Eight Dimensions of Wellness

is an awareness of the interdependent relationships between people, plants, animals, and the other systems of the earth. Mindful of the effects of your daily habits on the physical environment, environmental wellness emphasizes maintaining a way of life that maximizes harmony with the earth and minimizes harm to the environment. Creating a more humane, just and sustainable world.

Attributes that distinguish environmental wellness

Protection of our natural resources
Conservation of our natural resources
Social justice
Awareness of surroundings
Understanding of the negative effect of personal choices

Resources

The Center for Sustainability offers many resources for students to expand their knowledge of environmental wellness. There are many liaisons in a variety of departments or clubs across campus. The Sustainability Liaisons serve as peer educators for sustainability and experts in their respective areas on how to best integrate sustainability into their offices, programming, research, classroom, and resident communities. Another area of the Center for Sustainability is the Forge Garden.

The Forge Garden is a 1/2 acre edible, organic garden. Do you want to get some sunshine and get your hands dirty? Check out the Forge Garden's YouTube Channel to learn how to grow your own food. The videos will teach you how to compost your food scraps, care for healthy soils, and there are easy kitchen projects you can take on while you are learning remotely. When we are not remote there are volunteer opportunities to work in the garden.

The Office for Multicultural Learning is committed to promoting social justice, building bridges across diverse communities, and celebrating the differences of students at Santa Clara University. In addition, they advocate for historically underrepresented populations and educate the whole person within the context of Jesuit values.

What is the SCU tUrn project?

An interdisciplinary collaborative extending an invitation to all members of higher education institutions and partner networks, alumni & community members to lean into the climate crisis with urgency, creativity, and efficacy. Two key weeks of SCU tUrn engagement happen in October and April.

Reflect on your impact on the environment

Reflection questions

The reflection questions provided are based on the five steps of the Ignatian Examen: Give Thanks, Review, Reflect, Resolve, and Look Ahead.

1. Give Thanks

Where are my favorite places in nature?
Where do I find beauty in creation?
What resources do I have access to that other, especially the poor and vulnerable, do not have access to?

2. Review

How do I use water throughout the day?
Do I recycle or compost?
What communities am I a part of? How can I care for others’ communities around the world?

3. Reflect

Do I consider how interconnected all people of the world are?
Am I conscious of my demands for various types of energy whether it is electric, food, water, etc.?

4. Resolve

How do the personal choices that I make impact the environment and people in my local community and around the world?
How can I demonstrate care for the environment?
Are there ways that I live a more simple life?

5. Look Ahead

What small daily changes can I make?
Have I educated myself about the connection between environmental justice and racial justice?
How can I move away from a culture of consumerism?