Saint Joseph’s University students are studying how horticulture therapy can bring joy to elder Jesuits with dementia, potentially helping with anxiety and depression.
The President's
Laudato Si’ Sustainability Initiative
Saint Joseph’s University has formalized its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship with the launch of a University-wide sustainability program inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si', “On Care for Our Common Home.”
Program Vision and Goals
Saint Joseph’s embraces its fundamental responsibility to Care for Our Common Home and is resolutely committed to building a lasting, action-driven culture of integral ecology. The University will cultivate and empower a community that champions social justice and boldly answers the cry of the Earth through Jesuit education, research, sustainable practices and impactful engagement.
Goal: Incorporate sustainability as a key element in the overall University strategic plan.
Ensure sustainability principles are perpetually embedded across all levels of the University’s strategic plan, guiding long-term institutional growth and decision-making.
Goal: Promote Laudato Si’ principles through institutional practices.
Actively integrate the principles of Laudato Si’ into the University’s operations, policies and campus culture, fostering a community rooted in ecological responsibility and social justice by following the University Pathways Guidebook.
Goal: Expand sustainable practices in decision-making and apply transparent sustainability performance metrics.
Develop sustainability-focused frameworks that inform decision-making processes across administrative, financial and operational functions based on the AASHE Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).
Goal: Embed integral ecology into academics, research and across the campus experience.
Expand integral ecology-related content across curricula and research initiatives, ensuring that students and faculty engage with environmental issues meaningfully throughout their academic experience. Embed sustainable practices, values and initiatives into all aspects of life on campus to ensure sustainability is a core component of the University’s operations, academics and culture.
Goal: Advance environmental responsibility through spirituality and justice.
Promote a holistic approach to environmental responsibility that connects ecological stewardship with Jesuit values of spirituality, ethics and social justice.
Goal: Strengthen collaborative engagement on sustainability initiatives among students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community.
Foster a culture of collaboration by engaging all stakeholders in impactful sustainability projects that drive positive change on campus and beyond.
What is Sustainability?
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. — 1987 United Nations Brundtland Commission
Sustainability requires a systems-thinking approach that balances protecting the environment, promoting social well-being and enhancing economic vitality.
Sister Thea Bowman Residence Hall
Sister Thea Bowman Hall, a stunning six-story residence that will house more than 500 first-year students, is set to open its doors in the fall of 2025. The state-of-the-art building offers its residents a greener, healthier and more sustainable living experience through the use of geothermal energy, solar power, bioretention basin and underground stormwater retention systems, material reuse and LEED certification.
How to Get Involved
The Saint Joseph’s community has already contributed significant input into this initiative. In addition to the leadership of the Green Fund, students, faculty and staff recently participated in an online survey to provide valuable feedback on the University’s sustainability priorities. They also participated in in-person and virtual interactive listening sessions. This input is helping to shape Saint Joseph’s sustainability program and ensure that it aligns with the needs and values of the Saint Joseph's community. There will be ongoing opportunities to participate.
Joining the Student-run Green Fund Submitting Questions or Ideas
‘A Better Tomorrow for All’: Saint Joseph’s Commits to Pope’s Laudato Si’ Sustainability Initiative to Protect Our Common Home
The seven-year Laudato Si’ journey will enact actionable and lasting environmental solutions.
For her Summer Scholars project, biology major Celine Beltran, BS ’25, studied tree rings to determine how climate change impacts the vegetation around Saint Joseph’s University.
This semester, students in the course Multidisciplinary Inquiry: Nature studied the history of ideas about nature, connecting historic concepts to the modern world through the lens of climate change.