Collaboration for Sustainability on Jesuit Campuses

From March 17-19, 2016, Loyola University Chicago hosted its third annual Climate Change Conference, entitled “Global Climate Change: Economic Challenges and Solutions.” This gathering focused on new economics, policies and activism taking place around the world to address climate change. Key highlights included the student sustainability summit, where students were invited to share from their own perspective about the sustainability initiatives occurring on their campuses and learn what’s working at other schools, as well as the keynote speech by award-winning author and climate activist, Naomi Klein.
Following the historic climate change agreement that was signed in Paris last December, all nations are called to take action to control and diminish the impact of climate change. This conference in Chicago sought to highlight the role of citizens, communities and universities in helping governments to achieve these goals. In fact, a large part of the conference was dedicated to how Jesuit colleges and universities can make a difference with regards to climate change and sustainability, and members of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) were able to exchange ideas and best practices regarding campus sustainability initiatives.
Loyola University Chicago has been a leader in promoting collaboration for sustainability on campus and beyond for years and its commitment to the environment extends far beyond the events of this year’s climate change conference. Efforts such as the Healing Earth Living Textbook and the Institute of Environmental Sustainability are examples of the university’s capacity to gather and network with institutions and individuals across the world to take action and promote care for our common home.
Photo from Flickr