The occasion of unexpectedly warm weather this week in Washington, D.C., while welcomed as an interruption of a cold stretch as well as a reminder of the warmer months to come, can also point our attention to the reality of a warming climate.
Mission in Motion has previously explored the mission-based university commitments to environmental sustainability that arise out of the Spirit of Georgetown, namely the value of Care for Our Common Home. The launching point for this particular value is the articulation of a morally informed environmental vision of Pope Francis in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si. In that document, Pope Francis comprehensively addresses the spiritual, economic, social, and cultural components that have led to our environmental crisis and the ongoing threats from climate change. Engaging the best of science and empirical research, while grounded in an ecumenical and multi-faith humanistic appeal, Pope Francis invites urgent action:
“I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenges we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.”
Such an urgent appeal should implicate all that we do at the university. And at SCS, the pursuit of environmental sustainability should inform our approach to teaching, learning, community engagement, and facilities and operations. The School has already made a major commitment in this way through its certified LEED Gold campus building as certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The environmental crisis is so significant that it has to be a coordinated, multi-pronged local, national, and international strategy. But we can all do our part in this shared effort.
So in this season, I invite you to consider three questions below to reflect upon and then consider developing an ongoing plan of action. Such questions are especially fitting in this moment of the religious calendar, with the Christian community going through the time of Lent and the Jewish community preparing for Passover. Both of these religious events invite deeper self-reflection about the way that we are called to take part in the repair of our broken and bruised world.
Three questions for you to consider in that spirit of a social motivated-commitment to healing the earth:
- What have I done to make my local community, the places that I live and work, and the wider world more environmentally sustainable?
- What am I doing to make my local community, the places that I live and work, and the wider world more environmentally sustainable?
- And what ought I do to make my local community, the places that I live and work, and the wider world more environmentally sustainable?
As you ponder these questions, I invite you to explore Georgetown’s education and practice resources for developing a personal action plan. Check out the research-based Earth Commons Institute and the Office of Sustainability.