On three rooftops at Dawson College, our edible gardens project aims to bring fresh, healthy, affordable and locally grown food to the Dawson Community.

We planted our first edible gardens in April 2012 on the rooftops of Dawson’s campus in downtown Montreal. Now, in our fourth year, we are significantly expanding the gardens and integrating their lessons into teaching and learning about sustainability at Dawson. Students in the Advanced Environmental Studies profile are engaged in learning about urban agriculture and involved in planning, planting, harvesting, and managing the garden each year. Faculty are invited to bring their classes to learn about the gardens, urban agriculture, and urban sustainability. The Dawson community are involved in building and volunteering in the garden.

In 2012, we were fortunate to have the help of the the Eco-Leaders Initiative sponsored by Alternatives’ Rooftop Gardens Program. Two Eco-Leaders helped the College develop and implement a pilot project in two locations at Dawson College.

In 2013 and 2014, we were fortunate to have the support of a grant from L’Association québécoise pour la promotion de l’éducation relative à l’environnement (AQPERE) to expand the pilot project to involve more locations and more students throughout the college.

Rooftop gardens and urban agriculture contribute to reducing excess heat and pollution in cities, improving air quality, increasing access to fresh local produce, sequestering carbon dioxide, and thus helping to combat climate change. In short, urban agriculture helps us build healthier city living and a more sustainable relationship to the earth.

For more information on rooftop gardens and Alternatives, see: http://www.rooftopgardens.alternatives.ca/

For more information about AQPERE and their campus écodurables intiative, see: http://www.aqpere.qc.ca/campus/

For more information on Sustainable Dawson, see: https://www-chris.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/our-communities/sustainable-dawson

Come and join us!