Environmental Stewardship
The Wellington Catholic District School board affirms the Catholic Social Teaching of Stewardship of God's Creation as articulated by Pope Francis through his encyclical, Laudato Si or Care for our Common Home. In this letter, our Christian vocation as it interfaces with the environment is articulated as follows:
"The ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion…Living our vocation to be protectors of God's handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience. (#217)"
As an integral aspect of our Catholic experience, WCDSB is committed to fostering and encouraging policies, procedures and practices, which permeate the educational environment, promoting protection of the Earth as an essential value. One of the ways we are addressing this is through our local Environmental Stewardship Committee. This committee has articulated the following as goals for Wellington Catholic:
- Encourage and maintain sustainable practices in our schools and offices leading to waste reduction, increased recycling, and lessen the impact on our environment,
- Provide educational opportunities for students and staff on the importance of stewardship and the care of our common home,
- Promote staff and student engagement in programs that support learning of the environment and stewardship,
- Maintain and further develop community partnerships, such as with the City of Guelph, Focus on Nature, Ontario Eco Schools, Guelph Lake and the Ignatius Jesuit Property, which support mutual goals of care and appreciation of the environment.