Mission-Driven Sustainability
Loyola has always been guided by our identity as Chicago’s Catholic, Jesuit place of higher learning. Our responsibility to follow Catholic teaching prioritizes social justice and Ignatian pedagogy in our daily work. Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical on Ecology, Laudato Si’, reinforced and supercharged this work and is a guiding framework for Loyola’s approach to sustainability and climate action. This page is a summary of Loyola’s approach to mission-driven sustainability and the links and resources provided below are consistently being updated and refreshed.
Laudato Si Plan
In 2021, Loyola committed to the Laudato Si’ 7 Year Challenge issued by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. This effort has brought together faculty, students, staff, and partners to address the ecological crises we currently face. The work of this group continues as Loyola responds to the call of Laudato Si and Laudate Deum. An inventory of current initiatives organized by the seven (7) categories of the Challenge can be found here.
If there are other resources that you would like to see included on this page, please contact the Office of Sustainability at sustainability@luc.edu.
Loyola leaders on mission-driven sustainability:
Mission Integration
Loyola’s commitment to mission is led by the Division of Mission Integration and its units, including Ignatian Spirituality, Community Service and Action, and Campus Ministries (Lakeside and Health Sciences). Mission Integration supports Pope Francis’ concept of “Integral Ecology” and emphasizes the University’s enduring value to “Care for Our World.” Mission Integration works to develop the whole University’s self-understanding in sustainability through student, faculty and staff development programs, such as Loyola 201: Partners in Mission, New Student Orientation, the All Things Ignatian Staff Seminar, and Ignatian Heritage Month. Mission Integration also hosts its own initiatives related to Integral Ecology, such All Things Ignatian Staff Seminar, the Thea Institute, and the LEAF retreat.
Jesuit Community
Loyola is home to one of the largest Jesuit communities in North America and an important point during Jesuit formation for many young men as one of the three “First Studies” programs for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Our Jesuit community is not just a resource to our staff, faculty and students but leaders in advancing a more sustainable Loyola. They serve as faculty, chaplains, and academics advancing our understanding of an Integral Ecology and our own ecospirituality. The community owns and resides at multiple buildings at Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus and has undertaken its own carbon footprint audit and climate action planning process leading to energy efficiency upgrades and the purchase of electric vehicles for the community’s shared use.
The Hank Center for Catholic Intellectual Heritage
The Joan and Bill Hank Center for Catholic Intellectual Heritage is a venue for faculty, students, and staff to learn about, and investigate Roman Catholic thought and its links to all academic disciplines. The Hank Center has been a leader on-campus in facilitating dialogue on the Catholic connections to sustainability topics and they hosted the Caring for Our Common Home event where Loyola announced its Climate Action Plan in 2015. Recent efforts include the collaboration with Creighton University and the Catholic Climate Covenant for the Common Home Corps, collaborations with Department of Fine and Performing Arts, and their support for faculty scholarship around Laudato Si’.
School of Environmental Sustainability
Loyola’s School of Environmental Sustainability has led mission-driven sustainability at Loyola for over 15 years. The School of Environmental Sustainability is an interdisciplinary School with faculty from the sciences, social sciences, humanities, business, economics, health, policy and law. The work to deepen the School’s work on Integral Ecology extends particularly to collaborations with the humanities, theology, and pastoral studies as well as the schools of business, communications, law and public health. Some recent examples of addressing Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ call for action include hiring Jesuit faculty and developing an ecospirituality course, designing and teaching the THEA Institute in collaboration with Campus Ministry, implementing the Common Home Corps in collaboration with the Hank Center, hosting the annual Climate Change Conference, joint faculty hire with Theology, an Integral Ecology course for Jesuit First Studies men, hosting a teaching workshop for a new Jesuit University in Burkina Faso, Africa and hosting Integral Ecology programs such as the Jesuit Magis Program for Global Citizenship, Healing Earth and the International Jesuit Ecology Project.
Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy
The Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy provides Loyola educators with the opportunity to engage in the continual development of their perspectives, skills, and strategies in the service of Magis (or excellence) in teaching and learning and Cura Personalis (or care for the whole person). As an aspect of developing an anti-oppressive pedagogy for faculty, FCIP is supporting the creation of an Environmental Justice pedagogy that explores teaching methodologies addressing the inequitable impacts of the ecological and climate crises.
Other partners include: the Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise & Responsibility, the John Felice Rome Center, the Parkinson School’s Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Institute of Pastoral Studies, the Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship, and the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics.
Loyola activates its Catholic identity towards both personal and community sustainability. As we move through our Laudato Si’ journey we welcome your contributions and participation. Contact the Office of Sustainability or any of the partners listed on this page to learn more.
Other aspects available at Loyola:
Spirit of Laudato si’ Student Sustainability Leadership Awards – Annually, Loyola’s Sustainability Committee, the Office of Sustainability, and the Division of Student Development recognize students around sustainability leadership. Awards for both undergraduate and graduate students recognize action in Service and Learning.
AJCU Sustainability Network – A group of staff and faculty regularly meet to discuss sustainability within the Jesuit higher education network. A listserv and ad-hoc meetings are available as well as participation in the annual AJCU Facilities, Sustainability and Campus Safety Conference.
Resources
Ignatian Pedagogy for Sustainability: An Overview by James Leighter and Kathleen Smythe
7 Years After “Laudato Si”: How Catholic Universities are Amplifying Pope Francis’ Call to Heal Our Common Home by Mike Schuck and Nancy Tuchman
AJCU Eco-Social Engagement Inventory
Past Events
Missa Laudato Si’ (4/21/24)
Everything is Connected: Reflections on “Home” on the 5th Anniversary of Laudato Si’ (5/21/20)
Caring for Our Common Home: Conversations on Ecology and Justice (9/9/15)
Loyola has always been guided by our identity as Chicago’s Catholic, Jesuit place of higher learning. Our responsibility to follow Catholic teaching prioritizes social justice and Ignatian pedagogy in our daily work. Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical on Ecology, Laudato Si’, reinforced and supercharged this work and is a guiding framework for Loyola’s approach to sustainability and climate action. This page is a summary of Loyola’s approach to mission-driven sustainability and the links and resources provided below are consistently being updated and refreshed.
