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Jesuit, Catholic, and Green: Evidence from Loyola University Chicago

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Abstract

In this article, we investigate the relationship between religion, spirituality, and sustainability ethics. We focus on the sustainability efforts and channels that a Catholic Jesuit university employs in defining sustainability for business education and the global community through a consideration of the themes of social justice and the value of life. Specifically, we examine the model embraced by Loyola University Chicago (LUC), which promotes sustainability ethics and initiatives through their campus infrastructure, academic curriculum, and institutional culture. We examine emerging student-run businesses and their impact on the environment from a social justice perspective. Sustainability initiatives include on-campus biodiesel production, bottled water bans, sustainable farming, water conservation, and the creation of a sustainability dashboard.

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Notes

  1. See, for instance, Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 1991, #36; Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 2009, #48-51; Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Vocation of the Business Leader, 2011, #4, 32, 40, 57.

  2. The Catholic Health Association with Practice Greenhealth, Environmental Sustainability Getting Started Guide (2010) Inside cover.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the comments provided by the anonymous referees. In addition, the authors would like to thank participants at the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools—Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education World Forum (St. Louis, MO, July 14–16, 2013) for useful comments and discussions.

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Correspondence to Omid Sabbaghi.

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Sabbaghi, O., Cavanagh, G.F. Jesuit, Catholic, and Green: Evidence from Loyola University Chicago. J Bus Ethics 127, 317–326 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-2026-2

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