New period poverty project at Dawson
February 12th, 2026
Dawson College is taking new steps this semester to raise awareness about period poverty and encourage more sustainable menstrual health options.
As part of this effort, five bathrooms across campus now offer free menstrual products as do some student offices, such as the First-Year Students’ Office. This initiative aims to remove barriers faced by students who may not always have access to these essential items, a challenge that can lead to preventable absenteeism and even lost employment opportunities.
Period poverty is rising in Canada and it is having a real impact on thousands of people who struggle to afford menstrual products each month. By making these supplies freely available, Dawson hopes to help reduce stigma, promote equity, and support student well-being.
In April, the campaign’s second phase will focus on sustainable menstrual products. Students will learn about the environmental and health drawbacks of disposable items and discover reusable alternatives such as menstrual cups and period underwear.
The project is being managed by the Office of Sustainability thanks to a donation to the Dawson College Foundation.
January 29th, 2026
As an extension of the Food Justice Program at Dawson College, which offers free vegetarian or vegan meals and snacks five days a week, the Office of Sustainability wanted to keep the goodwill and love going through the launch of the Cooking for Justice program last fall. Every month, faculty and their students come together to create a beautiful…
Help Dawson power up recycling!
January 29th, 2026
Dawson has joined a friendly campus competition to see who can collect the most used batteries—and we need your help! In collaboration with Environnement Jeunesse and Appel à Recycler® through the Recycle Your Batteries Canada program (Canada’s leader in battery and cell recycling), Dawson has a chance to win $1,000.
Bring your used batteries to the Recycling Centre on the second floor, across from the Information Desk, and help keep hazardous waste out of landfills.
Deadline: March 15, 2026
Every battery counts—let’s charge ahead together!
Cooking for Justice: Dawson students serve up more than just soup
November 20th, 2025
A new initiative called Cooking for Justice is connecting Dawson College students with their community—and with each other—one pot of soup at a time. Led by Diana Rice of the Office of Sustainability, the project blends hands-on cooking with lessons in social justice, sustainability, and mutual aid, transforming classroom time into meaningful action.
“It started last year during Indigenous Awareness Week,” explains Diana Rice. “The students of the Decolonization and Indigenization Studies certificate and the Office of Sustainability teamed up to make Three Sisters Soup to donate to Resilience Montreal as our contribution to the week. The students enjoyed the work so much that I decided it would be a great repeat activity, but this time with the intention of working directly with teachers and their classes.”
Visit the link for the homepage news story.
November 19th, 2025
Support staff, professionals and teachers have the amazing opportunity to actively participate in Dawson’s Sustainable Happiness non-credit community certificate group. This is a gift from Dawson that you can do within your working hours at the College! The Sustainable Happiness training will guide people to reflect on positive psychology and sustainability. It contributes to Dawson’s…
Get Ready to “Bee” Hands-On: Join Dawson’s Rooftop Honey Harvest on Nov. 13
November 6th, 2025
It’s that time of year again when you can get your hands dirty, or should we say your fingers sticky, and help extract honey from our bee frames located in the hives on the 4H rooftop. Our bees have been busy producing a lot of honey thanks to our many pollinating flower gardens on campus, which are all maintained by our very own Sustainabili-team student and employee volunteers.
The fun-filled hour will include uncapping honeycomb cells, hand-spinning honeycombs in the centrifugal extractor, and filtering the raw honey before jarring and labelling it. All participants will leave with a little sample jar of Dawson's honey. It will BEE fun and you can use your weekly well-being hour to participate.
Spaces are limited. RSVP IS A MUST, please fill out this MS form for the employee event on Nov. 13 from 11 AM to 12 PM. The Office of Sustainability will send you a confirmation email.
Dawson in the news
November 6th, 2025
Diana Rice of the Office of Sustainability was interviewed by CTV News. about Food Justice programs.
You can see the Oct. 23 report by visiting the link.
Mini waste bins now available
October 23rd, 2025
Looking for a tidy way to manage your workspace waste? Pick up a mini waste bin, perfect for compost, landfill or recycling. These handy bins, which are exclusively for Dawson employees (faculty and staff), are available on a first-come, first-served basis (one per person), so don’t wait! We are located in 4B.3A.
Each person is responsible for sorting their own waste and bringing it to the hallway waste sorting stations. These mini bins make it easier to stay organized and more mindful of the waste we produce, one small step toward a cleaner, more sustainable Dawson College.
For questions, please email sustainability@dawsoncollege.qc.ca
Help us plant a micro forest at Dawson on Oct. 30
October 22nd, 2025
The Office of Sustainability is inviting the Dawson Community to come to the west side of the campus (closer to Wood Avenue) on Thursday, Oct. 30 any time between 10 AM-12 PM to participate in the Micro Forest Dig-In.
Come help plant native species, trees, edible bushes, and wildflower seeds! All gloves and tools will be provided. This is a great way for staff to use our weekly well-being hour.
The Office of Sustainability’s proposal to Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) to create a micro forest secured a Campus Climate Micro-Grant.
Diana Rice of the Office of Sustainability described the project in the proposal: "We will plant an adapted form of a micro forest based on a Haudenosaunee land conservation and rehabilitation practices (approximately 30 feet x 40 feet) on the Dawson grounds between the Peace Garden and Wood Avenue to decrease greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of our urban campus, continue to enhance our Living Campus learning space by creating another microhabitat to be used in program curricula for competency attainment, assessment, and evaluation; decolonize our land to design a uniquely Haudenosaunee version of a micro forest."
Expanded Food Justice program advances well-being for all
September 25th, 2025
The Food Justice program at Dawson has been significantly expanded this year. Free food is being offered five days a week to the Dawson community, a vital part of the College’s commitment to well-being for all. Coordinated by the Office of Sustainability and funded by the Dawson Foundation and the Dawson Student Union, the program addresses food insecurity while advancing social justice and sustainability on campus.
Diana Rice of the Office of Sustainability explains that there is a broader understanding of sustainability that includes peace and social justice. “Food Justice programming is a critical piece,” she says, due to its role in tackling the harmful impacts of industrial agriculture on the environment and marginalized communities. The program prioritizes ethical purchasing by sourcing organic and local food to reduce pollution, protect biodiversity, and support economic stability for vulnerable groups.
There is a major impact on students and the entire Dawson community. “A student once confided that being able to eat lunch or breakfast four days a week meant that they could give their mom a break in terms of groceries, which were becoming more and more unaffordable,” Diana shared. “They said it was a relief because they already felt guilty about going to school and not working full time to help support the family. Knowing that they could help save money and keep food in the pantry at home longer made going to school more worthwhile and kept it accessible.”
Visit the link for the homepage news story.
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Last Modified: February 12, 2026
