Fill out the Campus Commute Survey between October 20-31, 2025 for a chance to win:

• A $500 grocery store gift certificate, or
• One of ten $50 food vouchers for Degrees, Campo or Starbucks.

Results of the Campus Commute Survey inform strategic planning around transportation related infrastructure, education and peer-based programs in support of climate action, sustainability and wellness goals.

This year’s Campus Commute Survey aims to better capture our fall travel patterns, along with our typical year-round transportation needs.

Take the 2025 Campus Commute Survey now.

You can also complete the Campus Commute Survey in-person at an upcoming survey lounge. Grab a free cookie or muffin, and complete your survey in one of the following locations:

• Drake Centre, Monday, October 20, 11AM – 1PM
• Dafoe Library, Wednesday, October 22, 11AM – 1PM
• Brodie Atrium, Bannatyne campus, Thursday, October 23, 11AM – 1PM
• UMSU University Centre, Thursday, October 30, 11AM – 1PM

This survey is approved by the UM Survey Review Committee and managed by the Green Action Centre, and all responses are completely confidential. Only aggregated results are reported back to the University.

The survey is organized biennially by the Office of Sustainability. Previous surveys took place in 2023, 2020, 2018 and 2016 (inaugural).

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact the Office of Sustainability at sustainability[at]umanitoba.ca.

Designed with sustainability and campus safety in mind, these upgraded bins are being installed in October, which is Sustainability Month. The bins are set to transform how waste is collected and managed across UM’s outdoor spaces.

One of the key improvements is a strategic reduction in pickup locations. By consolidating waste collection points, the university aims to streamline operations, reduce fuel consumption, and minimize the emissions of waste transport. Fewer stops mean more frequent and more efficient service without compromising accessibility for campus users.

Each bin will be placed in a high traffic corridor and will feature clearer signage, making it easier for students, staff, and visitors to sort waste correctly. Whether it’s recycling, or garbage, the new labels are designed to reduce confusion and contamination, supporting UM’s broader sustainability and climate action goals.

In a nod to campus cleanliness and fire safety, the bins will be paired with designated receptacles for cigarette butts, and will be placed  at least eight meters away from entrances and fresh air intakes (as per the UM clean air procedure), preventing littering and reducing the risk of environmental contamination and fires caused by improperly discarded smoking materials.

The bins are also designed to accommodate a Manitoba winter and deter wildlife, crucial features for a campus that shares space with curious critters. Engineered to resist tampering by raccoons, squirrels, and other animals, the new slanted top-load design helps keep waste secure, prevents unwanted messes and allows better access in the winter months.

The new bins were made possible in partnership with the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association (CBCRA). They are more than just containers, they’re a smart investment in a cleaner, more sustainable campus. Stay tuned for other waste related updates coming soon.

Pods are available for rent through the Parking Portal on a reoccurring credit card plan. If you are interested in renting a bike parking stall in a new pod, you can be placed on a wait list by completing this form.

Bike Cages

For other bike parking options, staff and students on Fort Garry campus can subscribe to use the University Parkade Bike Station, an enclosed, weather-protected facility for up to 100 bikes, or the ALC Bike Cage, a new enclosure for up to 28 bikes behind the Active Living Centre.
View your bike parking options.

On Bannatyne campus, two university bike cages are located along the east side of Brodie Centre. Staff and students can access the cage by contacting Physical Plant at banwod@umanitoba.ca to have their card coded.

Bike Locking Tips

For those looking for short-term bike parking close to their destination, locate campus bike racks using the Fort Garry bike parking map and Bannatyne campus bike parking map.

Be sure to follow these bike locking tips to reduce your chances of encountering bike theft:

• Lock the frame of your bike and one wheel to an anchored bike rack using a solid steel U-lock.
• Lock any additional quick release parts, including your second wheel and seat, with another U-lock or a double-end cable lock.
• Register your bike for free with 529 Garage, a City of Winnipeg theft recovery tool.
• Please report bike theft or suspicious behaviour to Campus Security Services and Winnipeg Police.

Located on the Fort Garry campus, the two-acre plot helps community members grow their own food, share their native culinary traditions and establish meaningful social networks with other immigrants and local community members.

The Bannatyne campus also has a small garden plot, supporting 12 families over the summer months.

Both gardens have seen incredible food volumes this summer, with many families harvesting 50-100 kilograms of produce thus far.

Building community and growing food

The garden was initiated in 2008 by a group of newcomers, including Raymond Ngarboui.

