Laudato Si’ Seven-year journey toward sustainability enters second year

Canisius College’s seven-year journey toward sustainability entered its second full year at the start of 2023.

Laudato Si’ is a Vatican-led initiative that guides Catholic institutions on ways to achieve an eco-sustainable environment within seven years.

Canisius was one of the first universities in the United States to commit to the Laudato Si’ platform upon its launch in 2021.

During its inaugural year, the college conducted a self-assessment to ascertain initiatives already underway that advance the Laudato Si’ goals, which are to: respond to the cry of the Earth, respond to the cry of the poor, foster ecological economics, adopt a sustainable lifestyle, offer ecological education, develop ecological spirituality and support local communities.

The many initiatives already implemented based on earlier efforts, beginning in 2017, to develop a formalized vision and action plan to impact environmental sustainability on campus include the use of greenware products and utensils in dining venues, the installation of LED lighting and the installation of low-flow faucets, toilets and showers as older fixtures are retired. Canisius currently partners with a solar farm just south of Buffalo to invest in the production of natural energy and reduce electricity costs. Additionally, Canisius donated land for two community gardens to grow produce for neighbors who live in food deserts. The college also supports academic minors in conservation and environmental sustainability.

Canisius will use the upcoming year to identify new opportunities to improve sustainability and implement plans to advance the Laudato Si’ goals.

“The healing and stewardship of our planet is fundamental to the college’s Jesuit Catholic mission of building a more just and humane world, and Canisius is proud to play a role in advancing this timely and significant Vatican initiative,” says Jennifer LodiSmith, PhD, assistant vice president for academic affairs. “It is particularly rewarding to see our students’ commitment, including our Undergraduate Student Association members, who passed a formal resolution to have the college engage in this process.”

Laudato Si’ was inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 ecological encyclical, which focused on care for our common home. In it, the Holy See addresses climate change as a moral imperative, and challenges humankind to take responsibility for the planet and to be particularly mindful of those who suffer most from ecological crises.

By the Numbers

Shot in the Arm Cabrini Foundation awards grant to PA Studies program

Physician Assistant Studies received a ‘shot in the arm’ from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, which awarded the graduate program a $300,000 grant.

The funding supports the program’s goal to boost diversity in the allied health workforce across Western New York by providing scholarships to students from diverse backgrounds who pursue their master's degrees in PA Studies at Canisius.

This is the third grant awarded to the PA Studies program from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

Harrington Receives High Honors

Mark R. Harrington, EdD, received high honors at New York State’s annual conference for the College Student Personnel Association (CSPA). The organization conferred upon him its “Eminence in Mentorship Award,” which recognizes a higher education professional who has made meritorious and sustained contributions to the personal, scholastic or career development of undergraduate or graduate students, or professionals in the field. Harrington is assistant vice president for student success, director of the master’s program in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESAA) and an assistant professor in the Department of Graduate Education and Leadership.

In nominating him for the award, Canisius students and alumni described Harrington as “an active listener, leader and supporter” and someone who is “empathetic, understanding and enthusiastic about helping others to reach their goals.”

In Memoriam

Canisius is saddened to report that Professor Emerita I. Joan Lorch HON ’19 passed away on November 27, 2022. She was 99. Lorch was a scientific trailblazer, women’s advocate, and beloved educator and mentor at Canisius.

She joined the faculty in 1973 and rose through the ranks of the Biology Department to become professor and later, the first female department chair. Lorch advanced the biology program while also pioneering highly specialized research in cell biology, which led to 30-plus publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

A staunch supporter of women, Lorch introduced the women’s studies program at Canisius. The program takes an integrated approach to understanding the social, political, and cultural constructions of gender that shape the experiences of women and men.