Sustainability is a community affair

Sustainability education that aims to be transformative requires a shift toward reflective-learning, problem-based learning and collaborative group work because these pedagogies focus on learning through inquiry, experience and reflection

(Moore, 2005)

Institutions of higher education have a crucial role to play in the transition to a more sustainable future. As institutions we must engage in reflective and problem based learning and to collaborate if we are going to transform our culture into one that adapts and responds to the emerging global challenges. At Dawson College, the commitment to sustainability can be seen in the many initiatives spearheaded by students and their organizations, by faculty in their classrooms and research endeavours and by staff and administration through diverse institutional programs.

The Sustainable Campuses Initiative aims to bring together members of the educational community,  students, teachers, researchers and staff in a collaborative process to learn and share our knowledge on campus sustainability. Through participatory action research and enhanced engagement between faculty, students and staff we trust that this initiative can nourish the kind of sustainability movement that will transform our campus into a living, always learning community.

Collaboration with the Office of International Development has provided the needed support in the establishment of institutional partnerships and accessing funding for project participants, be they students, faculty or staff.  This international partnership has provided members of the Dawson community with invaluable opportunities to act as ambassadors for the college and develop real-world communication and leadership skills.

We are the proud holders of a  SSHRC Community & College Social Innovation grant  and with the support of the Office of Academic Development we hope to continue to contribute to the broader research community on issues of collaborative research and campus sustainability

After four years we finally have a website to share everything we are learning with the Dawson community at large and those in other educational communities who share our commitment to institutional transformation for sustainability.

We invite you to read our book “Sharing our Knowledge to Create Sustainable Campuses”, the result of institutional collaboration between Dawson College and our partner institutions in Mexico. We hope you find the kind of inspiration that will feed your engagement in transforming our/your campus.

We also invite you to take a walk to the end of the 4D wing (Dawson College) where you will find our latest attempt at sharing what we are doing with the greater Dawson Community. The window display is the collaborative effort of students from Environmental Science, the Environmental Studies Profile and Dr. Gisela Frias from the Geography Department.

This website could not have been a reality without the support of Diana Rice from the Office of Academic Development.

By: Dr. Gisela Frias (Geography Department); Ella Martin (Environmental Science student); Morgen Bertheussen (Environmental Studies Profile student); Mikayla Salmon-Beitel (Environmental Science student) and Susie Bouchard (Office of International Development)

References:

Moore, J. (2005) Seven recommendations for creating sustainability education at the university level. International Journal  of Sustainability in Higher Education, 6(4), 326-339).