Born in Chad, Ngarboui has been a pillar of community work since arriving in Canada, advocating for healthier living and better integration for new immigrants and refugee families. With degrees in agriculture and community economic development, he has played a key role in the initiation and success of many community food projects and has been recognized for his dedication, earning the UNICEF Canadian National Volunteer Award and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Together with the Refugee Immigrants Farming and Integration in Manitoba Inc. (RIFIM) and co-organized by Community Education Development Association (CEDA) and partnerships with Knox Church and the University of Manitoba and others, Ngarboui has grown Rainbow Gardens into a place where hundreds of families gather and grow food.  

In 2025, the Fort Garry Rainbow Gardens supported 313 families, many of them with at least 7 family members.

RIFIM expanded their capacity this year by partnering with Harvest Manitoba to access 200 garden towers. These towers provided 32 new families the opportunity to grow and harvest produce using vertical growing techniques. 

Gardening challenges

Rainbow Gardens faced some gardening woes over the summer, including an early drought and produce theft.

The drought was thankfully lessened by consistent watering made possible through a permanent water supply from UM. Unfortunately, theft was at an all-time high this summer with many families losing their produce. RIFIM kindly asks people to respect the garden and the hard work of the families by not taking any produce.

As the growing season comes to an end, RIFIM is looking for ways to improve next year’s garden. Future projects are to include a shelter from the rain and a private place for breastfeeding mothers. To improve yield and quality of produce, RIFIM is also looking for ways to provide organic fertilizer to the families.

As Sustainability Ambassadors, students will lead and inspire the campus community to learn more about sustainability and explore how sustainability practices can change lives in a positive way. The goal of the program is to enhance student engagement and participation by offering opportunities for students to gain knowledge and skills while supporting the network of sustainability on campus.

How does the Sustainability Ambassador program work?

Applicants to the program will work together to make project plans for the year based on the set theme. The theme for the 2025-26 Sustainability Ambassador program is sustainable transportation. Ambassadors will have an opportunity to work with their teammates to plan engaging and fun events and activities that raise awareness of transit, carpooling, cycling and walking options, while benefitting from career-focused workshops with their peers.

Sustainability Ambassadors will be provided with mandatory skill development workshops and ambassadors will be expected to volunteer 0.5-1 hour per week for the Fall and Winter terms (approximately 20 hours total for the academic year). Students will not have responsibilities during exam periods.

Exemplary Sustainability Ambassadors will receive written letters of support or recommendations for internships and jobs, when requested. Other benefits to joining the program include

• Flexible scheduling
• Career and skill development training and opportunities
• Peer-to-peer networking and UM community outreach
• Engaged learning opportunities
• Experience Record notation upon completion of the program
• Safe, inclusive, dynamic and passionate team to support your work

If you are interested in becoming a Sustainability Ambassador, please visit the Sustainability Ambassador Program website for more details. Applications will be accepted from August 25 – September 12 via the Application Portal.

What: Perennial plantings tour
When: Wednesday, Sept. 17 from 12 to 1 p.m.
Where: greenspace in front of Migizii Agamik building

Registration is currently full, please email sustainability@umanitoba.ca to be added to the waitlist.

Christine Labossiere, Operations and Maintenance groundskeeper and plant expert, will lead a tour of the perennial planting beds of the University Fort Garry campus. The tour, beginning in front of Migizii Agamik, will highlight the native perennial plants that play a vital role in climate action, boosting biodiversity and benefits such as drought- and pest-tolerant landscapes. The tour will continue along Curry Place to learn how the University integrates local ecology and sustainability principles in planting design, and how regenerative horticulture practices are applied in their ongoing care.

Join the tour to discover how these greenspaces can be thoughtfully designed with staggering flowering times and maintained throughout the summer and fall. Labossiere will share practical tips and inspiration to incorporate perennial plants into your own garden.

All staff, faculty, students and community members are welcome to participate. Terrain will be relatively flat with walking and standing on sidewalks and turf. In the event of inclement weather, the session will be rescheduled. If you need accommodations, please email sustainability@umanitoba.ca prior to Sept. 10.

With this site comes a change in process related to the disposal of office furniture. The Non-Capital Asset Disposal Form will no longer be accepted and instead users are being asked to follow the disposal methods below:

• Capital Assets: UM property with an asset tag should be disposed of via the Capital Accounting Asset Disposal Form. The asset disposal form for the disposal of Lab Equipment should be accompanied with the Lab Equipment Decommissioning Form
• Lab Equipment: Scientific equipment and any item originating from a laboratory (ex: fridges, freezers, microwaves, benches, storage, etc.) should be disposed of through the Environmental Health and Safety Office Lab Equipment Decommissioning Form.
• Refrigerators/Freezers: Safe disposal of refrigerators and freezers requires two online maintenance requests.

