One Earth Initiative

Laudato Si': On Care for our Common Home

Through the One Earth Initiative, USF seeks to fulfill its commitment to environmental and social justice as called for in Pope Francis's 2015 encyclical Laudato Si': On Care for our Common Home.

Read the One Earth Initiative draft Action Plan and share your feedback

Laudato Si' recognizes the urgent need to address the profound climate and environmental threats that already impact the most vulnerable in our world and ultimately place all of us at risk. The encyclical recognizes the interconnectedness of our environmental, social, economic, spiritual, and psychological dimensions, calling for an "integral ecology"  — a holistic approach to complex and interrelated ecological and social problems. 

Catholic institutions have all been called to embody Laudato Si' principles. The global Laudato Si' university working group has created a 7-year pathway for action planning for colleges and universities. In 2021, President Paul Fitzgerald, SJ was one of the first Jesuit university presidents to commit to developing an action plan to realize the Laudato Si' encyclical's transcendent goals, goals that can inspire and motivate people of all faiths and no faith. 

In alignment with Laudato Si', a key goal discerned during our Mission Priority Examen process was "living and learning environmental sustainability in the spirit of Laudato Si.'" In addition, USF's 2027 Strategic Plan calls on us to "reimagine Jesuit education to accelerate the achievement of a more just and sustainable world."

Under the leadership of the Provost’s Office, the Office of the Chancellor | Chief Mission Officer, and the Joan and Ralph Center for Catholic Social Thought and the Ignatian Tradition, and with input from the entire USF community, the One Earth Initiative Working Group is creating a plan for realizing Laudato Si' at USF. 

Read about the One Earth Initiative Working Group.