Lucky Winner: One RRC participant selected by random draw
  • $50 Gift Certificate to Le Marché Saint-Norbert Farmers’ Market
• Most Traveled Team: The RRC Team with the most average kms per participant
  • 2 x $25 Gift Certificate to Black Market Provisions
  • 2 x $25 Gift Certificates to Le Marché Saint-Norbert Farmers’ Market 
  • 1 x $25 Gift Certificates to Jardins St-Léon Gardens

Participants have to log at least one sustainable trip for the week to be eligible for prizes. The last day to enter KMs after the challenge is June 10th.

The sustainability team rode together for the last prize delivery to our final participant winner Jackie!

This year, 296 workplaces and 2,868 people registered for the Commuter Challenge across Manitoba. At RRC, 80 staff and faculty participated to collectively reduce 1661 kgs of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. All told, this earned us a Silver medal finish in our workplace category!

While reflecting on the College’s strong participation in the Commuter Challenge throughout the years, we found this year’s results to be particularly interesting. Compared to last year, our percentage of participants decreased by 15%, yet the emissions avoided per person increased by 30%. So while the 15-step commute from your bedroom to your home office might have been a little less stressful and a lot less time consuming, it also brought a per-person reduction in CO2 emissions.

Because of COVID-19, staff, faculty and students have transitioned to online working and learning and remarkable speed. We’ve all experienced many adjustments to our routine, including replacing our regular commute with telecommuting. Since March 16th, we’ve tracked and calculated the impact of emissions from kilometers not traveled for student and staff parking pass holders at NDC, Stevenson, Bannister and LTC. Collectively, we haven’t travelled 3,939,637km. This amounts to greenhouse gas emissions avoidance of 797,382kg of CO2. That’s like (not) driving around the world 94 times!

In a 2017 College survey, 15% of staff and faculty cited telecommuting as their preferred commute mode. Now that we’ve settled into our work-from-home routines for the last 3+ months, we can’t help but wonder if attitudes and beliefs around telecommuting have shifted and wonder what (and where) the future of College work will look like.

Thanks to everyone who took on the challenge! We hope to greet you with warm cinnamon buns and Fairtrade coffee at the kickoff of Commuter Challenge 2021!

Real Excited about Real-Time Transit Screens 

In a progressive step, Red River College has partnered with Winnipeg Transit and the Students’ Association to install real-time transit information screens across our campuses. These four screens, or passenger information kiosks, keep you ‘outta the dark’ (and out of the cold) while you wait for your bus. We know that transit is a primary commute mode for a large number of our students and staff and we’re excited that this technology will help improve the transit experience for so many.

Real-Time Screen at NDC.

Located at the College’s key transit arrival/ departure locations at the Notre Dame Campus and Exchange District Campus, the screens are updated every 60 seconds to let you know exactly when your bus is coming. The screens also display information on where to purchase bus passes and how to access RRC’s Safe Walk Program. With Safe Walk, security personnel can walk you to your bus stop and stay with you until your bus arrives.

Screen Locations and Routes

The routes displayed on the screens are those most commonly used by students and staff. Using ridership data gathered by the College and Students’ Association, a lot of careful consideration went into selecting which routes to display, since the screens can’t accommodate all routes. The Sustainability Office mapped the data (literally!) to ensure that the routes selected would be helpful to the greatest number of riders.

Mapping RRC ridership… one postal code at a time.

Thanks Winnipeg Transit

These screens were made possible because of Winnipeg Transit’s Kiosk program. The College’s real-time screens are the fourth installation in Winnipeg, and we’re proud to pioneer a project that encourages transit ridership. Other screens can be found at the St Vital Mall, the Canada Goose factory and the Millennium Library.

“Winnipeg Transit is always looking to enhance the delivery of passenger information. We’re excited to partner with Red River College on this project – this is a very new step we’re taking to make transit use more convenient for riders,” says Adam Budowski, Transit Planner with Winnipeg Transit.

Sustainable Transportation at RRC

The College is investing in transit technology as part of our Transportation Plan and commitment to sustainable transportation. Other recent additions include bike lockers at the Notre Dame Campus, indoor bike parking at the Roblin Centre and air & repair stations. Our goal is to encourage alternative commute modes to reduce single-rider car trips to help our college, our community, and our city reduce congestion and emissions.

Learn more about sustainable transportation at Red River College here.

Since the 1950’s 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been generated globally. Only 23% of those plastics have been recycled, and it is estimated another 12 billion tonnes of plastic will end up in the landfill by 2050.

