Leading Through Laudato Si': Fall 2024 Progress Update
The Division of Mission and Ministry and the Center for Sustainability are excited to share our second progress update to theSustainable SCU: Leading Through Laudato Si’ (LTLS) action plan.
Over the past several months, the five LTLS Implementation Teams have defined priorities and begun work on campus-wide initiatives in justice and sustainability.
This semi-annual update provides a snapshot of ongoing and upcoming efforts across campus. You’ll find campus stories that highlight contributions from the SCU community, as well as insights into how these efforts align with Impact 2030: Santa Clara University’s Strategic Plan for a more humane, just, and sustainable world. You’ll also find the latest updates from the Jesuit School of Theology’s work integrating the Laudato Si' Action Plan into the theological and ministerial formation of future leaders for a synodal Church.
We are grateful for your continued dedication and support as we continue to integrate sustainability and justice into all that we do on campus, in our community, and for our common home.
Matt Carnes, S.J., Vice President for Mission and Ministry
Lindsey Kalkbrenner, Director of the Center for Sustainability
The Center for Sustainability staff
Fall Progress Update Highlights
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ACADEMICSGOAL: Santa Clara University will be recognized for scholarship, research, and thought leadership around integral ecology, and equip all of our graduates to contribute to building a sustainable world through their academic experiences. HIGHLIGHT: In the summer of 2024, 42 faculty members across 22 institutions completed the Center for Sustainability’s curriculum development workshops, furthering the strategy of advancing integral ecology through scholarship. |
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CAMPUS ENGAGEMENTGOAL: Santa Clara University will engage all students and employees in cultivating a culture of just sustainability by building a community who leads with a care ethic and applies an intersectional approach to care for our common home. HIGHLIGHT: With the support of the Board of Regents and in collaboration with the LEAD Scholars Program and the Career Center, the Center for Sustainability launched Bucky’s Closet, a cost-free campus store with an emphasis on creating access to professional attire. On its opening days, Bucky’s Closet welcomed 213 customers who selected 876 items! |
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTGOAL: Santa Clara University will use its platform in our local community, in the field of higher education, and in the global Jesuit network to scale climate resilience and regenerative practices through partnerships building environmental justice and an equitable economy. Highlight: Partnering with Silicon Valley Power, SCU’s SVP Sustainable Futures Program selected its 2024-25 Scholarship and Fellowship cohort, providing scholarships and project-based learning opportunities for undergraduate students from under-represented backgrounds who are pursuing sustainability-focused studies and careers. |
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OPERATIONS: ENERGYGOAL: Santa Clara University will position itself to be a climate positive university, accelerating the reduction of carbon pollution by driving down energy use through conservation and efficiency, decarbonizing our purchased energy and investments, and improving sustainable transportation options for our students and employees. HIGHLIGHT: SCU has installed its first electric vehicle chargers that are powered entirely from clean solar energy, not only generating renewable energy to charge our fleet, but also modeling for students how an organization can take responsibility for reducing carbon pollution. |
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OPERATIONS: RESOURCESGOAL: Santa Clara University will model sustainable operational practices by minimizing harmful impacts on humans and the environment through ecologically managed grounds, sustainable procurement, waste minimization and recovery, and decreased water use. HIGHLIGHT: Our campus-wide Zero Waste Move Out event reduced landfill waste during SCU’s end-of-year residence hall move-out, with a total of 3,100 pounds of materials diverted from landfills, including over 1,000 pounds of clothing, 1,500 pounds of residential room supplies, and with 550 pounds of donations to Hope Services. |