The Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP) is a seven-year journey focusing on integral ecology from the Vatican Dicastery. The goal from the Vatican is to make communities around the world totally sustainable in the spirit of integral ecology. The Ecological crisis is “a summons to profound interior conversion” (LS 217).
Seven focus groups include: Families, Dioceses/Parishes, Schools, Universities, Hospitals/Health Care Centers, Business/Agricultural Farms, Religious Orders
Seven Goals: Response to the Cry of the Earth, Response to the Cry of the Poor, Ecological Economics, Adoption of Simple Lifestyles, Ecological Education, Ecological Spirituality, Community Engagement and Participatory Action
You may find the ideas below helpful in identifying the goals addressed in your projects, actions, and activities.
Address climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and ecological sustainability. Commit to transition to clean renewable energy to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Protect and promote biodiversity such as planting native trees, regenerative agriculture, and pollinators. Provide access to clean water for all. Protect waterways and ocean life. Install more
energy efficient items, such as light bulbs and appliances.
Defend human life from conception to natural death and all forms of life on Earth. Promote and protect Indigenous leadership and their right to their land. Ensure clean air and access to greenspaces. Stand in solidarity with vulnerable people by delivering programs to address basic needs. Address failed systems and advocate for change. Promote eco-justice and grow in solidarity with vulnerable peoples.
This includes sustainable production, Fair Trade, ethical consumption, and investments. Divest from fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy. Support a livable wage. Choose ethical banking and insurance companies. Support creation of good jobs. Purchase goods from retailers that are ethically and sustainably produced. Buy from cooperatives and companies that support livable wages.
Promote sobriety in the use of resources and energy. Avoid single-use plastic. Adopt a more plant-based diet and reduce meat consumption. Begin to transition from meat-based to plant-based meals. Reduce food waste. Buy from local producers when possible. Eliminate the use of disposable plastic and Styrofoam. Increase usage of electric vehicles, correctly recycle, and reduce purchases.
Begin to re-think and redesign educational curricular. Create educational awareness and transformative action. Become aware of local ecosystems. Be aware of the science and social dimensions of the ecological crisis. Develop action plans to address the ecological emergency. Attend conferences or webinars to learn more. Provide programs on ecological living. Provide information sharing on ecological issues.
Recover a religious vision of God’s creation that encourages greater contact with the natural world in the spirit of wonder, praise, joy, and gratitude. Continue participating in Season of Creation and publicly pray for our social and ecological redemption. Publish statements that advocate for the sacredness of creation and the need for protection. Provide reflections on Laudato Si themes and share prayers and mediations. Connect spiritual dimension with action plans.
Advocate for social and ecological causes by identifying a social and environmental policy focus. Consider a public statement. Organize by letter writing. Encourage rootedness in local territory and neighborhood ecosystems. Partner with local churches and community leaders. Develop resilience by analyzing the physical, social, and spiritual ways your local community is likely to be affected by climate change. Design a plan to prepare for those changes.