The Process

LMU has committed to developing an action plan to guide our path to ecological renewal by 2030. This plan will outline tangible actions that the university community will take to meet the seven Laudato Si’ goals over the next seven years; what Pope Francis' calls our "seven-year journey towards integral ecology".

Although each university has adopted a process unique to them, each have embraced a similar three-stage process:

• Reflect: consider our values and identity as they connect with the goals, and establish our objectives
• Act: identify and implement actions to realize our chosen objectives
• Evaluate: assess what progress has been made, and adjust actions accordingly

It is anticipated that these phases will be cyclical, and that we will undertake reflection, action, and evaluation each year.

Year 1

A working group of colleagues has been convened to address the requirements of this initial year:

1. First institutional self-assessment. This seven-year journey begins with an initial assessment of where we are as an institution with regard to the Laudato Si' goals. This evaluation is presently underway and the report will be submitted to Rome upon completion.
2. Institutional reflection. In this first year, we are invited as a university to reflect on the Laudato Si' goals - in what ways our actions and work already reflect them, and in what ways we can grow. Information on this institutional "examen" will be forthcoming. A report on this reflection will be submitted to Rome upon completion.
3. Action plan. Born out of the institutional reflection will be our action plan, in which we will define the concrete, measurable outcomes that we wish to aim for. We plan to submit this action plan to Rome by September 1, 2024.

Years 2-7

In the following years, we will be implementing our action plan, evaluating, and modifying as necessary to achieve the Laudato Si' goals by 2030. Annual requirements are as follows:

1. Self-assessment of the prior year
2. Action plan authored for the coming year

Both annual reports are submitted to Rome by September 1 of that year. To encourage global conversation and cooperation, all participating institutions are requested to submit reports by September 1 (Feast of Creation), which are then published by Rome on October 4 (Feast of St. Francis of Assisi).