Montreal, Canada - *Updated May 2014*
Update May. 2014: A huge thanks goes out to the thousand volunteers from the Dawson Community who helped make the Ecological Peace Garden a reality.
The Ecological Peace Garden at Dawson College has just been designated a biodiversity garden, a bird garden and a monarch oasis by Espace pour la vie Montréal.
A list of criteria set out by Espace pour la vie’s specialists must be met in order to have a garden recognized as a biodiverse space and to obtain the corresponding certification.
The Ecological Peace Garden is a series of interlocking “infinity loop” trails covering the college grounds. Several thousand native plants, flowers and shrubs border the circular paths.
The garden design follows the Earthvalues Institute’s “Wildlife Gaining Ground” criteria, where gardens are created to benefit local wildlife species as well.
TD Friends of the Environment Foundation has generously supported the ecozone development within the peace garden.
Benefits: The ecological peace garden continues to be a showcase of community involvement and help build a sense of community and belonging. It has also helped create a cultural shift at Dawson towards environmental stewardship as it give a portion of its urban landscape back to native wildlife, thereby increasing biodiversity.
Click here to watch a video about the garden's opening ceremony held at Dawson College.