About 40% of all waste produced at RRC is diverted from the landfill through reuse, recycling or composting. This is our chance to mindfully take a look at our behaviors, actions and habits and evaluate what we are doing well and what we need to change.

Join in on our events this Waste Reduction Week to learn more about yourself and your consumption habits, and make some easy changes with a BIG impact. RRC offers a variety of waste reduction programs available to all staff, faculty and students, so take a look and make sure you’re using them all!

Here are a list of the events happening:

Get Caught in The Act – Use your Reusables!

Monday, October 22 – Friday October 28^th | Mystery | NDC & EDC

Get Caught in the Act reducing your waste by using reusable materials such as reusable cutlery, water bottles, coffee mugs, bags or containers, and WIN! The Sustainability Office will be trolling the NDC and EDC hallways between Monday October 22 and Friday October 26 waiting to catch you using your reusable items and handing out some great prizes. But why wait, start now! #CaughtInTheActMB

Zero Waste Challenge – Live Waste Free for a Week!

Monday, October 22^nd |Registration 11:00 – 12:00 pm | Library Hallway (NDC)

Do you know how much waste you create a day? Challenge yourself and your colleagues and try to do everything you can to live as waste free as possible and collect ALL your waste generated on campus in ONE jar for a week. Register and enter to win both a great prize pack AND office bragging rights. Here’s how it works:

1. Register at our Zero Waste Challenge table and receive your free mason jar and be entered to win a great waste free prize pack. Use #ZeroWasteRRC to show off your efforts!
2. Start with using less. Make conscious decisions on the products you purchase and consume. How much packaging is there? Can this be avoided? Minimize what you send to the landfill as much as possible. Check out our resources below for ideas, tips and inspiration.
   

   The journey to Zero Waste starts with using less

3. Recycle what you can. Take a good look at our Pitch-In signs and see what goes in the Container bin and Paper bin.
4. Compost what you can. Collect and drop off all organic food waste DAILY in our designated compost drop off location (location provided when registering).
5. Collect ALL landfill waste you create on campus in your mason jar over the one week period.
6. Take a good hard look at what you’re consuming — and what you could do without. Could it be reduced even further? What changes can you make to send less to the landfill every day?

Want to extend this to your home or family? Check out these resources for tips and food for thought:

• Zero Waste in 5 Steps, Top 10 Tips, On Campus, On a Budget, Reducing Plastic, When Shopping
• Food Waste in North America – Discussion Paper

Pop the Top and WIN! – Reduce, Reuse, Recaffeinate

Tuesday, October 23^rd | 7:30 – 8:30 am | Tim Hortons NDC & Friday, October 26^th | 7:30 – 8:30 am | Tim Hortons EDC

Every year, RRC sends around 40,000 disposable coffee cups to the landfill. Let’s reduce this and buy your RRC ecomug or reusable straw for only $5. To make the deal even sweeter, pop the top and see what prize awaits inside. Prizes include vouchers for Campus Store items, including an Under Amour hoodie of your choice!

Already have an ecomug? Remember, you save 10 cents at all RRC Food Service locations when you use it. That’s almost $30 a year, and a ton of cups NOT piling up in the landfill.

Pulp Non-Fiction – Come check out the life-cycle of paper!

Wednesday, October 24^th | 11:00 – 1:30 pm | Library Hallway

Did you know that a piece of paper can only be recycled between 4-7 times? Join us in the Library Hallway to find out more fun facts about how pulp becomes paper, and what happens to your paper after you throw it in the recycling bin!

E-Waste Drive* – Recycle your e-waste from home and work!

Monday, October 22^nd to Friday October 26^th  | Shipping and Receiving at NDC and Roblin Centre (Please note Shipping & Receiving closes daily from 12:00-12:45PM. Collection closes on Friday at noon)

Electronic waste ready to be picked up for recycling.

Now’s your chance to properly dispose of electronic waste from home and work in an environmentally responsible manner. Allowable items include: computers and computer equipment, printers, stereos, speakers, cellphones, microwave ovens (for a complete list click here, or contact us).

Please note: College assets must be accepted by someone at Shipping and Receiving to ensure they’re disposed of properly.

* Please ensure that private data is removed prior to dropping off personal equipment that may contain confidential information. Red River College and Powerland do not accept liability for data or any other digital content left on your device.

Not only is biking a great way to reduce your personal carbon emissions, but it has many other benefits on your physical health and mental wellbeing.

