Gonzaga University recently announced that it has hired Jim Simon to serve as its first director of sustainability.
Simon brings more than seven years of higher education sustainability experience to Gonzaga.
“Through the dedicated work of the Advisory Council on Stewardship and Sustainability (ACSS), Gonzaga is well on its way toward becoming a sustainable campus and I look forward to supporting the ACSS as we strive toward this goal together,” he said in a press release.
Gonzaga has long been committed to responsible environmental stewardship through a host of sustainability initiatives including faculty and student research projects, operations and student organizations. The actions respond to calls by Pope Francis, the Society of Jesus, and the U.S. Catholic Bishops for mission-based sustainability consistent with Gonzaga’s Catholic and Jesuit identity. Gonzaga will expand its sustainability commitment in the John J. Hemmingson Center under construction, according to a news release.
In April, Gonzaga became the first U.S. Jesuit university to commit to the “Real Food Challenge,” a pledge that 25 percent of food served on campus will be sourced from ecologically sound, fair and humane, and local- and community-based providers by 2020. In 2013, Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh and Gonzaga Preparatory School President Al Falkner together signed the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor, joining the national movement for faithful action on climate change. Also in 2013, Gonzaga joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Challenge, which cuts food waste to save money, help communities, and protect the environment.