1. 1. The first maintenance request should include Type of Problem: Refrigeration, Freon.
   2. The second maintenance request should include Type of Problem: General Services, Waste Management and include the freon removal maintenance request reference number in the description.

• E-waste: An electronic waste program is available for UM staff and faculty. Electronic waste (e-waste) refers to discarded electronic devices. These devices often contain hazardous materials and can pose an environmental and health risk if not properly managed. There are two streams for disposal, depending on the type of device:
  • Devices without data storage: These items do not store data or have a hard drive. This includes desktop (small) printers, monitors, keyboards, and other peripherals items. For these devices, submit an online maintenance request.
  • Devices that store data or have a hard drive: These items store personal or sensitive data. This includes computers, laptops, multi-function printers, smartphones, and tablets. For these devices, it’s crucial that this sensitive information is securely destroyed. Follow the decommissioning electronic devices process to fill out a Data Destruction Form.
• Furniture: Please submit an online maintenance request.
  • Complete the form by including:
    • Location: Campus, Building, Floor and Room number
    • Type of Problem: General Services, Waste Management
    • Description: quantity and item description (ex: 3 office chairs, 2 desks
  • Add documents: Upload photos of ALL items, jpeg. files, Word document or PDF are all accepted.
  • Please label all items clearly for pick-up.
  • NOTE: If the furniture you are disposing of is large, you will have to submit two maintenance requests – one for disassembly and the other for disposal

UM ReShop gives used items a second life. By repurposing office furniture and supplies, the ReShop supports a circular economy, ensuring products are used for as long as possible, diverting items from landfill and conserving resources. Students, faculty, and staff can visit the ReShop in person to browse available items, pick them up, or arrange for delivery to your office. The ReShop is open Wednesday mornings, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Book a time to visit Reshop.

Building on the momentum of last year’s projects—like the LED retrofit at the Animal Holding Facility and a helium recovery system for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers—this year’s cohort brings fresh energy and ambition to our Climate Action Plan’s four core pillars: waste, energy & buildings, transportation, and land use.

Each winning proposal stood out for its environmental impact, cost-saving potential, and clear plan to repay funds within the required 10-year window.

“This year’s submissions were truly inspiring,” says Raman Dhaliwal, Associate Vice-President (Administration). “We’re delighted to invest in six projects that will help us realize our net zero greenhouse gas emissions goals, while engaging the UM community in hands-on sustainability action in pursuit of our Climate Action Plan.”

Green Investment Fund projects

Fixing fume hoods

Fume hood.

Energy consumption from heating buildings is one of UM’s largest source of emissions, with labs being some of the highest energy consuming spaces on campus.

Fume hoods – enclosed workstations that exhaust harmful fumes to the outside environment – are an integral part of lab safety. Unfortunately, fume hood sashes are regularly left open after experiments are complete. Each fume hood sash left open can have more impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than leaving the front door of your home open in winter.

Two Green Investment Fund projects are tackling energy loss from fume hoods.

Shut your sash!

Most fume hoods are variable air volume hoods – which exhaust air in proportion to the sash height. Essentially, the higher the sash height, the greater the amount of air exhausted and the greater amount of energy used.

An educational campaign spearheaded by the Science Students’ Association, with support from Daniel Heschuk, program development specialist in the Faculty of Science, will highlight the high energy requirements of fume hoods, beginning with a university-wide “Shut your Sash” contest to build awareness and engagement. The Environmental Health and Safety Office is updating their Fume Hood Program to include training materials and new fume hood stickers to not only identify optimal sash heights for safety and lower-energy use, but to help advertise the Shut the Sash campaign.

With significant uptake, this project has the potential to realize annual energy savings of $342,600 and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by up to 1,000 tonnes annually.

Fume hood presence detection program

A walkthrough of select labs in December 2024 found all were left open after term had ended. If these had been left open during the winter break, they would have had a significant impact on energy consumption and GHG emissions.

The UM Fume Hood Presence Detection Program will install 79 fume hood presence sensors in Parker building 200 level undergrad labs, integrated with the fume hood control/exhaust systems.

When no user is detected near the sensor, the fume hood will reduce airflow through the fume hood, resulting in a reduction of energy needed to heat and move more air into the lab. This project is estimated to reduce energy costs by $59,250, decreasing UM’s GHG emissions by 160 tonnes annually.