Our office sat down with Breanna Sawatzky, the College’s Mental Health Coordinator to discuss sustainable transportation.  Her role consists of many important facets such as drop-in counselling as well as training and education. Below Breanna answers some questions about her experience biking to work, and how it can positively affect your mental health.

Q: Tell me about yourself and your transportation strategies in the past?

A: I live in St. James and have a family of four, with one car. In the past, we would convoy together when we all worked downtown. When I started at the college, my husband and I would take turns either busing or taking the car, without really finding a method that worked better than the other. Our home is about 7km away from the campus so in reality it isn’t that far.

Q: What made you consider biking?

A: I felt like I wanted to cycle for the exercise and the sustainability benefits, but I also had some barriers running through my mind for a while. It wasn’t until around this time last year that Commuter Challenge gave me the motivation to actually try it.

Q: What were some of the barriers you had to overcome?

A: One of the main intimidations was the route. The thought of cycling down Route 90 with so many cars travelling at that speed kind of freaked me out a bit. It wasn’t until I typed in my destination to Google Maps and clicked the little bicycle that I realized there was a great route of primarily bike paths that I could take to get to work.  Better yet, it would only take me 20 minutes, which was significantly better than the 40-minute bus and much closer to the 10 minutes a drive takes! Another intimidation was the image I had of what a bicyclist was. I had this idea that all bicyclists were super athletic experts and that I would need all the custom attire. I quickly learnt that what you wear and the pace you travel is all about what feels comfortable to you. Accepting the pace that works for me and understanding that you don’t have to be visually or consistently athletic to ride your bike to work. If people pass me, I give them a mental high five and not let it affect my ride or motivation.

Q: Was it inconvenient or a financial burden to take up this new mode of transportation?

A: My husband and I had recently bought each other bikes as an anniversary gift, so building it into one of our traditions made it a bit easier financially. I had a lock and a helmet already but didn’t have any other accessories that I thought I would need when I observed other bikers. When I looked into it a little more I realized I basically had everything that I needed, accept for something to carry my belongings. I didn’t have a backpack suitable for biking and not wanting to spend the money, my husband help me MacGyver my own pannier with the duffle bag I already own and some bungee cords.

Q: Do you use the bike lockers when you bike?

A: I am planning on it once I return to biking as I’m on a bit of a hiatus right now. With or without kids, sometimes there are obstacles that are out of your control and life doesn’t allow this kind of flexibility so it is important to recognize that you don’t have to be an all-or-nothing bicyclist. You can do it when it works for you and if some days it doesn’t, that is ok. Soon I’ll be able to get back to working it into my schedule and when that happens I’ll be sure to grab a locker – and they are free now, so that is nice!

 Q: How do you feel sustainable transportation relates to human wellbeing and mental health?

A: Overall, the affordability is huge. If you can reduce the amount of money you spend on transportation you will also be reducing your stress. Students, in particular, report that that finances are one of the biggest stressors. The physical activity itself has been found to be beneficial for mental health as well. Biking to work or school is a way to weave this activity into your day instead of having to put time aside later on. To augment that, this time on a bike or bus can be used to de-stress from the day and allow you that time to yourself.

As you can see, the environmental, financial and health benefits to cycling are plenty. If it’s your first time riding to campus, consider looking for a bike buddy. Check out GoManitoba to plan your route and connect with other cyclists in your area. Once you arrive on campus, keep your bike and gear secure and safe by renting one of our free bike lockers at NDC, or park it in our indoor, secured bike room at PGI. If you are using one of our bike racks, check out these safety tips to lock up properly.

We hope to leave you with some inspiration to get on that bike and give it a try if you haven’t already, and if you have – keep on rollin!

Happy cycling!

e-Waste Drive* from Home and Work

Drop off your e-waste (including old bacti-cinerators) for recycling

Monday, April 16^th to Friday April 20^th (noon) | Shipping and Receiving at NDC and Roblin Centre

Springtime means spring cleaning. Now’s the time to securely dispose of electronic waste in an environmentally responsible manner. Allowable items include: computers and computer equipment, printers, stereos, speakers, cellphones, microwave ovens (for a complete list click here, or contact us).

Please note: College assets must be accepted by someone at Shipping and Receiving to ensure they’re disposed of properly.

* Please ensure that private data is removed prior to dropping off personal equipment that may contain confidential information. Red River College and Powerland do not accept liability for data or any other digital content left on your device.

Watt’s your FootPRINT?

