Sustainability Fostered Through Blog Project

Department's collaboration rooted in faith tradition Mallory Miller THE SANTA CLARA October 3, 2013 [dropcap]C[/dropcap]ampus Ministry and the Office of Sustainability are inviting students to fully engage in the spirituality of sustainability by participating in the Mission Sustainable Challenge. The challenge gives students the opportunity to partake in daily action to truly be “green,” and to reflect on their experiences doing so. day in the month of October on the Mission Sustainable Challenge blog, which can be accessed through the Santa Clara website, Facebook and through the iPhone mobile application “Act On.” Each post will ask students to do something sustainable on that particular day, such as go meatless on Tuesdays, advocate for a local nature preserve, assess how much water they use or meditate on food consumption. There will be a space below the post provided to create discussion about the challenge. “A lot of people ‘go green,’ but Santa Clara’s green commitment is rooted in the values of our faith tradition,” said Director of Retreat Ministry Julia Claire Landry. “While everyone here may not be Catholic, there are still values rooted in that faith tradition.” The ministry uses five words: learn, pray, act, assess and advocate in the scope of engaging the spirituality of sustainability. These words are part of the Catholic toolkit of sustainability, one of many resources within faith-based groups to support care for the environment. The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, Pope Francis homilies inviting Catholics to take action to care for God’s creation, and the Jesuit community’s connection with the Franciscans are a few other resources available to support, conservation and green consciousness.The purpose of the challenge is to foster and deepen the spirituality of sustainability in the Santa Clara community and to strengthen connections between different departments, students and organizations across campus. The blog is designed to not only challenge individuals, but to increase communication and conversation on the topic of sustainability in general. The Ministry  hopes it will open availability of resources across campus as well.Although the key collaborators of the project came from the Campus Ministry, Office of Sustainability and the Forge Garden, there are over 17 other departments involved,  including religious studies, engineering, the Ignation Center, Pat Malley Fitness and Recreation Center and the Green Club.There are also events planned to incorporate students to take action. On Oct. 23, the Mission Sustainable Challenge will be hosting a three-part symposium, Faith and Sustainability in Silicon Valley: Sharing the Vision, Building Community and Taking Action, in Nobili Hall from 5-8 p.m. Students who sign up to participate will get daily reminders to go to the blog on the Santa Clara Campus Ministry Web page.Contact Mallory Miller at memiller@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.