Xavier University students remember Pope Francis on Earth Day
Inspired by the late Pope's environmental message, students take action to reduce waste and promote sustainability
Inspired by the late Pope's environmental message, students take action to reduce waste and promote sustainability
Inspired by the late Pope's environmental message, students take action to reduce waste and promote sustainability
Xavier University students returned from Easter break just in time for Earth Day, now bearing a deeper meaning in the wake of Pope Francis' death.
"Pope Francis was really an inspiration for environmentalists," said Xavier University's sustainability coordinator Tim Sundrup.
Pope Francis took his name from Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology and animals 바카라 게임 웹사이트 values that became cornerstones of his papacy.
"In 2015, he wrote the encyclical 'Laudato Si.' That is a really standout document for the Catholic Church, shining a light on global climate change and the environment," said Sundrup.
"Laudato Si" inspired an international movement of institutions adopting sustainable action plans. Xavier began theirs in 2021. Among many things, the plan includes initiatives such as bringing more electric vehicles to campus, donating vegetables from Xavier's urban farm, and eye-opening campus experiences like today's "food scrapping event."
In the cafeteria, Tim and his colleagues collected food scraps in buckets to show students just how much food they waste. In a matter of minutes, one of the bins was halfway full.
"I think just looking and judging by just how much waste has been accumulated in the 20 minutes just kind of puts into perspective how much food we actually do waste," said Xavier student Kristopher Kemper.
Leaders hope that this perspective, mixed with Pope Francis' examples, will inspire us all to take care of our common home.
"It's another reminder to take care of God's creation and things that we were given, just make sure that we can continue to live here," said Xavier student Kelsey Nicesean.