Justice Week 2019 Explores Earth Sustainability

February 12, 2019

Cretin-Derham Hall's Justice Week 2019 focused on Earth Sustainability.  The speakers brought in throughout the week were designed to educate and inspire our community to become more environmentally aware and to inspire the practice of sustainable living habits. 

Pope Francis wrote in his encyclical, Laudato Si ("Praise Be to You"), "We face an urgent crisis when the earth has begun to look more and more like an immense pile of filth."   To address this crisis, the Sustainability Club and Justice Week Committees offered speakers all week on various topics.  

CDH Justice Week is designed to engage students, faculty, and our community members in dialogue and action surrounding challenging issues.  The tradition of Justice Week at CDH enables the community to explore issues through the lenses of the CDH values of Catholic, Academic, Community, Leadership, Service, Diversity, and Equity.

Will Steger: Eyewitness to Global Warming

The keynote speaker for Justice Week 2019 was Will Steger.  Steger, a world-renowned polar explorer, educator, photographer, and writer, presented a retrospective of his experience in the Arctic.  He is a voice calling for understanding the need to preserve the Arctic.   He shares his first-hand experience caused by global warming pollutants in Arctic regions over four decades of polar exploration.  He used many of his own photos from his expeditions.

While the issue is critical, Steger's message was one of hope and empowerment. He encouraged our community to make a difference by making economically and environmentally smart choices. 

Weeklong Opportunities to Learn More

Despite the challenges of weather, the week included speakers who presented many informative perspectives.  Presenters during Justice Week included:

Connor McComas - Blue Water Science:  The Human Effects on Freshwater.

Patrick Hamilton - Science Museum of Minnesota, Director of Global Change Initiatives 

Lou Anne Tighe, CSJ Consociate - Climate Change Report

Sarah Wein - Capitol Watershed District:  The Future of Freshwater in Minnesota

Chris Farrell - Host, Minnesota Public Radio – Economics, Business and Climate Change

Terry Chaney – Outreach Specialist, Center for Energy and Environment:  How Energy Efficiency can Strengthen the Economy while Improving the Environment. 

Lou Anne Tighe, CSJ Consociate:   Laudato Si - An Engaging Summary of Pope Francis’ Call to Solidarity with the Earth.

Phil Jenni, Executive Director of Wildlife Rehab Center of Minnesota

Samantha Chadwick, Save the Boundary Waters:   A National Movement to Protect the Clean Water, Clean Air and Forest Landscape of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and its Watershed.

Anne Anderson: The Impact of Sustainable Energy

Bryan Wood - Executive Director, Audubon Center of the North: The Crucial Relationship Between Sustainable Energy and Wildlife Management.

Dr. Karen Olson Johnson, CSJ Consociate: Ways to Reduce the Use of Plastic. She will also speak about the initiatives of the Rhino Keystone Project.

Laura Bishop, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Empty Bowls

The tradition of Empty Bowls continued with hundreds of bowls of soups being served to raise funds for Heifer International. Read more about Empty Bowls.