Seattle University and the Archdiocese of Seattle will host Together for Our Common Home: A Climate Action Summit in 2024

SEATTLE, Sept 13, 2023—In recognition of the growing threat of climate change and our responsibility to care for the common good, the Archdiocese of Seattle and Seattle University will convene a three-day climate conference July 9-11, 2024.

Together for Our Common Home is a climate action summit that will bring together business and nonprofit leaders, educators and students, researchers, faith leaders, indigenous communities, elected officials and community leaders, all with the goal to discuss ways to take real action to care for our common home.

The three-day gathering will feature a lineup of inspirational and influential speakers who will share the latest environmental breakthroughs, tackle the tough issues facing sustainability, make the connection between the Earth and the poorest among us and challenge people to authentically care for our planet and for each other.

The event will kick-off with an evening address from Cardinal Michael Czerny at St. James Cathedral. A Jesuit, Cardinal Czerny has worked to promote social justice in Canada, Latin America, Africa and Rome and has issued calls to be “responsible citizens and protect our common home.”

The conference will include two days of engaging presentations emceed by Anne Thompson, Chief Environmental Affairs correspondent for NBC News. Speakers include Mary Kipp of Puget Sound Energy and Kara Hurst from Amazon.

Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne and Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver are deeply aligned on the need for a climate summit. Archbishop Etienne developed the concept for the conference after beginning a similar event in Alaska before he became the Archbishop of Seattle.  

“In the spirit of good stewardship of our common home, we hope to bring about a necessary ecological conversion, which leads to greater efforts to work together for the good of creation,” says Archbishop Etienne. “Now is the time to hear and respond to the cry of the Earth, the cry of the poor and the cry of our youth.”

“Our students, faculty and staff, alumni and community deserve nothing less than our full commitment to the future of our planet,” says President Peñalver. “This collaboration with the Archdiocese of Seattle is a part of our deep commitment to the Earth.”

Conference organizers are currently securing speakers, corporate sponsors and organizing logistics. For more information, please contact:

• Joe Orlando, EdD, Special Assistant to the Provost for Special Initiatives at Seattle University, 206-296-5917, jorlando@seattleu.edu
• Patrick Barredo, Director of Social Outreach and Advocacy, St. James Cathedral, 206-382-4515, pbarredo@stjames-cathedral.org)

For more information: https://www.seattleu.edu/together-for-our-common-home/.

About the Archdiocese of Seattle

The Archdiocese of Seattle encompasses all of Western Washington, stretching from Canada to Oregon and from the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. There are 72 Catholic schools and 136 parishes in the archdiocese, with more than 500 weekly Masses celebrated in eight languages. Archbishop Paul D. Etienne leads the archdiocese with his auxiliary bishops, Bishop Eusebio Elizondo and Bishop Frank Schuster. For more information about the Archdiocese of Seattle, visit archseattle.org.  

For media inquiries, contact Lincoln Vander Veen with Seattle University (vanderv1@seattleu.edu) or Helen McClenahan with the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle (helen.mcclenahan@seattlearch.org)

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