Ecological Economics, the third of seven Laudato Si’ Goals, acknowledges that the economy is a sub-system of human society, which itself is embedded within the biosphere – our common home.
University students from around the world are quickly becoming some of the biggest champions of change when it comes to Ecological Economics.
See the videos below for two such university students — more than 3,000 km apart — who are taking action from their college campuses to promote and support a solid economy which will direct the functioning of the market to the common good.
Andrea Lissette del Cid Monterroso, Universidad Rafael Landivar, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Andrea views Ecological Economics as a “multidisciplinary field that helps us to understand environmental limits, allows the research of new policies for the solution of challenges, and the search for sustainable societies.”
Her approach to this Laudato Si’ Goal is to help improve our economic models in a more conscious way, with a strong focus on natural resources.
At Universidad Rafael Landivar in Guatemala City, Guatemala, where she is a student, Andrea seeks to get involved with the country’s economy, helping them improve their processes and embrace a circular economy, one that is restorative or regenerative by design.
Andrea continues to both support and discover new mentors with environmentally-friendly ideas on campus “to help generate a total ecological economy in the country.”
Henry Pfaff, Loyola University Chicago
Henry believes all the Laudato Si’ Goals are essential in developing a sustainable community, but that none of them can be fully realized without Ecological Economics. His main area of concern is the heavy industrialization in the developed world, with a particular focus on the adverse effect of fossil fuel uses.
“Unsustainable economic models are what led us into this mess of climate change,” said Henry. “So it may just be a new acceptance of sustainable economic models that get us out of it.”
He is proud to be a student at Loyola University Chicago, a university “on the front lines, researching the impacts of climate change to make real lasting impacts in a data-driven environment to address many issues, from rising sea levels to the economic toll of climate change.”