Answering the Pope’s Call to Action

This May, the world will mark the 10^th anniversary of Laudato Si’ (“On Care for Our Common Home”) brought forth by Pope Francis, who invites different sectors of society to care for all creation. The disproportionate effect of environmental change on the poor is strongly highlighted in almost every page of the encyclical and the Pope provides many baneful examples of the effects of climate change, whose “worst impact” is felt by those in developing countries.

Central to Laudato Si’ is caring for one another, our communities, the world and the planet—particularly in light of the climate crisis, an urgency that the Pope emphasizes in the encyclical.

As a Jesuit, Catholic university, SU has demonstrated a purposeful and full commitment to the goals outlined within Laudato Si’:

• Respond to the Cry of the Earth
• Respond to the Cry of the Poor
• Foster Ecological Economics
• Adopt a Sustainable Lifestyle
• Offer Ecological Education
• Develop Ecological Spirituality
• Support Local Communities

“In Laudato Si’, the Pope is addressing both Catholics and people of goodwill,” says Professor Jeanette Rodriguez, PhD, who has been a key figure in how the university is leading when it comes to adopting the tenets of Laudato Si’. “It’s important to note that he doesn’t say ‘climate change’—he says, ‘climate crisis.’ I think that shift in language, that sometimes people might miss, is significant.”

In response to the Pope’s invitation to higher education institutions to be even more deeply engaged with the encyclical and its goals, President Eduardo Peñalver signed a letter of commitment in 2021 to join the “Seven-Year Journey Toward Integral Ecology” Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP) and adopted it as a goal in the university’s strategic directions. The “LSAP” papal initiative envisions sustainability in the spirit of integral ecology and calls to redefine and rebuild our relationship with each other and our common home.

“As a university dedicated to sustainability and environmental justice, this initiative aligns with our mission and the impact we aim to have,” says President Peñalver. “Being among the first institutions of higher education to take this step is a natural extension of our mission.”

When the university sought to put the commitment into action through the LSAP it was led by Dr. Rodriguez, who reached out to Yolanda Cieters, interim director of the Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability. Together they have been guiding SU’s LSAP initiative as co-chairs since 2022.

“Dr. Rodriguez was very intentional about bringing together some key actors from around campus, asking questions about what this means to the university and how to translate the call from the Pope into taking action,” says Cieters. She hailed Dr. Rodriguez’s leadership for weaving together the strands that make up the action platform’s mission and doing so in a way that aligns with the university’s values.

While this spring ushers in a decade since Pope Francis released the Laudato Si’, Seattle University is entering its fourth year of the action platform, marked by a host of achievements.

The work, led by faculty and staff, is guided by a multi-year plan that the LSAP leadership team finalized in February 2023, which includes 27 goals—under four different priorities—that span campus operations, programs and community partnerships.

As Seattle University marks the mid-way point of the LSAP, much has been accomplished. Here’s a look at some of what’s been achieved:

Priority 1: Integrate Integral Ecology Across the Curriculum and Research
Accomplishments include:

• Delivery of curriculum workshops.
• Launch of two Laudato Si’ faculty research fellowships.
• Creation of sustainability focused courses.
• Development of repositories of all sustainability courses offered at SU and all sustainability research conducted by SU faculty in the past three-and-a-half years.
  –The courses and research are mapped to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform Goals and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Priority 2: Achieve Climate Neutrality and Reduce Seattle University’s Environmental Footprint
Accomplishments include:

• Completion of a Zero Carbon Over Time (ZoT) Infrastructure Study and baseline to develop a phased transition to electrification.
• Adoption of a Green Fleet policy.
• Creation of a Zero Waste student fellowship team to support the completion of SU’s first, comprehensive, campus-wide waste assessment and the development of a strategic action plan proposal, which will lay the groundwork for the university’s zero waste roadmap.

Priority 3: Practice Socially Responsible Consumption, Purchasing and Investment
Accomplishments include:

• In June 2023, Seattle University became the first university in Washington state and the first Jesuit, Catholic university in the country to fulfill a commitment of divestment from fossil fuels, while charting a new course of socially responsible investing.
• Creation of a Socially Responsible Investment working group
• In April 2024, the university adopted its first sustainable procurement policy.

Priority 4: Develop a Sustainable Campus Climate and Deepen Community Engagement and Public Advocacy

Community resilience and self-efficacy call for deep listening, community engagement and participatory action at various levels. Efforts in this area focus on:

• Establishing an annual Laudato Si’ celebration in collaboration with internal and community partners.
• Building relationships with local, Indigenous and BIPOC communities.
• Collaborating on educational seminars and programming for informed public advocacy.

Participants at an advocacy summit on campus.

Last spring Seattle University ranked as one of the Top 10 most-sustainable colleges and universities in the nation, according to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) report, achieving a “Gold” rating. 

“Such recognition is a testament to the vision, planning and intentional efforts by our university leadership and countless colleagues and departments across all areas at SU to turn our ‘commitments’ into ‘action’ and to infuse the Laudato Si’ vision in our university’s practices,” says Cieters. “Through our programs and practices, the SU campus environment exposes students to solutions and adequate responses to climate and sustainability challenges they can participate in, learn from, add to their toolkit and take with them to utilize, inspire and educate in their future personal and professional life.”

Campus Ministry Director Luke Lavin has played a pivotal role in shaping the university's success when it comes to reaching milestones within the LSAP, with his focus on Priority 4.

“I get the chance to lead and prioritize within the platform in partnership with Professor Colette Taylor,” says Lavin. “We’re dedicated to cultivating a sustainable campus environment, which includes hosting events like the advocacy summit with Jesuits in the Northwest.”

The university’s efforts in addressing the different elements of the LSAP include hosting events such as the Northwest Jesuit Advocacy Summit (in partnership with Campus Ministry) and a food justice summit, with the latter tackling issues of food insecurity.

"These efforts are part of our broader commitment under the LSAP, aiming to foster advocacy and influence policy changes beneficial to the environment,” says Lavin.

As the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’ approaches, Seattle University is gearing up for a series of events that kick off in early spring, including Earth Month events and a campus-wide celebration on May 20. Among the notable speakers coming to campus are Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, keynote speaker at SU’s annual Earth Talks on Earth Day, April 22, and Dr. Bullard, known as the “father of environmental justice,” who will be on campus on April 26 to kick off the Care for Creation Summit.

“These events are not just about marking an anniversary but embodying the call to action laid out in Laudato Si’, encouraging our community to live out its principles,” says Lavin.

For more details on Seattle University's Laudato Si’ initiatives and upcoming events celebrating the 10-year anniversary, visit www.seattleu.edu/laudatosi.