Knowledge & Experience

“I see sustainability as a much broader subject now. It is not just the act of planting a plant or buying greener cleaning products, but also about working together and making the world a better place. Building connections with people around us, working together as a team in creating change for a better tomorrow is how I now see sustainability. It is about finding the goodwill in people and working as one” (Gabrielle Caron – Dawson College Intern)

One of the principle objectives of the Sustainable Campus initiative is to share knowledge and experience on campus sustainability among participating institutions.

An important way we have done this has been through the establishment of student internships and exchanges. Since 2013 an increasing number of Dawson College students have carried out internships on campus sustainability at different partner institutions in Mexico, the Universidad Pedagogica Nacional (Cuernavaca, Ayala and Galeana Campus), the Escuela Particular Normal Superior Lic. Benito Juarez and the Universidad Politecnica del Estado de Morelos. and the Preparatoria Comunitaria Tres Marias (UAEM). Dawson College students have worked side by side with Mexican students, teachers and staff to carry out student driven campus sustainability initiatives. More recently we have been able to establish a more reciprocal relationship, being able to welcome students from our partner Mexican institutions for a semester at Dawson College.

We have learned a great deal about the important role students can play in bringing creativity, knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment to seeing sustainability projects through in our educational institutions. These internships have also been a key means to share Dawson’s experience in campus sustainability with our partners and to bring back new ideas, insights and knowledge to our campus.