A partnership that makes a difference

Over the last decade, post-secondary educational institutions all over the world have started to recognize and respond to the environmental challenges we are presently facing as a global society. At Dawson College our institutional efforts to reduce our ecological footprint date back to 2006 with the establishment of Sustainable Dawson. For the last ten years we have engaged in a process of institutional learning and change which has led us to make changes in infrastructure and operations as well as in academic programs and pedagogical approaches.

Since 2012, Dawson College has embarked in a collaborative and participatory action research project, the Sustainable Campuses Initiative. In partnership with the Instituto Mexicano para el Desarrollo de Ciudades Verdes S.C., the Universidad Pedagogica Nacional (UPN Morelos), the Escuela Particular Normal Superior Lic. Benito Juarez began, the Universidad Politecnica del Estado de Morelos (UPEMOR) and the Earth Values Institute, we are setting up tools and mechanisms to share our knowledge and experience as we support each other on our path to become more sustainable educational institutions.

We have done so with the support of the International Development Research Centre (Phase I of the initiative), the Social Science Humanities Research Council (present Phase II) and the support of the Direction des Affaires International of the Fédération des Cégeps.

The Sustainable Campuses is spearheaded by Dr. Gisela Frias, a faculty member of Dawson College’s Geography Department