Film by Mykhailo Bogdanov DePaul University BA School of Cinematic Art (2017-2020) DePaul University MS Environmental Science (2020-2022) A captivating illustration of Catholic recognition of climate change as an environmental and social problem.
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By: Kaitlyn Pike B.A. Environmental Studies with a concentration in Sustainability, DePaul University '18 M.S. Environmental Science, DePaul University '20 Living in the City of Chicago, the urban forest plays a major role in our day-to-day lives. Trees are an important part of what keeps our air clean and our homes cool, while also providing aesthetic beauty and welcome respite from an otherwise man-made environment. With nearly 70,000 acres of forest preserves and 570 individual parks, Chicago greenspaces offer innumerable social and ecological benefits. Even at DePaul University, the trees that line our streets and provide a bit of sanctuary in places like Lincoln Park’s Quad are a vital part of what makes the campus such a beautiful place. In order to protect these benefits, however, it is important that we understand the structure and health of the trees on campus.
In the Fall of 2017, an Urban Forests as Social-Ecological Systems course led by Dr. Jess Vogt completed an inventory of DePaul’s urban forest in order to create a tree care plan, and to begin meeting requirements for Tree Campus USA designation by the Arbor Day Foundation. By conducting an inventory of trees by location, species, size, and relative condition, the class began to understand the overall diversity of DePaul’s campus, and were thus able to make recommendations that would help protect it for future generations. While the inventory found that DePaul’s trees were in overall good condition, there was not a lot of diversity in species or size (Lyhus et al., 2017). Based on this data, students were able to recommend that future tree plantings occur as space became available and to focus efforts on choosing from a diverse list of species that are recommended in the City of Chicago. In order to achieve the status of a Tree Campus, student-run DePaul Trees was formed to 1) create a tree advisory board that included a faculty member, student, community arborist, and facilities member, 2) hold an Arbor Day Celebration highlighting the importance of trees, and 3) host service-learning opportunities for students interested in making a local impact through community tree plantings. Through this collaborative effort, DePaul University has been awarded Tree Campus USA designation for the past two years. Check out this awesome digital map of DePaul’s urban forest created by ENV graduate and former DePaul Trees member, Rasa Whittaker. To find out how you can get involved in opportunities surrounding urban forestry at DePaul and in the Chicago area, visit: (DeHUB) (instagram) (twitter) (LUFA) Lyhus J, Pike K, Baron C, Brynjelsen S, Confederat C, Davis M, Delmonte J, Draftz M, Kosiek H, Marcos J, Rudolph A, Whittaker R, & Vogt J. DePaul Campus Tree Inventory 2017 Report. Prepared by the ENV 341 Urban Forests as Social-Ecological Systems, November 21, 2017, 28pp. By: Ilana Blattner Senior, DePaul University Major: Anthropology/Catholic Studies, Museum Studies Minor If there has ever been an encyclical penned for its time, it is Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’. Within our modern culture of consumption and materialism, there is a dire need for a call to action in order to put these destructive habits into check. Mankind’s fixation with innovation and progress has resulted in the neglect of our Common Home. In the words of Saint Francis of Assisi, “If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.” Neglect for the environment results in neglect for one another.
What are the moral commitments of Catholicism in light of environmental concerns? Referencing the biblical accounts within Genesis, Francis hearkens mankind’s call to “have dominion over the earth” and to “till and keep it.” This is a responsibility that has been granted to humanity from the very beginning, though humans tend to corrupt this responsibility into dominating nature rather than caring for it. Another biblical example Pope Francis makes use of is the story of Cain and Abel. Cain’s violence toward his brother Abel causes the earth itself to cry out in anguish. Failing to care and “cultivate a proper relationship” with one’s neighbor results in the greater neglect of justice and the land as a whole. Pope Francis repeatedly calls upon Catholic Social Teaching when making his moral arguments. According to him, “the Church’s social teaching represents...a synthesis with regard to social issues” as well as between “faith and reason.” Catholic Social Teaching not only advocates for ‘Preferential Options for the Poor,’ but also ‘Care for Creation.’ Catholics do not have the right to pick and choose which social teachings they wish to follow, as all of them are connected. Pope Francis especially stresses the relationship between the poor and the environment, as those that are most often affected by environmental neglect tend to be the poorest and most marginalized, while the rich live in excess. Excess is a concept that Father John Kartje explores in his lecture on faith and science. Our environment is a complex system bound by limited resources and reliant upon all sorts of means of interaction. Some members of society, however, hold the naive view that we have an infinite source to draw from and a place with infinite space to sink our waste. This excess way of living is not sustainable toward human development, or for our planet as a whole. Most people are perfectly aware that there are limits; they simply elect to ignore them. Why do they do this? As Father Kartje states in reference to Laudato Si’, “It’s all about limits and relationships.” Since the Garden of Eden, humans have been defying limits and pushing boundaries. In terms of more secular thought, humans still harbor a primal temptation to resist all limits. Considering both of these ways of thinking, Kartje argues that the ecological and biblical hermeneutic are the same: People do not like to be told that they are unable to do something, and this is a universal truth whether it stems from a religious perspective or a more secular one. Unless people learn to love and care for their neighbor, there will be no true justice for the environment or the creatures that share it. When we learn to use our gifts to benefit one another rather than simply for technological or economic development, only then will we begin to observe real change. Humanity must develop humility and realize that there is something larger out there than itself. Perhaps also by looking back to Saint Francis of Assisi, a man of minimal possessions and deeply committed to peace, humanity will be able to reconnect with the earth and one another in a more compassionate and sustainable way. |
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