Environmental Stewardship
As a Franciscan community, we are dedicated to being responsible stewards of the environment. In addition to advocating for responsible public policy, we have implemented several "green" initiatives at our convents and ministries, including:
- Daily practices, such as recycling, composting, rainwater preservation, maintenance of green spaces, and organic gardening
- The installation of solar panels to provide water heating in convents in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and New Mexico
- The construction of a LEED-certified convent and high school in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
- The use of geo-thermal heating in Buffalo, New York
In 2017, we completed the final phase of our nationwide solar panel project which involved the installation of solar panels at six Felician properties across the United States. Combined, they are expected to avoid 110 million pounds of CO2 emissions over their 35-year operating life.
Learn more about how you can become a responsible steward of the environment:
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Every year we produce 300 million tons of plastic, using more than 17 million barrels of crude oil.
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Healthy soil is essential for providing nutrients in our food and as a carbon sink to combat climate change.
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Watch this video on the top ten takeaways from Pope Francis' Laudato Si.
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In March of 2015, Pope Francis released his encyclical entitled, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home. The document is meant for all peoples and is an urgent call to address our behaviors and the consequences those behaviors have on the health of our earth.
