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By Lindsey Frey Palmquist, from the .

After the worst summer on record for wildfires, high temperatures, and other catastrophic events, there’s no question that wide-scale global initiatives are necessary for the improvement of our common home. With the world set to breach 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming within the next five years, our livelihoods depend on it. Beyond the obvious environmental impacts of higher temperatures, climate change is a social justice issue. Vulnerable populations, including women, low-income, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities, are disproportionately affected by extreme weather, environmental degradation, and the growing scarcity of resources. Health risks also increase for these groups when exposed to natural disasters, environmental hazards, and barriers in disaster-recovery efforts, which can intensify and broaden existing inequities.

The intersection of environmental, economic, and social justice issues was a key component in Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter, “Laudato Si’: On  the Care of Our Common Home.” Translated as “praise be to you,” Laudato Si’ calls for greater care for our planet and its people, providing a moral framework  for individuals, governments, organizations, and the global community to take urgent ecological action and address climate change. Tools, guides, and support to develop actionable plans were made available under the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform a year  after the encyclical was published.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJs) formally committed to a seven-year Laudato Si’ Action Plan during their 2019 Congregational Chapter. Sustainability and education actions outlined in the plan include practices such as conservation, ethical food sourcing, sustainable building and renovations, legislative advocacy, and partnership with educational institutions.

Even prior to the Laudato Si' commitment in 2019, the CSJs had long been stalwart pioneers for food justice and sustainability in the St. Kate's community.  For over 20 years, they have tended the , nurturing food justice work while centering student leadership in initiatives such as the St. Kate's/CSJ Food Access Hub (FAH).

Activism leads to cross-campus collaboration

In a spring 2022 special edition of The Wheel, sociology and economics major Mollie Pierson ’25 published an open letter to President ReBecca Koenig Roloff ’76  on behalf of the student body. Pierson called for a reevaluation of the University's commitments to sustainability and climate justice, which are areas of importance to her in her role as an intern for the FAH through Community Work and Learning's Community Leaders program. 

Pierson cited the important relationship between the University’s identity as a women’s college and minority-serving institution and the disproportionate impact of climate change on those communities. She referenced St. Kate’s founding principles in Catholic Social Teaching and Pope Francis’ encyclical with the CSJs’ own Laudato Si’ Action Plan as an example to follow. She also credited existing sustainability efforts on campus, citing several student-led initiatives as well as the Food Access Hub, curriculum-embedded sustainability teachings, and the sustainability leadership of the fashion design and merchandising program.

Soon after the letter was published, President Roloff met with Pierson and other University leaders to discuss the issues expressed by the student body. They also reviewed the sustainability actions already taking place on campus, and sought a way to centralize them and create accountability for St. Kate’s collective impact.

Following the conversation, President Roloff launched the formation of a Sustainability Committee and invited Pierson to serve as student body representative. 

“I’ve been very grateful to President Roloff for her openness to be told there are issues and her willingness to fix them,” says Pierson. “We realized there was an immediate need to cultivate cross-campus collaboration, set goals, and build on and strengthen the projects already happening.”

The committee has four structured initiatives to educate and inspire participation from students, staff, and faculty:

• Model campuswide sustainability practices.
• Further integrate sustainability and social justice teachings within academic and experiential learning opportunities.
• Continuously improve the institution’s resource management and reduce its environmental impact.
• Seek collaboration and partnership with local, national, and global sustainability initiatives.

In spring 2023, Pierson published an update in The Wheel. She summarized her meetings with University leadership, the Sustainability Committee’s establishment, and the plan to join the CSJs’ Congregational Laudato Si’ Action Plan.

To assist them, the Sustainability Committee sought the wisdom of Patty Johnson, CSJ, Congregational Leadership team member, United Nations representative for the CSJs, and steering committee member of the Laudato Si’ Action Plan. Johnson led them through the submission process, and in June 2023, St. Kate’s became the first CSJ-founded university to sign the Action Platform and publicly join the international member community.

Building a more sustainable food chain

Sustainability Committee leader Zach Ludwig is campus minister at the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice. The committee role bridged Ludwig’s academic interests in the encyclical Laudato Si’ with his co-management position at the Food Access Hub.

Located just off-campus at the CSJ Carondelet Center, the FAH is a ministry of that addresses food insecurity, nutrition, and personal wellness needs. It serves St. Kate’s community members through a full food ecosystem, including the CSJ Community Gardens, nutrition and cooking classes, and a bimonthly food shelf open to the entire St. Kate’s community.

“It’s doing so much more than responding to the issue of food insecurity for college students,” says Ludwig. “It’s creating community around food access in all its forms — from growing it in the garden to cooking it at home. It empowers students and creates a symbiotic relationship between them and their food.”

As part of her work in the FAH with Ludwig, Pierson is seeking to expand food waste-reduction initiatives. Along with community partnerships that supply rescued produce to the FAH food shelf, Pierson has partnered with Sodexo, St. Kate’s food services and facilities management partner, to significantly increase food recovery opportunities in the dining room. 

“At our food shelf, about 20–25% of  our food is rescued, which is  significant,” says Pierson. “Food waste  contributes to greater food insecurity and creates a large carbon footprint  that we can combat through food  recovery efforts.”

