Peace 365 students planted their tomatoes
On Feb. 27, students of the Peace 365 course taught by Ivan Freud planted their tomatoes as part of the Peace & Nature segment of the course. The planting took place with the invaluable assistance of Sustainable Dawson’s Jenn de Vera and one of her Sustainabili-team student volunteers, Tasneem.
Jenn introduced students to where our tomatoes come from as well as how they are grown and transported. Jenn made clear that home-grown tomatoes or those grown by a local farmer are much tastier and more nutritious because they are permitted to ripen on the vine as opposed to the imported variety which are ripened with ethylene in transport containers!
Students made self-watering containers and got their hands dirty planting their seeds. As Jenn reminded them, having one’s hands in soil releases serotonin in the brain! Students then named their plants and brought them to their new home on one of the windowsills in our bright sunlit cafeteria. Students are to nurture and track the growth and development of their tomato offspring weekly. This is the 12th cohort of students planting tomatoes as part of the 365 course!
Students and employees can volunteer their time with Dawson’s Sustainabili-team, even in the summertime, by emailing Jenn at: sustainability@dawsoncollege.qc.ca