Cardboard recycling for the win

Cardboard recycling makes up 40 tonnes of the overall UM waste stream. The current cardboard baler in the basement of Helen Glass is at the end of its lifespan, and replacing it, along with adding an additional cardboard baler at Pembina Hall, will divert even more cardboard waste from the landfill.

Baling cardboard reduces contamination in the recycling stream and earns the university a rebate. This project will reduce waste going to the landfill and save $9,640 annually.

Electromagnetic air filters

What if we could increase indoor air quality and reduce waste and energy consumption at the same time? A team from Operations and Maintenance is leading a project to replace traditional cardboard pleated air filters with electromagnetic filters which capture particles 40 times smaller than traditional filters and outperform HEPA filters at the viral range.

The pilot project in the Wallace Building will also reduce waste, since only the fiberglass filter media is replaced, meaning the entire filter doesn’t enter the waste stream. As the filters are more efficient, it is anticipated they will save 63,100 kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity annually, reduce demand on infrastructure and save $5,000 a year.

Lights, safety… parking

Upgrading the Bannatyne campus parkade with improved LED light fixtures and occupancy sensors will reduce the energy consumption of the parkade by more than 130,000 kWh/year, while providing a safer parking experience for both those driving and walking in the parkade. As a bonus, maintenance costs will be reduced by a further 50 per cent, for annual cost savings of more than $10,000.

Smart heating and cooling

This pilot project will see the installation of data acquisition devices on a variety of existing heating and cooling sensors on equipment in three buildings: EITC-E3, Biological Sciences and UMSU University Centre. Using an algorithm, pattern recognition techniques and machine learning, the system will highlight areas where energy consumption can be decreased, equipment efficiency will be improved and mechanical issues will be detected quickly, extending the life of the equipment. This, in turn, will enhance comfort in heating and cooling.

Energy savings of at least two to seven per cent are projected. These energy reductions will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, water use, waste and demand on infrastructure, with projected annual cost savings between $21,000 to $76,000.

Got a project idea?

This year’s application period for the UM Green Investment Fund will be opening soon! Keep an eye on UM Today for all the details.

If you have any questions about the Green Investment Fund or its projects, reach out to greenfund@umanitoba.ca.

Based on our participation, UM was ranked in 6 of the 17 SDGs. 

• SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing: UM climbed to sixth in Canada and 82nd in the world this year from the 401–600 range globally in 2024.
  

  Jamie Blanchard, Executive Director of the University of Manitoba’s Institute for Global Public Health, in Uttar Pradesh, India.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: UM is now eleventh in Canada and in the top 200 globally, reflecting strengths in water research and stewardship. 
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: With a place among the top 20 in Canada, UM continues to build its reputation for impactful research and innovation. 
• SDG 13: Climate Action: UM ranks sixth in Canada and 89th globally, reflecting our leadership in Arctic and climate research. 
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: UM ranks 12th in Canada and in the 101–200 global range, underscoring our work in Indigenous rights, governance, and social justice. 
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: A key area of growth, UM jumped to 201–300 this year, ranking 17th in Canada, from the 401–600 range globally in 2024.  

“UM’s research and community engagement has an incredible impact throughout the world on efforts connected to UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,” said Michael Benarroch, President and Vice-Chancellor. “We are often much too humble, but we are world leaders in climate action, health as a human right, water sustainability and so much more. I’m pleased to see UM get some of the recognition it deserves for all our efforts advancing these important goals.”  

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the UN SDGs. This year’s rankings included more than 2,000 institutions worldwide, making UM’s position even more noteworthy. This is UM’s second year participating in the rankings.  

Read more about UM’s progress and commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.  

About the SDGS 

In April 2017, the president of the United Nations General Assembly wrote to higher education institutions around the world, including the University of Manitoba. The letter was delivered to spark movement and create a call-to-action to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainability Development within the university environment. The university was encouraged to include the Global Goals as part of research, teaching and study within the institution. 

According to Winnipeg Transit’s online information page, the five most important things to know about the new Primary Transit Network include:

• Schedules are now available online through Navigo
• Your stop and routes have changed
• New lines, routes and on-request zones launched June 29
• Frequent, direct, connected and easy to use
• New network is accessible

Winnipeg Transit will host an online information session for the UM community to review Transit Network changes and answer any questions you may have. The session will take place on Monday, September 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Registration for this information session is required.

Register today.

Questions related to the Primary Transit Network change can be submitted online through the Winnipeg Transit inquiry site or by calling 311.