Ecological Education is about re-thinking and re-designing curricular and institutional reform in the spirit of integral ecology in order to foster ecological awareness and transformative action. Actions could include ensuring equitable access to education for all and promoting human rights, fostering Laudato Si’ themes within the community, encouraging ecological leadership (students, teachers), and ecological restoration activities.
Current initiatives at St. Kate's that support this goal include:
Facilities Department and Biology Club Arbor Day Event: This two-day event honors the Arbor Day Foundation's hopeful tradition to educate people about trees and their meaning and place in our world. St. Kate's Facilities Department co-sponsors this event with the Biology Student Club to provide a Tree Walk on campus led by faculty and staff from the Biology and Facilities Departments. The Tree Walk highlights specific and interesting trees on campus. Each tree on the path will have a designated person ready to share about the tree, its history, interesting facts, etc. There will be iPad-based trivia games at each station and prizes for winners. Our vendor partners in sustainable gardening, Elizabeth Herrington Designs, as well as our University Arborists from SavATree, will be hosting stations and available to share knowledge as well. As a part of the effort we will be sharing about the university's Tree Management Program, where we have tagged and identified approximately 1,400 trees by species, age, risk, donor funding and treatment/management plan. We have some 100 year old photos of a few of these heritage trees.
St. Kate's Bee Hives & Pollinator Gardens - St. Kate's is home to a number of active honey bee hives. The hives are housed on the roof of one of our most historic classroom facilities and serve as an educational resource for faculty, staff and students. Faculty and staff with pollinator care expertise, local bee keepers and students workers process hive production and create honey each year to raise awareness and funds for the student Biology Club. Each year we care for and increase the diversity of pollinator plants and native blooming species to support the Katie Bees as well as new communities of native pollinators.
St. Kate's Summer Pollinator Camp - This summer day camp for middle schoolers is run by the Biology Department and teaches pollinator preservation behaviors as well as provides hands-on experience to study flowers found on campus grounds and opportunities for creating products made from bee hive wax.
Sustainability Studies Minor-The sustainability studies minor is an interdisciplinary program (criteria) that teaches students creative methods that can be used to interrogate, understand, and solve real-life business, social, and environmental problems. Through the lens of design thinking, students will build a solid understanding of principles, processes, and applications of sustainability and innovation, which can be applied to a wide range of disciplines. For this minor, 19-20 credits are required, with at least 12 being unique to the minor. Other associated courses
Fashion Design and Merchandising Curriculum: Sustainable practice is incorporated at every level of St. Catherine University’s fashion design program curriculum, from repurposing textiles to creating looks from recycled material.