Garden of Peace
We are proud to have Dawson College as a partner that has been offsetting its carbon footprint through Taking Root’s reforestation program for the past two years. This is but one small initiative within its “Living campus initiative”, a concept that integrates educational approaches under the vision of well-being for all and is the embodiment of the college’s commitment to the betterment of society. It recognizes that our entire campus is a learning lab that explicitly demonstrates that 1) Nature matters and 2) it mobilizes the College mission, values, vision and strategic plan through a sustainability filter.
In some ways, the seeds of Taking Root were sown at Dawson College 18 years ago.
Taking Root’s co-founder, Kahlil Baker, is a Dawson College alumni who first traveled to Nicaragua through part of its international development program. It was this program and trip which inspired him to found Taking Root.
A recent article titled “Garden of Peace” from Corporate Knights highlights Dawson College’s living campus initiative.
“While there are lots of living things on this 12-acre greenspace in the heart of downtown Montréal – like butterfly sanctuaries, insect resorts, beehives, meadows and other microhabitats – the Living Campus is not necessarily something that is always tangible. Rather, these opportunities to connect with nature are the catalyst that brings life to education and education to life. In the process, it also creates change agents with the competencies to tackle complex 21st century challenges.”
“The Dawson people are certainly good environmental stewards: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 per cent in the past six years and committed to achieving carbon neutrality; composting 600 kilograms of cafeteria and other food waste annually; and attracting birds and insects rarely seen in downtown Montréal back to their natural habitat.
These are worthwhile endeavours in their own right. But what sets Dawson apart from many other campuses is linking sustainability to happiness and well-being, and how this connection helps build the kind of leaders the world needs now.”
Read the full article HERE.
Taking Root
Taking Root’s purpose is to accelerate the restoration of the world’s forests. We enable smallholder farmers to grow trees and earn money from the carbon they remove from the atmosphere. Our technology and support make it simple for our reforestation partners to create transparent and robust forest carbon removals. From registering farmers and recruiting land, to monitoring trees grown and the carbon stored over time, we provide the tools at every step of the way to help our partners successfully manage and scale their carbon projects. Recognized for its best practices by the UN, EU and World Economic Forum, Taking Root is connecting thousands of farmers to the carbon market, improving their livelihoods by restoring forests around the world.