Living Campus – Dawson College

Living Campus is the embodiment of Dawson College’s commitment to the improvement of society and exists with three goals. First, to act as a socially and ecologically responsible agent through the identification and management of sustainability performance indicators. Second, to reconnect people, communities, and nature through the development of nature-based action projects that involve real-world ecological problem-solving, increase biodiversity in an urban setting, and cultivate collaboration. Third, Living Campus aims to advance the understanding and teaching of sustainability by building local and international learning communities that foster collaboration and exchange of best practices.

Within the framework of the Living Campus project, Dawson College created a series of green spaces dedicated to biodiversity and sustainable practices on its grounds, with the collaboration of devoted students and teachers. Among these are:

• Several themed rooftop gardens: food production, apiary, « Three Sisters » garden, medicinal plants, decomposition garden, etc.
• A Monarch nursery garden with more than 200 milkweed plants.
• A Peace Garden.
• Several biodiversity zones such as a pond, a forest floor garden and a meadow garden.

The project also features a nature interpretation program for youth (Naturehood), a Monarch rearing and release project, as well as a network of 6 bird feeding stations.