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This summer Mundell & Associates interns and staff provided financial and administrative support to the Indianapolis’ Sustainability Pilot Program (Laudato Si’) this summer.
After ten weeks of collaboration between members of the Creation Care Commission and members from the 5 participating parishes/schools, an individualized sustainability action plan has been made for each participant.
Inside each action plan is a “good, better, best” sequence for improvement in the major areas of assessment: energy, building operations, water use, outdoor space, waste management, transportation, and purchasing. Along with this sequence is estimated costs and timeline for each step, as well as the names of key stakeholders who will be taking charge of that particular project.
The next step for participants is the implementation process. Over the next 12 months, these parishes and schools will be working with support from the Creation Care Commission to move through their action plan and reduce their carbon footprint.
About the 2019 Sustainability Pilot Program
Throughout the ten-week pilot program, the Creation Care Commission held several events to get participants more involved. The program started with an energy workshop through Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light, where attendees were able to learn about using energy prudently in their worship facilities and schools. That same week, a kick-off picnic was held for participants to meet members from other participating locations as well as members of the Commission.
Another educational workshop will be hosted July 24, where anyone is welcome to come and learn about the basics of climate change, Catholic social teaching on climate change, and best operational practices.
The program will end in early August with a concluding celebration to reflect on this summer’s accomplishments and give encouragement to participants as they start the implementation process.
The program, based off Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’, is a step forward for sustainability in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The Creation Care Commission believes that sustainability is a moral imperative for Catholic Christians, and they hope to expand this program to more parishes and schools in the archdiocese in the future.
For more information visit: www.OurCommonHome.org.
