Story by News Editor Grace Wilson
Sustainability has been a large part of AQ’s campus since 2005, the year in which many of our current freshmen were born. Aquinas’s Center for Sustainability was one of the first sustainability departments in a university or college throughout the country. Their zero-waste initiative is ranked seventh in the nation and their urban-forest initiative supports woodlands by bringing goats on campus to manage overgrowth, develop hammock guidelines and protect and document trees. The Center is also committed to teaching about sustainability on campus and in the surrounding community, engaging in lectures and conferences throughout West Michigan and creating a community garden on campus.
In 2015, Pope Francis wrote the papal encyclical entitled Laudato Si’, calling us to “care for our common home”. In response, the Laudato Si’ Action Platform was introduced, presenting seven goals: Response to the Cry of the Earth, Response to the Cry of the Poor, Ecological Economics, Adoption of Simple Lifestyles, Ecological Education, Ecological Spirituality, Emphasis on Community Involvement and Participatory Action (read more here).
In 2022, Aquinas College and the Center for Sustainability signed onto the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. In the first year after signing, the college is in a year of strategic planning, creating a seven-year program that follows the Action Platform’s ideals. The AQ community continues to reflect on past and current sustainability efforts, assessing how the campus can apply itself to the seven goals of Laudato Si’.
The key to a successful action plan is the entire Aquinas community to being involved. Aquinas President Alicia R. Córdoba, DMA, says “You cannot be successful with sustainability if you’re not doing it in community…It must be present through all levels of the institution to work.”
There are currently several opportunities to showcase sustainability on campus. During the month of Sept., each residential building competed in the Friar’s Challenge, a waste-division competition against AQ’s chaplains. In Oct., the community is invited to participate in tree tours around campus that showcase the wide variety of trees at Aquinas. Additionally, on Oct. 10 the Center for Sustainability invites volunteers to the Invasive Species Removal Event. As part of the Urban Forest Initiative, community members can learn how to identify invasive species on campus and in the woods.
The Saint 