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About 1,000 meals served up by Dawson Dining

May 3rd, 2023

The Peace Centre and the Dawson Student Union (DSU) ran Dawson Dining for the full two weeks of Earth Week, from April 17-28.

Each day in Conrod's, about 100 students and staff dropped off their reusable containers so they could be filled with a satisfying and hot vegan lunch, prepared by student and employee volunteers who were supervised by chef Jamal Spence. Meals varied from pelau, a Trinidadian staple, to banana pancakes, cinnamon rice Pudding & homemade warm berry jam. Over the two weeks, diners were provided with pamphlets, prepared by the Environment and Sustainability Certificate, highlighting the connection between food security, climate change, and sustainability.

Students and employees who participated in the program generously thanked the volunteers and chef Jamal Spence, noting how delicious the meals were and the wonderful sense of community building resulting from the initiative. Many community members, students and employees, expressed their desire to see Dawson Dining all week throughout the academic year.

Diana Rice of the Peace Centre reported that for $800 in food, about 500 people ($1.60 per person) were fed during the second week of the initiative. An estimated 1,000 meals were served over the two weeks. Rice hopes to bring back Dawson Dining with the DSU for a similar run next fall during Peace Week 2023, an established tradition of Peace Week for several years.


Dawson in the news for Earth Week

May 3rd, 2023

Dawson was in the news during Earth Week!

Watch the CTV news story on the 1,000 Species in 1,000 Days initiative, which aims to document a thousand species of plants and animals in the Montreal area within a thousand days.

Watch the CTV news story on a field trip with the International Youth Camp, which took place at Dawson in conjunction with the CI Can conference.


Six employees complete Sustainable Happiness course

May 3rd, 2023

Six employees at Dawson and seven employees at John Abbott College successfully completed this semester's Employee Sustainable Happiness 24-hour certificate. Jennifer de Vera (Sustainability Office) and Azra Khan (Human Resources) facilitated the course and Dawson lent Jenn to lead the John Abbott course with Shannon Coulter-Low.

The non-credit course developed at Dawson, now being taught around the world, aims to help people live their best lives by taking care of themselves so they can in turn take care of others and Nature.

Sustainable Happiness is a major benefit to Dawson employees who are given work time with the approval of a manager to take the course. Each participant must complete a final project.

Jenn reports that this year's projects included:

  • Benefits of talking to strangers
  • Mapping where ingredients from meals come from and how to improve
  • "Reel it in" upcycling VHS tapes from the library through creative projects
  • Laminating all English Exit Exam signs for annual reuse and adding the biophilic design of live plants to the gym during the exam
  • Creating a zen area in the Campus Life and Leadership (CLL) office, and doing daily actions for happiness with CLL staff and student volunteers

Toward 1,000 species update

May 3rd, 2023

More people are joining Dawson's 1,000 Species in 1,000 Days initiative every week.

The total number of species identified on Dawson's one-block campus is now at 479! For the week of April 17, Dawson's iNaturalist community, Dawson College-Campus Biodiversity Network, there were 31 new species counted, 24 new observers joining the community and 361 new observations. The week of April 24, there were 12 new species, 4 new observers, and 97 new observations.

One of the species added last week to Dawson's count is the Eastern Screech Owl. Photo by Doug Smyth (Physical Education).

Everyone is invited to join this initiative by using the free iNaturalist app.


Worms to transform Dawson waste into fertilizer

May 3rd, 2023

A waste management team consisting of worms will begin working at Dawson this spring thanks to a grant from Colleges and Institutes Canada. Their task is simple: consume the organic waste we throw into our hallway sorting stations and transform it into nutrient-rich fertilizer for our gardens.

To read the homepage news story, visit the link below.


Artists in Bloom raises over $11,000 for Living Campus!

May 2nd, 2023

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the talented student artists at the 25th edition of Artists in Bloom!

Congratulations to all the talented artists who created works of art over a two-hour period, and put on a fantastic live artistry show. Special thank you to radio host Donna Saker of The Beat 92.5 for auctioning off the beautiful artwork, and Dawson students Mathew Anania and Alessia Vigna for their live musical performances.

The event has raised over $11,000 which will go to support Dawson’s sustainability activities under the Living Campus fund.


Earth Weeks 2023 at Dawson

April 19th, 2023

A full program of activities is happening at Dawson from April 17-28 for students and employees to celebrate Earth Week, connect with Nature and learn about ways to live more sustainably.

On Tuesday, April 18, Jonathan Egan’s Introduction to Outdoor Education Class participated in a Bioblitz in the Peace Garden with Biology teacher Brian Mader, who is leading the 1,000 Species in 1,000 Days initiative. For a few hours, the students observed life in the Peace Garden and added to Dawson’s count. One way, they observed many kinds of life was by lifting up a slab of old tree trunk in the eco circle of the Peace Garden (pictured).

All students and employees are invited to help identify 1,000 plants, animals and other kinds of life on our city block in downtown Montreal. To date, a total of 455 species have been identified. From April 10-17, the Dawson College-Campus Biodiversity Network on the free app iNaturalist had 58 new observations, 12 new species added, and four new observers.


Earth Week begins April 17

April 5th, 2023

Dawson's Sustainability Office and other departments are excited to host a two-week Earth Week event. Students and employees can participate in multiple events from April 17-April 28.

Check out all the Earth Week events listed on the Dawson Events Calendar. Check the calendar often as new events are expected to be added. Earth Week 2023 touches on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Here is a sample of the Earth Week events to date and more are being added:

  • Eco-Friendly Market April 17-21
  • Eco-Cafe in Oliver's 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day April 17-28
  • Garden-Dig-Ins
  • Living Campus tours
  • Bike and Clothing repair workshops
  • Meet the Honeybees
  • Panel discussion with the Kahnawà:ke Youth Climate Collective: Iakwatonhontsanónsta'ts

Sign up: individuals and classes can participate by filling out this form!


Tickets now on sale for Artists in Bloom!

April 5th, 2023

The 25th annual Artists in Bloom art auction will be taking place on Thursday, April 20 in 3C.1 with the doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and painting beginning at 6 p.m. The money raised this year will be going to Dawson’s Living Campus/Sustainability.

We are returning to the live event that you all have come to know and love. There will also be an online component (link to be available starting April 11) where you can purchase your ticket for the event as well as prints designed by Illustration students.

Printed tickets can now be purchased in the following locations: 4A.1 (cash only) and 2E.6 (cash or card).

We will also be in the Upper Atrium (in front of escalators) from April 11-14 and 17-19 for tickets and/or prints.

Adults $20 in advance
$25 at the door/online
Students of any institution (with ID) $15
12 and under Free

 


Dawson community mobilizing to identify 1,000 species in 1,000 days

April 5th, 2023

All students and employees at Dawson College are invited to join an initiative to identify 1,000 species in 1,000 days on Dawson’s downtown Montreal campus.

“We believe that identifying 1,000 species is possible but does pose a significant challenge,” said Brian Mader, project lead and a biology teacher at Dawson. “We invite all students and employees to join iNaturalist. The more people from our community who participate, the higher the chances of reaching our goal. This project will also nurture our Dawson community and encourage people to go outside and enjoy Nature.”

To find out how to participate and read the homepage news story, visit the link below.


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Last Modified: May 3, 2023

 

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