Wednesday, April 18^th | 11AM – 1PM | NDC Library Hallway | Refreshments Provided

The Resource Reduction Specialist, is hard at work developing strategies to help the College reduce paper and plug-load energy consumption. But it can’t happen without your help! Drop by our first consultation session to learn more about where we are, what are plans are going forward, and share your ideas.

­­­­8th Annual State of Sustainability

Friday, April 20^th | 12PM – 1PM | eTV Studio (GM22, North Gym Hallway) | Lunch Provided

It has been another exciting year at the Sustainability Office! Come to find what we’ve been up to this year and what’s in store for the future.

Can’t make it? Stream it live?

­I ❤ My Bike Day

With Winter hanging on longer than anticipated, we’ve decided to postpone this event until we all thaw out and it starts to finally feel like Spring.

Stay tuned for for the new date and details soon!

Other events happening around RRC during Earth Week:

I Be-Leaf in Protecting Mother Earth

Thursday, April 19^th | 12PM – 2PM | Library Hallway

Did you know, the New Zealand Government has acknowledged a river as a living entity and a park as having Human Rights?  Let’s jump on board and Be-Leaf in our abilities to help Mother Earth!

Students in the Aboriginal Program for College Enrichment and Transition will be offering staff and students the opportunity to plan how to help Mother Earth.  Participants will write their idea on a paper leaf and attach it to the APCET idea tree.

The tree will stay up in the hallway until Friday April 20th.  When the foliage is removed and recorded, it will be forwarded to the RRC All-Staff News and the RRC newspaper; The Projector.

RRC Greenspace Horticulture Plant Sale and BBQ

Thursday, April 19^th | 11AM – 1PM | Greenhouse Complex. NDC Campus

There will be trees, shrubs, perennials, prairies, tropicals, desk gardens, succulent gardens, terrariums, edibles and annual plants for sale. Cash only please – we cannot take debit or credit cards. Please bring your own boxes and bags to transport plants.

RRC Library Earth Day Resources

The Library has pulled together some great resources for Earth Day to help you learn more and take action on various sustainability issues.

Some other events you may find interesting include:

The Downtown BIZ is hosting a Downtown clean up: Team Up to Green Up on Monday, April 23. Sign up as a team to help clean up downtown and win prizes!

FortWhyte Alive has a full day of family activities planned for Earth Day on Sunday, April 22. Admissions is free all day.

Rental Details:

• Lockers cost $10/month, beginning on the first Monday of every month until the last Friday of the month. However during this kick off period, lockers rented in October will be valid until the end of November.
• Personal locks aren’t permitted. You’ll be given a College-issued key for your locker.
• Rentals are done in person at the Print Shoppe.
• More info can be found here.

About the bike locker designs: In addition to improving end-of-trip facilities for cyclists, we wanted to give these big grey boxes (formerly known as our herd of elephants) a splashy makeover to animate our campus. We came up with the idea of showcasing prominent Winnipeg landmarks and the distance to travel to them by bike from campus. Our talented designer Marc executed this vision perfectly. We’re particularly fond of the FortWhyte Alive! design… What’s your fave? We still have some more lockers to complete. If you have a suggestion for a notable landmark you’d think should adorn one of our bike lockers, email us!

These bike lockers are part of RRC’s Transportation Plan. We’re committed to continuing to provide flexible, equitable and sustainable commuting options for students, staff and faculty. Find out more here.

Happy cycling.

GoManitoba is a province-wide commuting platform that matches you with carpool partners (drivers and/or riders) who live and work/ attend campus near you. The system also gives you transit options, walking and cycling routes, and matches you with commuting buddies. Students and staff have the option of matching with everyone on the GoManitoba site, or you can choose to limit your search to College-specific users/ ** Use your Red River College (rrc.ca) email address to ensure you get connected with RRC peers.

Registering and navigating the site is just a simple as creating and using your Facebook account, but if you need some help you can refer to this handy GoManitoba How to Guide.

Cutest air freshener I ever did see. Thanks Green Action Centre!

The free app can be download to your smartphone, tablet or desktop. GoManitoba works best when a critical mass of people sign on, so encourage your friends, family and colleagues to join. To sweeten the deal, the Sustainability Office is offering a $200 Commuter Care Package to one lucky Rebel who registers before November 30^th. Green Action Centre, the provincial coordinator for this program, is also offering some ‘early adopter’ prizes for the first 5,000 registrants to the site.

Happy commuting everyone.

Launching GoManitoba is another way the College is promoting sustainable commuting to campus. Learn more about our plans and priorities by checking out our Transportation Plan.