Environmental awareness and action is not just cool it’s true to our university mission
Saint Joseph’s University’s school colors may be crimson and gray but this spring, we’re ready to go green.
Over the past few weeks, the opinions section for The Hawk has become a place of discussion about the environment, reflecting on environmental education and awareness. We’re a university with Jesuit values rooted in our mission and our vocation, and those values are intertwined with going green.
Our nature calls us to learn about the Catholic Social teachings, whether we identify as Catholic or not. One of these teachings includes “care for God’s creation.” Our values urge us to question the pattern as to why the environment has become a hot topic of discussion not only in the media, but here on campus.
Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church (and who visited St. Joe’s in the fall of 2015), isn’t just the hip pope – he’s the green one too. And he hasn’t just given members of the faith inspiration to be environmentally friendly. Rather, he has empowered them to act. In a 2015 New York Times article by Jim Yardley and Laurie Goodstein entitled “Pope Francis, in a Sweeping Encyclical, Calls for Swift Action on Climate Change,” Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato Si’, or ‘Praise be to you’, confronts very real problems about the wellness of our world. Yardley and Goodstein reports the document as recognizing “relentless exploitation and destruction of the environment”. As we know, and Francis reaffirms, a moral duty runs deeper than belief. Its rooted in action. Francis offers us wisdom through his own words: “People occasionally forgive, but nature never does. If we don’t take care of the environment, there’s no way of getting around it.”
Catholicism, and St. Joe’s itself, was founded on the basis of community and moral obligations to a higher power. As students who implement the magis, we are called to do more, not less, in the face of adversity. In 2013, U.S. Catholic magazine published “How college campuses’ are going green,” by Katie Bahr, emphasizing a student-run “environmental revolution.” Bahr wrote about how the University of Portland (UP), which no longer permits water bottles to be sold on campus, made plans to reach complete carbon neutrality for 2040. But Bahr’s article doesn’t just tackle the UP’s initiatives either.
Bahr also explained how in the 2011 Princeton Review’s Guide to Greenest Colleges, various Catholic institutions of higher learned were represented. Currently, in the 2016 edition – which encompasses 361 colleges and universities – Catholic Jesuit schools like Boston College, Loyola Marymount University, Loyola University of Chicago, and Marquette University made the cut. That’s not just green. That’s awesome.
As a university, we too have made powerful steps in the right direction to promote going green within our own university. The Green Fund is a strong presence here on Hawk Hill, and their initiatives empower us as members of the community to respect our world. They work not only to spread awareness about how cool our earth is (and therefore why it needs our support!), but they also fund sustainable projects on campus to promote energy efficiency, water conservation, and composting just to name a few.
Our campus has made concrete steps to reach this green initiative and has been recognized for it. St. Joe’s received a “Go for the Green Award” from Lower Merion Township’s Environmental Advisory Council for 2016. We have also seen other organizations take a stance on protecting our earth such as student ambassadors for St. Joe’s Catholic Relief Services. Their “I am Climate Change” message worked to raise awareness to our representatives about the environment. On Feb. 23, St. Joe’s will be hosting a lecture entitled “Climate Change is Here. Now What?” at 11 a.m. in the Wolfington Teletorium.
But it’s also important to recognize that even the smallest efforts on campus help the cause. It may not seem like much, but acknowledging our actions and making a conscious step to recognize our environment’s needs, will lead to a more green future. We all know the value of convenience, but if the resources are there to encourage a green initiative, you wouldn’t have to go out of your way to give back to our earth a little. So let’s hug a tree, and walk to class.
Yes, you heard us. Take a picturesque walk in the snow instead of driving to cut down on emissions and your carbon footprint. Bring out that bike that’s been collecting dust in your garage. Who knows, you may start a trend. And if it is not the perfect day to enjoy our lovely weather, turn up the tunes with a friend and carpool to school instead of driving your own car. You save gas money and do a little more for Mother Earth. It’s a win-win. But the options don’t end with transportation.
Bring your own mug to campion or fill up a reusable water bottle. Offer to bring a friend’s recycling bin to the waste room. Put your empty Starbucks cup in the right container. Learn about how your major and your future career could be affected by climate change and environmental initiatives. The options are limitless. The point is not that we all have to join the Green Fund. Rather, the point is that we all know why the Green Fund and other organizations like it exist and support them as an important part of our community that promotes sustainability.
Going green isn’t just an initiative and, as Pope Francis points out, it isn’t about just us either. It’s part of a much larger one that we are all a part of – the one that links us to the Earth. When we do small environmentally friendly things, we should not seek to simply affirm ourselves and feel good. It requires earnest humility to recognize that we are a very tiny part of something so much greater – the destiny not only of ourselves, but of others.
There is nothing more Jesuit than that.
