Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP)

A. Care for creation in the curriculum of your seminary:

Core Courses:
Marion Grau's annual Constructive Theology includes various units in which issues of environment are raised: Doctrines of Creation, Divine Economy, Eschatology, etc.

Electives:
Marion Grau teaches an occasional elective on Ecotheology or related subjects.

B. Care for Creation in the life of your seminary:

1) Worship:
CDSPs multifaceted liturgical context produces great variety and hence services with an ecological focus are brought forward by members of the community on an occasional rather than strategic fashion.

We plan occasional liturgies around ecological issues, as for example a Lenten meditation program for the seminary community offering services, weekly reflections and exhibits in the refectory around water right, justice, distribution issues.  

2) Education:
We give stainless steel bottles to incoming students during orientation, with a note encouraging them to use this bottle during their time in seminary. We write small articles on what the Greening Project does for the Diocesan Newsletter and for our own in-house alum magazine.

3) Building and grounds:
Paper, cardboard and plastic are recycled. Low energy bulbs have been standard since the Enron-induced California energy crisis. The Greening CDSP Project is hoping to transform campus bit by bit, replacing water intensive lawn surfaces with local low- irrigation plants and promote Green landscaping. We lack funds for an energy audit.

4) Personal discipleship:
During our 'Water Lent' we encouraged all community members to consider where water is in their lives, how they encounter and use it, and how they could engage with water in more responsible ways, personally and communally. There has been a student movement for increasing the percentage of vegetarian food in the refectory, especially salads and salad sauces, vegetables, etc. Our new student orientation informs about public transportation options as well as carsharing possibilities. We encourage people to enjoy the nature of the Bay Area.

5) Public ministry/ political advocacy:
Advocacy happens primarily on the level of the Diocese and national Episcopal structures which we seek to support but not to replicate. We let our students know that environmental issues will be part of their future ministries in one way or another, and that being proactive beats being reactive by a long shot.

C. Other: Please include any other information you wish to share:

Marion Grau will be co-writing and publishing a book on a theology of the elements (water, air, fire, earth) with Mayra Rivera. (SCM Press)

We hope to build a labyrinth where a water-guzzling lawn is now, on top of a classroom. This would also help reduce leakage issues, and avoid waste of water that does not reach the ground. We hope to establish ourselves more strongly, as much as is possible within a a small school. Eventually, we hope to get low-flush toilets.

Recources: "The Greening Project @ CDSP" is a blog devoted to chronicling the greening efforts at the divinity school. It can be found at http://greeningcdsp.blogspot.com/.

Community Programs: In order to respond to the needs of the community as quickly as possible, CDSP maintains a student-let "project" that works with faculty, staff and students to help the campus run in a more environmentally-friendly manner. Information on the project is accessible through the above-mentioned blog.