New Environment & Sustainability Certificate
As the 21st century unfolds, Dawson students and teachers have a new opportunity to continue channelling their knowledge and abilities into positive action that counters the daunting environmental, economic and social challenges of today.
Dawson has been addressing sustainability challenges for years, a fact foregrounded in the 2016-2021 Strategic Plan. Notably, we recognize the significant achievements of the Dawson community in attaining the ASSHE STARS Gold certification and overall carbon neutrality, and in leading numerous College-wide sustainability projects through the Living Campus initiative. Living Campus involves students, teachers and staff in co-curricular learning, involves external partners, and delivers important benefits for the health and well-being at our College, our city and beyond.
Achieving sustainability goals assumes future citizens are knowledgeable, skilled and motivated where environment and sustainability outcomes are concerned. This imperative points directly to the critical role played by higher education and specifically Dawson’s Environment & Sustainability Certificate.
Role of higher ed
In the foreword to Higher Education for Sustainability: Cases, Challenges and Opportunities (Johnston 2013), the former executive director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Paul Rowland, states,
“A sustainable society can only be attained through the combined efforts of all of society. That is why it is so important that higher education institutions take the lead in ensuring that all their graduates – the leaders, the teachers, the professionals, and a significant part of the workforce – have an understanding of the challenges we face and the tools and dispositions to address those challenges to create a healthy, just, and sustainable world.”
To date, more than 30 teachers from about 20 departments have shown interest in participating in the Environment & Sustainability Certificate.
Find out more at the Ped Day workshop
We invite all teachers interested in learning more about how their class can be listed within the Environment & Sustainability Certificate to the Dawson Ped Day workshop given by Ian MacKenzie (Faculty, English), Brian Mader (Faculty, Biology) and Chris Adam (Sustainability Office) on Oct. 15 at 1:30 p.m. More info and registration: https://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/human-resources/ped-day/
Contributed by Chris Adam (Sustainability Office)
