below the dome of the basilica in northeast washington, d.c., leading catholic institutions are taking environmental action.

in 2015, pope francis wrote his encyclical letter laudato si’, calling catholics around the world to environmental action. in 2021, pope francis followed this by telling catholic organizations to launch a seven year plan to create environmentally sustainable efforts within their communities. some catholic organizations in washington, d.c., like the washington theological 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 and its member school within the catholic university of america (cua) have also chosen to follow the pope’s encyclical. 

gabrielle choate is cua’s director of sustainability and is solely in charge of the campus’s operation and engagement for the school’s community. “i’m a one person team,” choate said.

engaging students in sustainability

while cua does not have an environmental science program, they offer a sustainability minor along with programs in environmental chemistry and environmental engineering. as part of their efforts to engage the community, choate said she invites faculty in for monthly meetings to discuss how to implement conversations about sustainability into their classrooms for subjects that are not necessarily about the environment. 

“the student body, the staff and faculty are receptive to sustainability, especially as we relate it back to the church’s teachings,” choate said. 

one example, choate said, is a business professor incorporating a lesson on sustainability into a marketing course. she added that this allows students who may not have previously encountered sustainability concepts to engage with them in their studies.

like many universities, cua also organizes a green move-out in which departing dormitory denizens recycle unwanted belongings, runs the cardinal closet, a free thrift store funded by donated clothes for students, and much more. but choate said that her favorite program is cua’s community garden.

“you can’t get better than an afternoon or a morning hanging out in the community garden,” choate said, adding there are many birds, butterflies, and dragonflies to watch. 

even though she is a one-woman team, choate said she spends her days performing many different tasks. she might begin in the community garden before checking out the thrift store. she also added she fills out award applications, updates cua’s website about their sustainability efforts and meets with students, faculty and staff. 

“it’s exciting,” choate said. “every day is different.” 

the standard solar project

although not directly run by the university, across the street to the west of the basilica, cua leased out land to standard solar, a solar project developer, to create a solar panel farm to benefit nearby communities. the farm has been in operation since the summer of 2024. 

cua was not directly involved in the construction of the solar panel farm, but choate said they pay for power at a reduced price. standard solar mainly sells the power to pepco who then supplies district residents who have signed up to receive community solar benefits. 

before the solar panel farm was constructed, the site was a naturally wooded area. of the original 40 acre property, approximately 15 acres were cleared to make space for the solar panel farm while the remaining 25 acres were left untouched. 

choate added these efforts were made to support the local ecosystem by also planting the first round of pollinator plants beneath the solar panels this past fall. the dc beekeepers alliance has also installed three beehives on the property to further promote biodiversity.

“the bees are very happy, very productive,” choate said. 

according to choate, it is estimated that the bees have produced 25 pounds of honey so far with hope for much larger amounts in the future once the bees fully establish their colonies.

she also said the area has a couple of large stormwater retention basins, which hold runoff rainwater from surrounding areas and temporarily hold it to prevent rapid release into storm water drains. choate said this benefits the bees as well since they have a water source nearby their hive and plants. 

catholic connections

to the south of the basilica are the headquarters for the washington theological 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 which include 10 theological graduate schools in the eastern and western tradition located in the washington metropolitan area, pennsylvania, and central virginia, one of which is cua’s school of theology. 

headed by executive director larry golemon, the washington theological 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 educational programs offer a certificate in ecology and theology. students are required to obtain five credits to achieve the certification, but each school in the 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 has different courses which meet the requirements. 

for example, golemon said students at wesley theological seminary near american university have a course on ecology in the anacostia river along with one where they go hiking in west virginia to learn about fracking and forms of mining. by providing green curriculum to the 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 ’s partnering institutions, they are lifting the “visibility” of available courses at these schools. 

he also mentioned students often do not come to a school associated with the theological washington 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 with plans to obtain a certificate in ecology and theology, rather they take one class fulfilling a certificate requirement and decide to take more. 

but golemon said these sustainability efforts extend beyond their institution’s educational offerings. at the virginia theological seminary in alexandria, va., the four new faculty homes built on campus were the first residential buildings to obtain leed certification in alexandria. the family dorms also located on the campus have leed certification as well. 

in the washington theological 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 offices, golemon said they only have recycling programs and little reminders to turn off the lights before leaving the room. but golemon said this is for good reason. 

“if there’s any action going on in the 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 , it’s certainly not in our offices,” golemon said. “it’s on the campuses of our schools.”