But more food recovery requires additional capacity for food storage, preservation, and serving. 

With Sodexo’s partnership and oversight from the FAH team, Pierson is submitting a grant proposal through Second Harvest Heartland for a dedicated food-rescue refrigerator and reusable containers. Pierson estimates these storage additions would allow the recovery of 1,200–1,600 meals per year from the dining room’s hot bar. The food could then be packaged, stored, and redistributed to students or donated to the FAH food shelf.

Creating the Sustainability Studies minor

During a 2007 international textiles and apparel conference, a roundtable conversation focusing on environmental sustainability was a major “aha!” moment for Anupama Pasricha, PhD, interim dean of the School of Business, professor and former department chair of fashion design and merchandising, and member of St. Kate’s Sustainability Committee.

“That’s when the sustainability lens really impacted my worldview of people, planet, and profits,” says Pasricha. “I began to talk to my colleagues and look at our courses to find ways to reshape the curriculum.”

The following year, the fashion program began incorporating environmental and social sustainability into several of its courses. By 2011, it was a component in the majority of all department courses. And within 10 years, Pasricha and colleague Jackie Parr collaborated across the University to translate the program’s teachings into an interdisciplinary curriculum, which was granted full approval to launch as an in fall 2021.

“By 2030, one in 12 people in the labor force will be directly employed by climate and sustainability transitions,” says Pasricha. “With the magnitude of changes we face, every job will have direct or indirect implications that require that viewpoint.”

Every student at St. Kate’s has access to the sustainability studies minor. For an elective course to be included, its syllabus must incorporate sustainability learning objectives and meet a set of coursework criteria.

Pasricha is excited to see how both the sustainability studies curriculum and Sustainability Committee will evolve. “I’m proud to be part of an institution that is progressing its own sustainability initiatives to live the mission and vision we are teaching and do right by the Earth and its people.”

“Dr. Anu has done a great job demonstrating that this work needs to be thought of and done in every field,” says Pierson. “Sustainability is a field women can lead in and come into armed with an arsenal of examples of the work done and applied in their St. Kate’s community. It’s critical our students have the knowledge to speak on these issues and implement sustainability strategies in their fields.”

Campus operational impact

Additional examples of sustainability work being applied at St. Kate’s can be found in its prioritization of recycling, conservation, energy, and ecology efforts — all key priorities within its .

Behind the scenes, the campus produces its own energy, monitors and manages waste streams through partnerships with Aspen Waste and Shred Right, runs a University-wide LED lighting initiative, and is completing a replacement project to eliminate R22 refrigerant in HVAC cooling equipment.

Other initiatives may be observed by simply walking the grounds of St. Kate’s beautiful campus and admiring the native landscapes, gardens, and trees. More than their aesthetic appeal, these greenspaces work in tandem to provide a myriad of environmental, social, and economic benefits. 

Ecological restoration and management  is overseen by Sustainability Committee member Lisa Babbs, director of facilities and environmental safety and compliance, along with a cross-functional team of facilities staff, biology department faculty and students, community gardeners, and beekeepers. The groups seek collaborative efforts to restore woodland and wetland ecology while enhancing educational opportunities for students.

In 2023, the campus trees were a major focus for the cross-University team. Through a partnership with SavATree, St. Kate’s arborists built a tree inventory map  (stkate.edu/TreeMap) using GPS and GIS technologies. Each tree was tagged and tracked by location, species, size, condition, and risk, and given a unique care plan based on its needs. 

“Increasing temperatures are changing the way we look at our campus,” says Babbs. “We’re working to reestablish our native plantings and restore a natural woodland environment that’s designed to withstand the effects of climate change and play a huge role in our stormwater management infrastructure.”

A renewal of hope

In September, The O’Shaughnessy presented an innovative musical event from a performing arts perspective on the necessity of organized, meaningful action in support of our planet. Using geospatial climate modeling algorithms, The [uncertain] Four Seasons reimagines Vivaldi’s famous concertos as they might sound impacted by climate change. 

“We want to use the arts to make the impact of the climate crisis felt and heard — to present the climate crisis in a way that is not paralyzing but motivating,” said musical director Emily Isaacson, DMA, during the event.

As more young people continue to report feeling anxious, helpless, angry, and overwhelmed by the news about our Earth, St. Kate’s own sustainability strategies may impact more than students’ job trajectories. It may have a profound impact on their mental health. With 70% of 18 to 34-year-old respondents reporting feelings of climate-related anxiety (polled by Gallup in 2018), University programming offers organized, meaningful ways to help make a difference throughout curriculum, spirituality, performing arts, and operational impacts.

“Climate change is one of the biggest things young people struggle with in their mental health,” says Pierson. “The world is quite literally burning as we see it. The most we can do is try our best to lead and give ourselves some power back in the situation. The Earth is extremely resilient. We need to learn how to live in peace with it or we’re going to see harder living conditions for everyone.” 

Ludwig agrees. “I want the work this committee does to help those students who are experiencing communal anxiety for the future,” he says. “Nothing cures the anxiety unless they become part of the response. It’s the hope you see blossom in people when they realize there’s work they can do right now.”