Laudato Si Plan
In 2021, Loyola committed to the Laudato Si’ 7 Year Challenge issued by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. This effort has brought together faculty, students, staff, and partners to address the ecological crises we currently face. The work of this group continues as Loyola responds to the call of Laudato Si and Laudate Deum. An inventory of current initiatives organized by the seven (7) categories of the Challenge can be found here.
If there are other resources that you would like to see included on this page, please contact the Office of Sustainability at sustainability@luc.edu.
Loyola leaders on mission-driven sustainability:
Mission Integration
Loyola’s commitment to mission is led by the Division of Mission Integration and its units, including Ignatian Spirituality, Community Service and Action, and Campus Ministries (Lakeside and Health Sciences). Mission Integration supports Pope Francis’ concept of “Integral Ecology” and emphasizes the University’s enduring value to “Care for Our World.” Mission Integration works to develop the whole University’s self-understanding in sustainability through student, faculty and staff development programs, such as Loyola 201: Partners in Mission, New Student Orientation, the All Things Ignatian Staff Seminar, and Ignatian Heritage Month. Mission Integration also hosts its own initiatives related to Integral Ecology, such All Things Ignatian Staff Seminar, the Thea Institute, and the LEAF retreat.
Jesuit Community
Loyola is home to one of the largest Jesuit communities in North America and an important point during Jesuit formation for many young men as one of the three “First Studies” programs for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Our Jesuit community is not just a resource to our staff, faculty and students but leaders in advancing a more sustainable Loyola. They serve as faculty, chaplains, and academics advancing our understanding of an Integral Ecology and our own ecospirituality. The community owns and resides at multiple buildings at Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus and has undertaken its own carbon footprint audit and climate action planning process leading to energy efficiency upgrades and the purchase of electric vehicles for the community’s shared use.
The Hank Center for Catholic Intellectual Heritage
The Joan and Bill Hank Center for Catholic Intellectual Heritage is a venue for faculty, students, and staff to learn about, and investigate Roman Catholic thought and its links to all academic disciplines. The Hank Center has been a leader on-campus in facilitating dialogue on the Catholic connections to sustainability topics and they hosted the Caring for Our Common Home event where Loyola announced its Climate Action Plan in 2015. Recent efforts include the collaboration with Creighton University and the Catholic Climate Covenant for the Common Home Corps, collaborations with Department of Fine and Performing Arts, and their support for faculty scholarship around Laudato Si’.
School of Environmental Sustainability
Loyola’s School of Environmental Sustainability has led mission-driven sustainability at Loyola for over 15 years. The School of Environmental Sustainability is an interdisciplinary School with faculty from the sciences, social sciences, humanities, business, economics, health, policy and law. The work to deepen the School’s work on Integral Ecology extends particularly to collaborations with the humanities, theology, and pastoral studies as well as the schools of business, communications, law and public health. Some recent examples of addressing Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ call for action include hiring Jesuit faculty and developing an ecospirituality course, designing and teaching the THEA Institute in collaboration with Campus Ministry, implementing the Common Home Corps in collaboration with the Hank Center, hosting the annual Climate Change Conference, joint faculty hire with Theology, an Integral Ecology course for Jesuit First Studies men, hosting a teaching workshop for a new Jesuit University in Burkina Faso, Africa and hosting Integral Ecology programs such as the Jesuit Magis Program for Global Citizenship, Healing Earth and the International Jesuit Ecology Project.
Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy
The Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy provides Loyola educators with the opportunity to engage in the continual development of their perspectives, skills, and strategies in the service of Magis (or excellence) in teaching and learning and Cura Personalis (or care for the whole person). As an aspect of developing an anti-oppressive pedagogy for faculty, FCIP is supporting the creation of an Environmental Justice pedagogy that explores teaching methodologies addressing the inequitable impacts of the ecological and climate crises.
Other partners include: the Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise & Responsibility, the John Felice Rome Center, the Parkinson School’s Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Institute of Pastoral Studies, the Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship, and the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics.
Loyola activates its Catholic identity towards both personal and community sustainability. As we move through our Laudato Si’ journey we welcome your contributions and participation. Contact the Office of Sustainability or any of the partners listed on this page to learn more.
Other aspects available at Loyola:
Spirit of Laudato si’ Student Sustainability Leadership Awards – Annually, Loyola’s Sustainability Committee, the Office of Sustainability, and the Division of Student Development recognize students around sustainability leadership. Awards for both undergraduate and graduate students recognize action in Service and Learning.
AJCU Sustainability Network – A group of staff and faculty regularly meet to discuss sustainability within the Jesuit higher education network. A listserv and ad-hoc meetings are available as well as participation in the annual AJCU Facilities, Sustainability and Campus Safety Conference.
Resources
Ignatian Pedagogy for Sustainability: An Overview by James Leighter and Kathleen Smythe
7 Years After “Laudato Si”: How Catholic Universities are Amplifying Pope Francis’ Call to Heal Our Common Home by Mike Schuck and Nancy Tuchman
AJCU Eco-Social Engagement Inventory
Past Events
Missa Laudato Si’ (4/21/24)
Everything is Connected: Reflections on “Home” on the 5th Anniversary of Laudato Si’ (5/21/20)
Caring for Our Common Home: Conversations on Ecology and Justice (9/9/15)