Each year, around the world, the International Day of Peace is observed on September 21 in order to strengthen the ideals of peace. In conjunction with this day, Loras’ Peace and Justice Week highlights the work of campus groups working for peace and justice. This year the week focuses on environmental justice, particularly ethical consumerism. We welcome guest blogger, Kate Cain, Peace and Justice Student Intern, to share more about this theme.
The International Day of Peace is dedicated to building relationships across divides, ceasefires, and finding solutions to the problems that impact individuals as well as global institutions. Loras College’s Fr. Ray Herman Peace and Justice Center commemorates the International Day of Peace by hosting a full week of events called Peace and Justice Week. During this yearly tradition the Loras community comes together to engage in dialogue and activities centered around the issues we face as a society today.
This year’s theme is environmental justice, which is the active effort to end climate change, pollution, poverty as a result of environmental damage, and more through activism and making “green” lifestyle choices. This issue is immensely important as our daily lives are increasingly changed as a result of harm to the environment, such as hotter heat waves and colder cold stretches, more frequent severe weather events, higher utility bills, and so much more. The environment in which we find ourselves today is very different from that of the generations preceding us. Therefore, it is important that we, as college students, learn and participate in environmental justice to heal our shared home, the Earth.
We all have a part to play in furthering the efforts of environmental justice, and events of Peace and Justice Week provide many opportunities! Learn how fair-trade coffee helps preserve water and reduce waste as you enjoy a cup in Spiritual Life. Listen to Grace Adams from the Catholic Purchasing Alliance discuss ethical purchasing and talk with leaders from Jerusalem Farm about urban farming and the importance of sustainability in community service. Attend the International Day of Peace keynote panel to engage in dialogue about environmental activism, ethical purchasing, and more. Advocate for refugees, whose lives are particularly impacted by environmental issues, by participating in the solidarity walk for refugees. Finally go to Wild Church, an inclusive spiritual outdoor gathering led by Eric Anglada of St. Isidore Catholic Worker Farm, to experience nature and spirituality in a new way. Checkout the details for these events here. Your voice, ideas, and presence can enact real change in the world, so begin your peacemaker journey with Peace and Justice Week!
To learn more about ethical consumerism, please visit the book display on the main floor of the Library.