Recognizing Creighton's Spirit of Laudato Si' Award Winners on Earth Day

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

Every year on April 22, communities across the world come together to celebrate Earth Day. As one of the four Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Jesuits worldwide, this call to care for our common home speaks to our Creighton mission as a Jesuit, Catholic institution as well as our role in forming leaders who will go on to build a more just global community for all.

In celebration of Earth Day at Creighton, I am pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Spirit of Laudato Si’ Sustainability Awards. These individuals were nominated by members of the Creighton community for their commitment to sustainable action in Omaha and in Phoenix, as well as for developing a culture of caring for our common home:

Mary Duda, Laboratory and Chemical Compliance Program Manager

A longtime supporter of sustainable programs at Creighton, Mary has served as a mentor to colleagues and students alike. She is a noted collaborator across campus units and has used her expertise to provide insights that have collectively moved the University forward in its sustainability goals. Most recently, Mary helped expand Creighton’s EPS (Styrofoam) recycling programming within the health sciences laboratories from event-based collections to a standard operating procedure for these spaces.

Izabella Lach and Sandy Ng, M2 Students, Phoenix Campus

As co-chairs of the M2 Sustainability Committee, Izabella and Sandy have shown an incredible passion for expanding conservation awareness on our Phoenix campus. Receiving several Student Sustainability Action Fund awards, these students have planned and executed events that have created a framework for continued growth in understanding the ways in which environmental health can be supported through the health sciences to improve the lives of others.

In the past year, we have made tremendous strides toward the goals laid out in the Sustainable Creighton Initiative. These include the installation of solar heating tubes and solar panels on our newest student residence, Graves Hall, and a solar array atop the new CL and Rachel Werner Center for Health Sciences Education; being recognized as a Tree Campus Higher Education; securing a STARS Silver rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education; and receiving a unique opportunity to have the national environmental organization Second Nature offer no-cost carbon footprint reduction consultation so we may learn what efforts can help us achieve energy-efficient and environmentally conscious management of our campus resources.

With so much already accomplished, I am eager to see what lies ahead for our Creighton community. One initiative I am excited to announce today is that students, faculty, and staff will be able to use their JayCard ID as a Metro Transit bus pass starting in the fall semester. Watch for more information in the coming months. Meanwhile, I encourage you to remain engaged through the final days of Earth Month and take part in today’s Pollinator Garden Workday, Wednesday’s Campus Sustainability Walk, and Friday’s Arbor Day Tree Walk events. More so, I invite you to participate throughout the year in the many efforts led by our Office of Sustainability Programs; even seemingly small acts make a significant difference to the health of our planet.

While we may be called to take individual sustainable action, it is through our work as a unified Creighton community that we form the basis for the sustainability story that inspires our students to strive for a hope-filled future. Let us continue this important work and, in doing so, continue caring for ourselves and each other as citizens of our common home.

Sincerely, 

Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD 

President, Creighton University