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A new grant is funding a two-year collaboration between Emmanuel College and Salve Regina University to research connections between the environment and the common good.
The $25,000 Collaboration and Conference Grant was awarded through the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities. The grant is designed to bring together a group of faculty and students around a common concern or topic of special significance.
The Emmanuel and Salve Regina collaboration will focus on integral ecology, a holistic Catholic framework that links environmental sustainability with social justice and human dignity. The concept was highlighted by Pope Francis in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si' and has been amplified by Pope Leo XIV.
Emmanuel Vice President of Mission & Ministry Fr. Federico Cinocca described integral ecology as a top priority for the Church, saying the multidisciplinary project will approach this global issue from several perspectives to help inform the broader discussion.
"The idea of integral ecology needs the expertise of many disciplines," said Fr. Federico. "People need to collaborate and work together to find solutions for how we solve these issues, respect the environment, and care for our common home."
The project is led by Dr. Theresa Ladrigan-Whelpley, Special Assistant to the President for Mission and Planning at Salve Regina University and Fr. Federico at Emmanuel with research teams of four faculty members from each institution, drawing from the business, philosophy, science, and theology departments, along with student research assistants. The grant will provide stipends for the faculty and student researchers and cover the costs of conferences related to the project.
“This interdisciplinary collaborative seeks to advance research and teaching initiatives that contribute to the Catholic Social Tradition and strengthen Salve and Emmanuel’s shared mission in Catholic higher education, “said Dr. Ladrigan-Whelpley. “Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, this collaborative takes a holistic approach to the environmental, social, economic, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of today’s crises so we may address both ‘the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.’”
The team kicked things off with an opening dinner and seminar on Emmanuel’s campus and will meet monthly over the course of the grant to present their work in interdisciplinary seminars, and receive feedback.
Stimulating broader public engagement with the issue of integral ecology is another goal of the grant. The group will host a public lecture on climate and environmental justice at the end of the first year and the second year will conclude with faculty showcasing their work in a public roundtable for both campus communities.
“This collaboration is picking up the challenge of researching solutions for environmental and ecological crises that are already prompting a great deal of reflection within the Church,” said Fr. Federico. “We are glad to be at the forefront of these issues, and deeply appreciate Salve Regina collaborating with us, and the Lilly Network supporting this research.”
Below is the roster of researchers for the Integral Ecology Common Good Interdisciplinary Faculty Collaborative:
Dr. Esraa Ahmad, Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry, Emmanuel College
Common Good Initiative: Utilizing Carbon Dioxide for Energy Production
“My project explores how we can convert abundant, harmful carbon dioxide into solar fuels. This work addresses the energy crisis and the alarming concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In addition to gaining laboratory experience, my research students have learned a great deal about environmental pollutants thus far by reviewing literature articles during the design phase of this project.”
Dr. Kelly Basile, Professor of Management
Emmanuel School of Business
Common Good Initiative: Developing Evidence-Based Teaching Tools for Social Impact Leadership
“My project explores how mission-driven innovators and social entrepreneurs address environmental justice, sustainability, and human flourishing through their work. Grounded in the principles of integral ecology, the project seeks to better understand how organizations and leaders integrate social, environmental, economic, and ethical considerations when developing solutions to complex societal challenges. The project will involve conducting and analyzing interviews with mission-based innovators, social entrepreneurs, and organizational leaders whose work focuses on environmental sustainability, ecological stewardship, and social justice.
Findings from these interviews will be used to develop two teaching cases and accompanying instructional materials that can be used in courses related to management, entrepreneurship, sustainability, leadership, ethics, and social innovation.”
Dr. Craig Condella, Professor
Department of Philosophy & Cultural, Environmental, and Global Studies, Salve Regina University.
Common Good Initiative: Environmental Justice in Action
Dr. Craig Condella will evaluate his students' civic engagement work in Environmental Justice over the past decade to get a sense of both the community impact and the pedagogical value of such work. At the same time, the collaborative will help in continuing some of the projects already underway and aid in exploring new possibilities.
Dr. Benjamin Hohman, Assistant Professor
Department of Philosophy & Cultural, Environmental, and Global Studies, Salve Regina University
Common Good Initiative: Grace and Emergence: Towards an Ecological and Evolutionary Foundation for Theology
“My project focuses on completing a book I have been working on for several years. In it, I explore how the Catholic Church’s understanding of grace and salvation might be rethought in light of new insights in ecological and evolutionary science, which have made us more aware of the interdependence of human and non-human nature. Our own salvation, I argue, depends vitally on the relationship we cultivate with the rest of the created world through which God’s grace is mediated. I am aided in this work by a Religious and Theological Studies major who is serving as my research assistant. Through this collaboration, I am able to mentor the student in the practices of humanities scholarship while also receiving valuable feedback on how effectively the book communicates the substance and urgency of its argument to its intended readers.”
Dr. Laurie Johnston, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies
Emmanuel College
Common Good Initiative: Sr. Dorothy Stang and the Politics of Integral Ecology
“Although Pope Francis often urged the world to listen to ‘the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,’ many Christians still don’t see integral ecology as a concern that is central to their faith. My project will examine how the story of Sr. Dorothy Stang and her martyrdom can help address that gap.”
Bonnie Kennedy, Assistant Professor
Jean and David M. Wallace Department of Business & Economics, Salve Regina University
Common Good Initiative: Integral Ecology in the Classroom: Teaching ESG, Corporate Accountability, and the Common Good
“My project will develop a suite of original teaching case materials on corporate ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) disclosure, ethical leadership, and corporate climate accountability. The central pedagogical premise is that today’s students need practice reasoning across the boundaries of financial analysis, ethical obligation, and ecological accountability. ESG disclosure sits at that intersection. The first phase of the research involves developing a rubric based on Integral Ecology as described in Laudato Si' to be applied to corporate ESG reporting. The proposed cases will help students evaluate not only what firms report, but also what those reports omit, whom they serve, and how business decisions affect communities and the environment.”
Dr. Michelle Maiese, Professor of Philosophy
Emmanuel College
Common Good Initiative: Integral Ecology, Enactivism, and Radical Entanglement
“Since the early decades of the 20th century, the human mind has been compared to an information processing device and human persons have been characterized as sophisticated computers. But what if human persons were understood in more organic terms, as dynamic living organisms that are fully embodied and radically entangled with their surroundings? To say that humans are entangled with the natural world is to acknowledge that each human subject is part of an interconnected web of organic-inorganic, chemical-physical, and neuro-immunological interactions. My research project aims to explore how an emphasis on entanglement paves the way for a more productive way of understanding our relationships to one another, to other living organisms, and to the natural world more broadly.”
Dr. Christine Ramsey, Assistant Professor
Department of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Salve Regina University
Common Good Initiative: Transforming Global Challenges to Serve the Common Good: Nuisance Seaweeds for Consumption and Coastal Resilience
“While seaweed wrack on beaches is traditionally considered a nuisance, causing ecological and economic harm, this project aims to reconnect humans and nature utilizing a cyclic approach to tackle problems associated with climate change and reframe them into an integrated solution to serve the common good. Our work will explore the potential for these nuisance seaweeds, which are exacerbated by the conditions associated with climate change, to be utilized for agricultural fertilizer creating a cyclic loop for coastal nutrients across land and oceans, while simultaneously exploring partnerships for providing supplemental nutrition to coastal communities through subsequent increases in crop yield and direct consumption of ocean farmed kelp. We are reestablishing our cultural and ecological heritage of New England by ensuring a sustainable relationship with the oceans, while also aligning with the hallmarks of community engagement and advancing climate justice for all.”