Sustainability Initiatives

Countdown is a global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, turning ideas into action. The goal is to build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 in the race to a zero-carbon world—a world that is safer, cleaner and fairer for everyone.

TEDx Countdown 2022

This event was hosted in partnership between Selkirk College and the West Kootenay Climate Hub. Find out more!

TEDx Countdown 2021

TEDx Countdown 2021 was hosted in partnership with the Citizens' Climate Lobby Nelson-West Kootenay Chapter and the West Kootenay Climate Hub.

Check out some videos!

 

TEDx Countdown 2020

November 1: Countdown to a Fairer and Thriving Future

November 8: Caring for the Land and Each Other

November 8: Empowering Youth

We’re ditching disposable and committing to reusables! Enjoy your to-go meals at Selkirk College sustainably. Taking part is easy:

 

1. Order to go. Your meal will be served in a reusable container.

2. Pay. Have a participant token? Give it to our cashier staff. If you don’t have one yet, pay the $5 investment.

3. Swap it. Done your to-go meal? Swap the reusable container for a participant token with cashier staff at anytime. Hold on to your token until your next to-go meal to waive the $5!

Anyone can participate!

Anyone visiting our cafeterias can choose to have their meal in a reusable to-go container or on a plate to dine-in. We no longer offer single-use disposable to-go containers.

What if I lose or forget my reusable to-go container or token?

If you lose or forget your container or token, you will need to repay the $5 for another container. Your other option is to dine-in and enjoy your meal on a plate. 

What do I do with my dirty container? 

Option 1: Wash your container at home and bring it back to campus with you for your next meal. Keep it in your backpack or locker!

Option 2: Return your container to the cafeteria and receive a token. Present this token at the counter when you order your next meal.

Why do I have to pay a $5 user investment? Can I get this money back? 

The $5 user investment is non-refundable. Tokens have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for money.

The reusable containers are just more plastic—how is this more sustainable? 

These highly durable containers can handle over 1,000 cycles in a commercial dishwasher. They eliminate the need for single-use to-go containers, which are sent to the landfill. When used 14 times, the reusable to-go container has a lower environmental impact than a disposable.

Pre-pandemic, over 10,000 hot meals were served in the Castlegar and Silver King cafeterias. This is a large source of waste that the college has committed to tackling. 

What are the reusable containers made out of? 

The reusable to-go containers are a highly durable polypropylene that is 100% BPA free. They are dishwasher and microwave safe.

What if the reusable container breaks? Is it recyclable? 

If a reusable to-go container breaks and is no longer usable, please return it to cafeteria staff. It can be recycled in our blue recycling bins. 

Can I use my container at other campuses?

Yes! All Selkirk College cafeterias are participating in this program. 

Can I use my container at local restaurants? 

Many restaurants in our area support reusable to-go containers. Ask your favourite local take-out place

Fill up your reusable water bottle on campus and say no to bottled water! Check out this map to see refill locations on the Castlegar Campus.

Compost your organic waste on-site on the Castlegar Campus.

 

Look for the green compost bins for your lunch food scraps. You can compost things like banana peels, apple cores, vegetable scraps and tea bags.

 

Our on-site compost system cannot accept everything. Do not add meat, dairy, cardboard, to-go containers, coffee cups or bags of any kind (including compostable or biodegradable). Find out what is compostable...

Recycle your batteries and cellphones on campus!

 

The best way to ensure that batteries aren’t filling our landfills is to make sure they never get there. We are a Call2Recycle collection partner.

 

Look for the collection boxes: 

There are 275 solar panels on the roof of the Castlegar Campus Library that have the capacity to produce an estimated 112,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. They help power lights, computers and equipment. Read more about the install and watch the video below!

 

A ground mount solar installation at the Mir Centre for Peace in Castlegar has bifacial panels and the angle is adjusted throughout the year. They produce approximately 21,000 to 26,000 kWh of electricity annually and are tied to the FortisBC grid, which means that any excess power can be exported. The Mir Centre for Peace also uses geothermal heating. Read more about this install here.

 

Castlegar Student Housing heats hot water using solar power. 

 

The Silver King Campus biomass boiler project is expected to replace nearly all previous demand for natural gas at this campus, resulting in reduced emissions and lower heating costs. It uses wood waste from the Carpentry and Fine Woodworking programs as fuel, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.

Addressing energy consumption is key to a sustainable future. We are working to reduce our energy consumption and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

You can find Selkirk College's Carbon Neutral Action reports and historic greenhouse gas emission data here.

Check out our Energy Conservation Procedures within our Environmental Policy.

Register for our carpool program! Once you get your permit, drive to campus with two or more people and get prime parking in designated carpool parking spots!

Charge your electric vehicle at the Tenth Street and Silver King campuses. These chargers are owned by the City of Nelson. Find them and the full network for EV charging stations on the Plug Share Map.

 

Our Facilities Department has a Chevy Bolt, a fully electric, emissions-free vehicle! We look forward to adding more electric vehicles to our fleet.

Find the best cycling route for you! Check out this web map created by an Integrated Environmental Planning student, and find various cycling routes to the Castlegar Campus.

Click on a route to see the distance, elevation profile and approximate travel time.

We use Sugar Sheet paper made from the waste fibre from sugar cane processing.

Selkirk College was Canada’s first community college to achieve a Fair Trade Campus Designation. Fair Trade programs work with disadvantaged farmers in the developing world to provide opportunities to help improve their lives through empowerment, fair wages, and safe working conditions.

Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional trading methods, based on a partnership between producers and consumers.

By choosing to purchase Fair Trade products, you are choosing a powerful way to help reduce poverty. Look for products on campus with the Fair Trade logo.

These choices have been identified with a Sustainable Choice stamp of recognition. Look for this stamp on items and know that you purchase is supporting a more sustainable future.

What do we look for when determining a Sustainable Choice? Certified Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified B Corp, 1% for the Planet member, 100% recycled content, and 100% recyclable.

Sustainable Choices consider people, plant and profit.