UAS Resolution Concerning an Institutional Response to the Earth Crisis

WHEREAS, a summer of record-setting temperatures, widespread wildfires, and smoke-filled air has left no doubt that ecosystems around the world are being pushed beyond tipping points, threatening the livability of the planet, our common home, and;

WHEREAS, awareness of the magnitude of the Earth’s crisis makes it difficult for anyone, but especially the youth of today, to find hope, to imagine how individual action can make a difference, and;

WHEREAS Pope Francis, in his encyclical, Laudato Si’ stated that, “We must move beyond the mentality of appearing concerned but not having the courage needed to produce substantial changes,” and;

WHEREAS, Pope Leo XIV, in his June 2026 address to the presidents of North American Jesuit Colleges and Universities, spoke of the “urgent duty” of “working together in the care of creation” and urged presidents to “let your communities be examples of ecological sustainability, simplicity and gratitude for God’s gifts,” and;

WHEREAS, the Laudato Si’ Action Plan, formulated in Spring of 2024, laid out a series of specific actions that Marquette University should take, consistent with all three themes of the Strategic Plan, to cultivate and implement transformative solutions to the earth crisis both on and off campus, and;

WHEREAS, Marquette University has never formally adopted the Laudato Si’ Action Plan, nor appointed any individual or group to oversee its implementation, and;

WHEREAS, a campus Decarbonization Study has since been performed, which assessed the costs and financial impacts of a transition of Marquette’s campus to net zero CO₂ emissions in comparison to continuing current operations, and;

WHEREAS, Marquette, as a Jesuit, Catholic institution of higher learning, is obligated not only to study and call attention to the converging earth crises, but also to take bold action, to walk with the youth toward a hope-filled future, to begin to reverse the damage done to creation.

Now therefore:

BE IT RESOLVED, that it is the sense of the University Academic Senate that

1. Marquette University should appoint a Laudato Si’ Advisory Team, with student, staff, faculty, and administrative representation, which would be charged to:
   1. review and update the Laudato Si’ Action Plan with attention to potential effects on the surrounding community;
   2. review the Decarbonization Study that has been performed;
   3. develop an updated Laudato Si' Action Plan, including a Carbon Plan, Target Metrics, and an updated timeline, that will enable Marquette to achieve the Popes' mandates;
   4. identify natural synergies between the updated Laudato Si’ Action Plan and objectives/priorities of the Strategic Plan 2031;
   5. identify potential external funding sources for specific sustainability initiatives;
   6. advise on how best to implement the updated plan.

2. Marquette University should create a Revolving Fund for energy efficiency and sustainability projects, structured such that all savings from energy reduction or production efforts are tabulated and reinvested in further energy and sustainability projects until all campus carbon emissions are eliminated.   
3. Marquette University should work with the Laudato Si’ Advisory Team to identify an initial funding level of the Revolving Fund, and sources for these funds, that is consistent with achieving the Target Metrics in a timely fashion.  
4. The updated Laudato Si Action Plan should be presented to the University Academic Senate by the March 2027 meeting.   

Endorsed by University Academic Senate on September 28, 2026