ECO-EDUCATION Resources from Laudato Si’

CPAL is part of the Laudato Si’ Platform for Action, the fruit of collaboration between the Vatican and an international coalition of Catholic organisations that seek to undertake processes of regeneration of relationships with God, with others and with the Earth, to find new ways of living creatively to address the current ecological crisis, “to develop a ‘loving awareness’ of this home we share and to act on the values in which we believe”. Pope Francis, in the encyclical Laudato Si’, makes an urgent call for a paradigm shift that allows all human beings to live sustainably and with dignity.

Both the educational institutions of the three EduRed-CPAL networks and their international coordination bodies are making progress in creating ecological awareness among students and educators, while defining strategies for strengthening eco-environmental content and participating in citizen action for sustainability.

The following is a selection of essays on Ecoeducation and Integral Ecology in Ignatian perspective as a challenge for our times, a sample of resources for education in the care of the Common Home developed by the three networks and other contributions from various authors.

Contributions from the EduRed networks

1. “Education and Ecology in FLACSI. An equation towards a hopeful future“, by the Federación Latinoamericana de Colegios Jesuitas (written by Jimena Castro Mejía), 2021. It describes and exemplifies the efforts of the Federation to contribute to the conversion towards an integral ecology, from the pedagogical proposal, the formation of students in the region and the collaborative and networked work, in the convergence between “Caring for our Common Home” and “Accompanying young people in the creation of a hopeful future”.
2. “AUSJAL committed to the care of the Common Home“, by the Association of Universities entrusted to the Society of Jesus in Latin America (written by the Coordination of the Environment and Sustainability Peer Network), 2021. It offers the vision of the path travelled from 2009 to the present, to address the university’s concern and responsibility for the situation and care of the environment, including actions within the framework of the current Strategic Plan, as well as lessons learned.
3. “Integral Ecology and the Pan Amazon in the Heart of Fe y Alegría” by the International Federation of Fe y Alegría (written by Irma Mariño), 2021. It develops the following sections: Educating for Integral Ecological Citizenship. Educating in ecological values and virtues. Building together integral approaches and responses. Objectives 2021- 2023. Progress and challenges for awareness raising, training and community action.

Selected articles on Eco-Education and Integral Ecology

1. “Care for Our Common Home. An Ignatian Perspective” (and the poster with graphic summary), from the Jesuit Secretariat for Education, 2021. Aligned with the Mission of Reconciliation and Justice, this framework encourages examination of actions and habits in our educational institutions through key questions for reflection, while suggesting practical actions to contribute to healing the Earth. While focused on schools, the approaches in this framework are valid at all levels.
2. “Framework of orientation for study and work in Integral Ecology“, Proposal of the Integral Ecology Group of CPAL, 2021. The text offers, firstly, the conceptual elements, principles and fundamental pillars of Integral Ecology, and secondly, the operationalisation (practical hints) of this concept through the perspective of “Socio-environmental Justice” in any social action, including educational ones.
3. “Educação Ecológica: Um desafio para nossos días“, by P. Josafá Carlos de Siqueira S.J., 2021. After a look at the context of the challenges to education, in the light of Laudato Si’, he invites educators to rethink and reformulate some of the values that they have been taught in the past.
4. “Eco-education for a Global Education Pact: Pope Francis’s Proposals“, by Rafael Díaz-Salazar, in Ciudadanía Global: Un impulso para la transformación de la Educación Católica, Vol. 2, 2020. He refers to the contributions of Laudato Si’ to an educational change so that another world is possible; but it is not enough to cultivate ecological awareness: it is essential to have an eco-social commitment in everyday behaviour and action against economic and political structures.
5. “Education for eco-social commitment in childhood, adolescence and youth“, by Yayo Herrera, in Ciudadanía Global: Una visión plural y transformadora de la sociedad y de la escuela, Vol. 1, 2020. He argues that we need a change of course and asks: what is being learned in schools about the eco-social crisis and what can be done in schools? In this respect, it proposes six axes to develop an educational itinerary in all stages and areas of knowledge, highlighting, at the end, what children, adolescents and young people can do to fight against the main eco-social problems.

Resources for educating in Care for the Common Home

1. “Care and defence of nature” series: “General Teacher’s Guide” and guides for “Initial“, “Elementary Basic“, “Middle Basic“, “Preparatory Basic“, “Upper Basic” and “High School” education, prepared by Fe y Alegría Ecuador, 2020-2021.
2. “A world in your hands: We defend the environment“, guide developed by Entreculturas – Fe y Alegría Spain, 2019.
3. “Ecología Integral y el cuidado de la Amazonía – Didactic Guide“, guides produced by FLACSI with CPAL, 2019.
4. “Hackathon Report Laudato Si‘” refers to the organisation of meetings, this time of 120 university students from 5 countries, with the challenge of proposing innovative solutions to everyday problems, in record time. By the Javeriana University, 2020.
5. “Project: Read with happy admiration“ is a very complete website with multimedia resources for the appropriation of the messages of Laudato Si’, from the Javeriana University.

Other contributions to deepen the topic

1. “Laudato Si’: A reading guide to Pope Francis’ encyclical“, by Fr. Antonio Spadaro S.J., 2021.
2. “Ecological Conversion“, a series of booklets by the Jesuits of Valladolid, following the process of the Spiritual Exercises, 2021.
3. “Integral Ecology. Three contributions to understand our relationships and reality in a different way” by Maria Adelaida Farah, 2021, from the Universidad Javeriana.
4. “Environmental education since Laudato Si‘”, Degree Thesis by Yahir Pary Farfán, 2021.
5. “Ecological awareness: a proposal from Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’“, Degree Thesis by Cynthia Flores Macedo, 2018.
6. “Caring for our common home: a collective responsibility in Latin America and the Caribbean and beyond“, Report by Magis America (Jesuit NGO in the USA to support development actions in the areas of education, migration and ecology, especially Fe y Alegría), 2021.
7. “ECOACTIVOS“, AURORA Magazine no. 17, CPAL, 2021.
8. “Learning for the Planet” and “Reimagining Our Futures Together – A New Social Contract for Education“, UNESCO Reports, 2021.

Article originally published in Educate Magis