Catholic Climate Declaration

Providence College Signs Catholic Climate Declaration

For Immediate Release: Nov. 20, 2018

Providence, R.I. – Nov. 20, 2018 – Father Kenneth Sicard, O.P., acting president of Providence College (PC), has formally signed the Catholic Climate Declaration to signify the College’s commitment to addressing one of the most urgent issues in campus life: an environmentally sustainable campus. The impetus to sign the Declaration was the result of convening the recently-formed President’s Committee on Sustainability, whose goal is to create a sustainable campus.

Father Sicard said, “Signing this document shows that we view the environment and sustainability seriously. We have already taken steps to discourage unnecessary waste on campus by eliminating trays in the students’ dining hall. To lessen our energy dependence, we are systematically replacing inefficient lighting in the library and on our athletic facilities. This committee will be reporting to me on a regular basis, and I wish them luck in their mission.”

As of this October, over 700 colleges, universities, parishes, hospitals, and other institutions have signed onto this document, including peer institutions of PC like Villanova University, Fairfield University, Salve Regina University, Dominican College, Manhattan College, The University of Notre Dame, and The College of the Holy Cross, among others.

The goal of the document is to express “the U.S. Catholic community’s call to climate action, arising from our theological foundation, proclaimed to all within our one human family. From this call we envision, pray for, and act towards a thriving future, with our family and the gift of God’s creation.” In particular, the Declaration asks that institutions aspire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to globally avoid passing the 2° Celsius temperature increase threshold, a threshold established by the International Paris Agreement of 2015.

Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,000 students and offers degrees in 50 academic majors. Since 1997, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.”