A reflection by one of Dawson’s plant caretakers

There are 77 people signed up for plant care, feeding fish or taking care of vermi-composts. Some of these individuals represent entire areas like the library and others are individual offices.

The first week we actually counted 379 plants and then the second wave of emails came in. I would estimate that we are watering approximately 450 plants now. This takes a day to do. Jenn de Vera set up the system to register and that was a big help.

Complete silence 
Today, I walked the halls in complete silence and it is the first time I could hear such silence at Dawson. It was peaceful.

As I water the plants, I think of those who cared for them before me. I can see those who experiment creatively with companion planting and those that line up their pots in order. I have the opportunity to discover areas I have never seen before at the College.

Plants and memories 
I also saw a plant that my mother grew 50 years ago when I was a child and I stopped, put down the watering can, and touched the feathery leaves while I thought of my mother. It was a very nice moment.

Today I saw some flowers that just opened and I had the pleasure of benefiting from all of the care a fellow Dawson community member put in to make that happen.

Fossils 
I stopped in front of the Registrar’s area to look for fossils in the exposed rocks of the original building foundation and thought of my fossil collecting days of the past. I thought of many things.

Caring for living things and walking at one’s own pace is soothing. It has been a while since I spent a day with myself.

Nurturing things is nurturing!
I am not only giving water to living plants at Dawson, I am also watering the memories associated with them and ensuring that the psychologically restorative places that employees have created remain with us. That, to me, is therapeutic and at least in part defines a Living Campus.

-Written by Chris Adam, Sustainability Office