Going Green: a Catholic thing?

By: Maria Murdock

Posted: 11/17/09

With the stereotyping of "going green" as a left-wing interest, many conservatives feel uncomfortable with environmental concerns. Perhaps this is also why recycling - a 30-year-old institution taken for granted on every other college campus - was only officially implemented on campus this past semester, thanks to the hard work and initiative of Alan Sterling from Purchasing and Luke Mutschler from Human Resources.

Perhaps this is also why the University of Dallas Earth Service Club, formerly known as the Environmental Alliance, has about nine members on a good day.

Dave Lara, current president of the UD Earth Service Club, is more than aware of UD's lack of vigor for all things green. He believes that this is not necessarily due to laziness on the part of students or an active hatred for the earth, but simply from lack of interest. Sarah Kisner, founder of the Environmental Alliance, class of 2009, once said, "UD students just don't understand how this is important. They can't relate to it; they don't see its value," - hence the apathy.

Thus, Lara has come up with tactics to help the UD populace understand why environmentalism is, in fact, very pertinent to not only the world, nor just to themselves, but to God and to their faith. One shift to address this importance has been the change of the club's name. Renaming the club UD Earth Service emphasizes a call to the students, reminding them that they are, in fact, stewards of the earth - that it is their duty, as humans, to take responsibility for what they are given: a pretty awesome planet, filled with everything they need to survive.

This semester, to further accentuate the Catholic role in green awareness, the club is having a talk by Fr. Patrick Foley, a priest who speaks on the importance of being stewards of the earth. Foley also addresses how this is becoming more and more relevant as the green movement progresses, no longer simply an issue pushed by left-wingers alone but from both political sides.

"We're really excited for him to come," says Lara. "He will be speaking about the 'Covenant of Creation,' citing scripture and emphasizing how Catholics are called to conserve resources."

UD Earth Service Club has a lot of ideas, especially for its upcoming first semester service activity. If you have ideas for an earth-related service project, whether it is cleaning up parts of Tower Village, buying a new turkey duck for its pond or planting a tree on campus, e-mail Lara at LaradL14@yahoo.com. Meanwhile, next time you go to a party, maybe consider recycling the left over beer cans.