By: Grace Barber ‘27 – published in Fall 2024 Issue 2
The Siena College 2024 Laudato Si’ Symposium on Integral Ecology was a phenomenal opportunity to learn about organizations striving to make positive change for the environment. The opening event, “Clean and Just Connections: Your Future Can be Green and Gold,” featured display booths of organizations seeking societal transformation for the environment. Three booths featured at the event include Plug, Greenfaith, and Roman Catholic Dioceses of Albany (RCDA) Peace and Justice Commission. These groups all aim to preserve the Earth for years to come, which is especially important in today’s ecology with issues such as climate change and the lack of care for creation in society.
Plug provides hydrogen and fuel cell solutions for the global green hydrogen economy. The organization strives to create a sustainable future for industrial energy by creating opportunities for corporations to use clean energy sources, which will improve the ever-rising global temperature. The company serves corporations such as Amazon and Walmart and is expanding to other industries as well, including zero-emission vehicles and robotics. While speaking with Plug representatives at the Symposium, they explained that their headquarters is located in Latham. Supporting local businesses with goals such as combating climate change is important because businesses like Plug can be the trailblazers for creating global change in energy usage.
Greenfaith is an interfaith organization that aims to take care of the environment through a religious lens. Greenfaith understands that many religious people are concerned about climate change but remain silent because they don’t know what to say or do. Historically, according to Greenfaith, “when people of different religions take peaceful public action together at scale, the world changes.” Instead of making religion a divisive topic, it is much more productive for people with different backgrounds and points of view to come together and protect the planet.
The RCDA Peace and Justice Commission makes sure to advocate for issues such as climate change. The representatives of the Commission explained that many Catholics tend to focus on more politicized topics such as abortion. Although the organization understands the relevance of this issue, it makes sure to give representation to issues that get left behind. They also stressed the importance of aspects of Christianity that aren’t just praying, such as being a moral person and upholding God’s teachings. The organization uses Catholic Social Teachings to educate the community on issues such as climate justice. Catholicism teaches, among other things, the importance of caring for God’s creation.
There were other events at the Symposium, including Keynote Speaker António Gutierrez, the UN Secretary-General, Basil Seggos, former N.Y. State Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, and more. The Laudato Si’ Symposium on Integral Ecology was an amazing opportunity for Siena students and the greater community to be reminded of the importance of protecting the Earth.
Overall, being a commuter student at Siena is different from the traditional ‘college experience.’ But, ‘different’ isn’t a bad thing. Being a commuter can be a wonderful experience if you make the most of it and take advantage of the resources Siena provides for you. Getting involved on campus, whether that means joining clubs for commuters or clubs for everyone, is the best way to make the most of your time at Siena College.