They have installed solar panels on campus, reduced waste misplacement in the cafeteria, audited irrigation systems, and hosted advocacy events to protect sacred Native land from development. Brophy students have been recognized nationally for their efforts, winning Catholic Climate Covenant’s 2023 U.S. Laudato Si’ Champions Award in the school category.

As the crisis of climate change becomes more pressing, many Jesuit and other Catholic schools find themselves in conversations about ecological justice—conversations that may all too often begin from a stance of fear, anxiety, and guilt. Meanwhile, Brophy students are taking a novel approach to sustainability initiatives on their campus: they are beginning from a standpoint of gratitude.

“Whenever we look at a problem, we are not going to start with what’s wrong; we’re going to start with what we’re grateful for. And just having that mindset shifts the conversations,” says Cooper Davis, fine arts teacher and sustainability coordinator at Brophy, who is also a 2010 alumnus of the school. “I’ve never wanted to take a fear-mongering approach to any of this work. We live in a hope-filled world; that’s what our faith teaches us.”

“Even in times of friction during a meeting, or when something isn’t happening as we would like it to, this is where our gratitude-based learning comes through,” said Rayan Naraqi Farhoumand, who is a member of the Brophy class of 2025. “We go into a conversation ready to have a dialogue instead of a debate. We don’t have an expected outcome; instead, we have a conversation, and we find a compromise that works for both parties. It’s just beneficial to our goal overall.”

Source : ignatiansolidarity.net