Catholic Colleges Join ‘We Are Still In’ Coalition

Catholic college and university presidents have signed an open letter to the international community noting that they will continue to support climate action to meet the Paris agreement.  The letter has been signed by leaders from state and local governments, higher education, and businesses.  As of June 13, 20 Catholic higher education leaders had signed the letter.

The statement notes: “It is imperative that the world know that in the U.S., the actors that will provide the leadership necessary to meet our Paris commitment are found in city halls, state capitals, colleges and universities, investors and businesses. Together, we will remain actively engaged with the international community as part of the global effort to hold warming to well below 2℃ and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy that will benefit our security, prosperity, and health.”

University of Dayton President Eric Spina is one of the Catholic higher education presidents who signed the statement, noting the connection to Catholic teaching on the environment.  “We share the goals of the Paris Agreement to fight climate change with science, innovation and leadership,” Spina said. “Furthermore, in alignment with Pope Francis and our Catholic, Marianist commitment to the common good, we recognize that environmental stewardship is a social justice issue, and that failure to act on climate change disproportionately affects the poor and disadvantaged throughout the world.”

Read more about the statement, including how to sign, here.

Save the Date for Feast of St. Francis 2016

On October 4, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assissi. This year, Catholic Climate Covenant (CCC) invites us all to join them in making the Feast even more special, in honor of the one-year anniversary of Laudato Si’.

By registering with CCC, individuals, parishes, schools, and universities will have access to the following to the Feast of St. Francis program guide, which includes the following:

• Prayers and scripture readings
• Short video with discussion questions
• Activities
• Advocacy
• Resources

Registration will be available later this summer; however, it is never to early to begin plans to host events in honor of the Feast. CCC offers event resources just for colleges:

• From St. Francis to Pope Francis to You! Creating a Climate for Solidarity
• Melting Ice, Mending Creation
• Sun Come Up: Educational Initiative

Celebrating the Feast of St. Francis is a wonderful way to continue practicing the call to care for our common home. Be sure to continue checking CCC’s website for more details!

How will your college or university celebrate the Feast of St. Francis? Let us know! 

How Have you Been Inspired by Laudato Si’?

For the one-year anniversary of Laudato Si’, Catholic Climate Covenant invites us to join them in showing the world how we’ve been Inspired by Laudato Si’. Here’s how some members of the ACCU staff have been inspired:

The ACCU staff have been inspired by Laudato Si’ to conserve water in the office:

Laudato Si’ inspires the ACCU staff to use reusable water bottles or glasses instead of plastic water bottles:

Laudato Si’ inspires ACCU Vice President, Tom Mans, to take the Metro (even now!):

How have you been inspired by Laudato Si‘? Join the campaign!

1. Download either the “Inspired by Laudato Si’, I have…” or the “Inspired by Laudato Si’, I will…” campaign card.
2. Fill-in the card with an action you took that was inspired by the encyclical or an action you will take because of the Pope’s call to care for our common home. For examples, like taking the St. Francis Pledge, see CCC’s website.
3. Take a photo of you holding your card.
4. Post the photo to your Facebook or Twitter. Remember to include the hashtag #CreationCare and to challenge your friends and family by tagging them.

 

Laudato Si’ Makes an Impact in Jesuit Higher Education

The upcoming one-year anniversary of the release of Laudato Si’ has inspired reflection on the impacts it has had on Catholics around the world, especially institutions of Catholic higher education. In the April 2016 issue of Connections, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ (AJCU) monthly  newsletter, several institutions were featured as having responded to the encyclical with fervor:

• Laudato Si’ was a “Game-Changer” for Creighton University, where professors of theology, biology, environmental science, cultural and social studies, and communication studies, and sustainability studies have experienced renewed interest and and energy in their studies and coursework.
• Gonzaga University has taken a “Multidisciplinary Approach” to responding to the encyclical with “deep academic engagement around Catholic social teaching,” encyclical reading groups, inter-departmental panel discussions, lectures, documentary film screenings, and a renewed commitment to sustainability on campus.
• Food justice and social justice have been major themes for Loyola University Chicago‘s response to Laudato Si’, as well as “eco-education” through conferences focused on poverty and climate justice, lectures, and assisting in the development of a new free online environmental textbook.
• Marquette University has made a renewed commitment to “Going Green” through participating in research at the Global Water Center in Milwaukee, the hiring of the University’s first sustainability coordinator, assisting in the development of the above-mentioned textbook, the LEED certification of two campus buildings, and the focusing of Mission Week on care for creation and sustainability.
• A reflection on the call to promote and fight for environmental justice, as inspired by Laudato Si’, written by Clint J. Springer,  associate professor of biology at St. Joseph’s University.
• Santa Clara University has taken the encyclical as a “Charter Document” for its “commitment to climate justice,” as evidenced by the visit of Peter Cardinal Turkson for a conference on climate change, reading groups, the visit of Carolyn Woo of Catholic Relief Services, academic integration of the encyclical, Ignatian reflection, and more.

