NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina has signed on to be an advocate for the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor, a nationwide initiative created by the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change. The pledge is a promise and a commitment to protect God's creation and advocate on behalf of people in poverty who face the harshest impacts of global climate change.

The St. Francis Pledge invites individuals, families, parishes, organizations and institutions to:

• Pray and reflect on the duty to care for God’s creation and protect the poor and vulnerable.
• Learn about and educate others on the causes and moral dimensions of climate change.
• Assess how we as individuals and in our families, parishes and other affiliations contribute to climate change by our own energy use, consumption, waste, etc.
• Act to change our choices and behaviors to reduce the ways we contribute to climate change.
• Advocate for Catholic principles and priorities in climate change discussions and decisions, especially as they impact those who are poor and vulnerable.

“Salve Regina has an opportunity and an obligation to exercise leadership in promoting and reinforcing good environmental stewardship by integrating the ethical, social, economic and ecological values of environmentally sustainable development into institutional policy and practice,” said Sister Leona Misto, vice president for mission integration.

The University will continue to function as a sustainable community, embodying responsible consumption, promoting ecological literacy and environmentally sound practices among its students, faculty, staff and graduates and supporting these values in the local community and beyond.

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