Earth Month Celebration Recognizes Impactful Sustainability Efforts
In honor of Earth Month, the Creighton community is invited to a special showing of the film The Last Prairie, created by documentary filmmaker John O'Keefe, PhD, professor of theology and journalism. The film is an intimate portrait of the 20,000-square-mile Nebraska Sandhills, a vast grassland and the largest area of stabilized sand dunes in the Western Hemisphere.
The in-person and virtual event is sponsored by the Office of Sustainability Programs and also features presentation of the 2023 Spirit of Laudato Si’ Sustainability Awards. It takes place Tuesday, April 18, from 5 to 6:15 p.m. in the Hixson-Lied Auditorium in the Harper Center and includes a reception following in the atrium. Register via Eventbrite to attend in person or virtually.
The Last Prairie
The Last Prairie offers an intimate portrait of the Sandhills by listening to the voices of three different communities: ecologists who study the region’s biodiversity; people who live and work on its vast expanse; and Native Lakota people whose ancestors were killed to make way for American westward expansion. The Sandhills, recently described as the most intact temperate grassland on Earth, is the starring character in O’Keefe’s film, however.
The Office of Sustainability Programs chose The Last Prairie as a way to highlight the beauty, history and diversity of the unique Sandhills and articulate the unique relationship between people and the land, as well as bring attention to the important environmental work O’Keefe and other members of the interdisciplinary Sandhills research team are doing.
2023 Spirit of Laudato Si’ Sustainability Awards
Following the screening, the sustainability office will provide an update on the University’s Sustainable Creighton Initiative and present the 2023 Spirit of Laudato Si’ Sustainability Awards to three members of the Creighton community for providing a lasting impression on how Creighton engages with sustainable practices. This year’s recipients are:
Rachel Mabrey, assistant director of Alumni Relations. One of her nomination letters states, “When it comes to caring for our common home, Rachel keeps us all on track, and her reach within our 80,000 alumni has created more sustainable programs moving forward.”
Henry Glynn, student. Glynn holds a double major in theology and political science, will graduate in May, and is a policy advisor with Catholic Climate Covenant, which coordinates U.S. Catholic action on climate change. One of his nomination letters says, “Henry is an extraordinary person who truly embodies the spirit of Laudato Si’.”
Chantal Portes Estevez, student. An environmental science major, Chantal is president of the International Student Association and is a sustainability intern for the Office of Sustainability Programs. “Chantal exhibits all pillars of the Laudato Si’ Sustainability Award, particularly her energy for making change and her advocacy on campus,” a nominating letter states.