Laudate Deum is the newest apostolic exhortation released by Pope Francis. It is a follow-up document to Laudato si’ that came out on October 4th and addressed the worldwide community.
According to Fr. John Shea, a biology professor and Jesuit at Creighton, “The document highlights the science behind climate change, sounding the alarm that we must act now .”
This document was written ahead of COP28, or the 28th Conference of the Parties, to encourage Catholic and non-Catholic leaders to take action against climate change.
Fr. Shea believes that Creighton has room for improvement. Fr. Shea says he “would like to see the new Jesuit Gardens with all native plants, walking paths for students to enjoy nature, bird houses, and a beehive.”
Dr. Andrew Baruth, a physics professor and the Director of Sustainability at Creighton, explains that Laudate Deum “doubles down on asking the church to use its collective power to take action.” Laudate Deum is a more direct and urgent call compared to Laudato si’.
Dr. Baruth stated that he wants to see more projects by the University to achieve net-zero carbon emissions but believes it is imperative for Creighton Students to learn a base level of understanding of what sustainability looks like.
According to Dr. Baruth, the Office of Sustainability has been following the guidelines and messages of Laudato si’, so there are not any foreseeable changes that will be made to the office.
The Office of Sustainability will continue to work to educate and push for more environmentally sustainable practices and host a variety of programs to promote student involvement.
There is a Creighton event called the “State of Sustainability .”This event is on the 8th in Skutt 104 from 3:30 – 4:00. Dr. Baruth stated that this event was made to celebrate the progress the campus has achieved and to report where the campus is on its sustainability metrics.
The Office of Sustainability will also be hosting a vote for a favorite tree on campus. The event has students posting photos of their favorite trees on campus to Instagram.
To be included in the vote, the post has to tag @GreenCreighton and have the hashtag #BestTreeAtCreighton. You can also email the photos to [email protected].
Fr. Shea and Dr. Baruth both stress the importance of this new document. They encourage all students to read Laudate Deum. Fr. Shea stated, “Every human being needs to care about this document because the negative impacts of climate change are happening now and are getting worse with each year.”