Our Commitment

Seattle University has an institutional commitment to sustainability. Our work is guided by the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP), the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS), and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

  1. Institute for Environmental Justice and Sustainability
  2. Laudato Si' Action Platform
  3. Our Commitment
Doors of St. Ignatius Chapel looking out to the bell tower

Sustainability is Core to Our Catholic Jesuit Identity

As a Jesuit, Catholic university, Seattle University’s ethos calls us to revere the life-giving force of the natural world, to care for our common home as responsible stewards of the planet and to work for justice so that no people are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation.

Seattle University’s commitment to sustainability is grounded in Jesuit values that date back nearly 500 years. We take our inspiration from St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, who encouraged his early companions to “Find God in All Things.”

In 2015, Pope Francis issued his encyclical on the environment, Laudato si’, challenging humankind to take responsibility for the planet and be mindful of those who are suffering most from the ecological crisis now before us. And in 2019, the Society of Jesus released its four global “apostolic preferences,” explicitly making “On Care of Our Common Home” a vital part of their apostolic mission for the next 10 years.

Sustainability Timeline

A timeline detailing the sustainability actions and initatives taken by Seattle University from 1986-2026

Over the past decade, Seattle University has made significant commitments and taken subsequent action to embed sustainability in the long-term development of the university: from signing on to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2007, creating a Climate Action Plan (2010) and establishing the President's Committee for Sustainability (PCS, 2011) to developing a Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (CEJS, 2013). Since 2016, Seattle University has joined the 1000+ universities and colleges that use the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). STARS facilitates the assessment of our campus's sustainability performance and our contribution to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals through operations, programs, actions, and policies.

In 2021, Seattle University’s aspiration to lead on sustainability and environmental justice was reinforced by the Reigniting Our Strategic Directions (2022-2027) foundational goal and a letter of commitment to institutional participation in Pope Francis’ Seven Year Journey Toward Integral Ecology through the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, putting concrete action behind the goals outlined by Pope Francis in his 2015 encyclical. This resulted in the creation of the university’s Laudato Si’ Executive Committee and the adoption of our first Laudato Si' Sustainability Action Plan encompassing 4 priorities and 27 goals. Most recently the university reached the major milestone of divesting its endowment from fossil fuels (June 2023), made a commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across scopes 1 and 2 by 2045 and launched the Institute for Environmental Justice and Sustainability, embodying the institutionalization of our Laudato Si’ commitment and action plan.

Our Framework of Inspiration

Image with wheel icons of Laudato Si, STARS, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals placed side by side