Earth Month at Seattle University
Posted: April 2, 2024
Logo by Clara Husaby (BA in Political Science, ’27), winner of the 2024 Earth Month® Logo Competition
This Earth Month, the SU community is invited to reflect on some of the work that has been conducted in light of the university’s commitment to institutional participation in Pope Francis’ Seven-Year Journey Toward Integral Ecology through the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP) as integrated in the Reigniting Our Strategic Directions goals. The campus community is also encouraged to participate in the many events and opportunities for engagement organized throughout the month.
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Visit Earth Month to learn about all the events and activities planned for the SU community and read today’s message from the co-chairs of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform and the director of the Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability.
What they’re saying: President Eduardo Peñalver speaks of the importance of Seattle University celebrating Earth Month:
“Sustainability and environmental justice are central to who we are as a Catholic and Jesuit university. As an institution we have accomplished a great deal, but we are facing a climate crisis that demands even greater attention. As Pope Francis expressed in his recently published document Laudate Deum:
…(O)ur responses [to care for our common home] have not been adequate . . . (As the Bishops assembled for the Synod for Amazonia) said: ‘Attacks on nature have consequences for people’s lives.’ . . . We will feel (the effects of climate change) in the areas of healthcare, sources of employment, access to resources, housing, forced migrations, etc. . . . It is a human and social problem on any number of levels.
“This insight reinforces the importance of our commitment to institutional participation in the Laudato Si Action Platform (2021), as integrated in the RSD goals. We strive to embed this commitment into everything we do at Seattle University and during the month of April, leading up to Earth Day, I encourage you to reflect on your personal commitment to care for our common home and for those who are impacted most significantly by climate change.”