These institutions of Jesuit higher education are just a few examples of the Catholic response to Laudato Si’.   How has your college or university responded to Laudato Si’? Let us know! 

How Will You Celebrate the Anniversary of Laudato Si’?

June 18 marks the one-year anniversary of the release of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s encyclical on “Care for Our Common Home.” In one year, the encyclical has inspired thousands of Catholics to get involved with care for creation, climate and environmental justice, food security, and more. To celebrate the anniversary of this groundbreaking encyclical, join the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM) for Laudato Si Week! Here are some ways you can get involved:

• From June 12 to June 19, GCCM will host an international celebration of Laudato Si’ with daily reflections on different themes from the encyclical in an online conference, featuring speakers such as Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Jeffrey Sachs from the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and Michael Roy from Caritas Internationalis. The themes are as follows:
  • June 13 – Chapter 1: What is Happening to Our Common Home
  • June 14 – Chapters 2, 3, & 4: Why Is This Happening
  • June 15 – Chapter 5: What Should We Do for Our Common Home
• GCCM is hoping to recognize at least 1,000 parishes, communities, schools and universities that are hosting a Laudato Si’ themed event during the week. Register your event here!
• Looking for inspiration for a Laudato Si’ inspired event? Check here for ideas, climate change facts, information on Laudato Si’ and more!
• Sign the People’s Ecological Call, a letter urging national and international leaders to work towards adequate reductions of carbon emissions.
• Take the lead at your parish, school, or university and become a Laudato Si Animator.
• Sign up your organization to appear on the list of organizations participating in Laudato Si Week.

We hope you will join us in celebrating the release of Laudato Si’ and all the wonderful impacts it has made on the fight for environmental justice!

How will your college or university participate celebrate the anniversary of Laudato Si’? Let us know! 

 

Santa Clara University graduates sign sustainability pledge

For over 10 years, Santa Clara University, has focused on sustainability, starting with the implementation of a sustainability policy in 2004. In 2007, the former president, Fr. Paul Locatelli,  signed the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment and since then, the university has projected that by the end of this year it will be climate neutral, producing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Recently, many of the Santa Clara University graduates have signed a pledge to carry out their school’s social and environmental consciousness into their future careers. From their time spent at the university, many of the students at Santa Clara feel that taking the pledge is a natural progression.

To read more about Santa Clara University’s efforts toward sustainability and the pledge being signed by many of their recent graduates, click here.

 

Save the date: Cabrini College hosting conference on climate change

“FAITH, CLIMATE, AND HEALTH: CREATION CARE FOR A GREENER FUTURE”

Grace Hall, Cabrini College

610 King of Prussia Rd., Radnor, PA 19087

Friday, April 17, 2015, 9a.m.-2p.m.

At this free conference, concerned citizens will gather to examine the perils of climate change and how we as a society can address them.

• SEE – the spiritual call to care for God’s creation.
• JUDGE – the scientific evidence about the threats posed by climate change.
• ACT – with practical initiatives on how to undertake take political, institutional, and personal advocacy to arrest climate change and bring about a greener world.

U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey has been invited to be the keynote speaker on

“The Impact of Climate Change on Children’s Health”

Additional Speakers Include:

• John Francis Burke, Ph.D., Cabrini College, “The Greening of Catholic Social Teaching”
• Rabbi Arthur Waskow, The Shalom Center ”From Eden to Shabbat to Jubilee: The Earth-Oriented Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures “

Breakout Sessions

• Carrie Nielsen, Ph.D., Cabrini College, A Scientific Engagement of Environmental Health Issues
• Chuck Marshall, Central Baptist Church, Striving for a Carbon-Neutral Faith-Based Community – The Case of Central Baptist, Wayne PA
• The Shalom Center, Environmental Political Advocacy – “Move Our Money, Protect Our Planet”

• Mitch Hescox, Evangelical Environmental Network, The Joseph Pledge – Preparing Churches for Extreme Weather & Climate Change

Lunch will be provided.

Co-sponsors:

Cabrini College

Shalom Center

PA Interfaith Power and Light

Evangelical Environmental Network

PHILADELPHIA Interfaith Power and Light

The PA Religious Coalition on Creation Care

The National Religious Coalition on Creation Care