Championing environmental stewardship, Rev. Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM, PhD, President of Saint Louis University (SLU) and Regional Trustee of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines – Cordillera Administrative Region (CEAP-CAR), delivered a powerful message, urging the strict implementation of circular economy principles within academic institutions. The pronouncement was made during the official launching of the Pansa-nopen Tayo Circular Economy Resource Book Launch and Fellows Program for private and public schools, held at the Baguio Convention Center on 23 June 2026.
The initiative aimed to advance circular economy education, encourage sustainable practices among learners, and help develop future environmental champions. Teachers likewise participated in an orientation on using the resource book and incorporating circular economy concepts into classroom teaching.
Fr. Sales shared the stage with a distinguished panel of international and local leaders, including Dr. Moeko Saito-Jensen, Project Manager of the European Union-Philippines (EU-PH) Green Economy Partnerships of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Ms. Floradema Eleazar, Team Leader of the UNDP Climate Action Team. Also speaking at the event were Dr. Samuel Soliven, representing the Department of Education (DepEd), Secretary Sonny Angara, and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who all gathered to reinforce the multi-sectoral commitment to regional sustainability.
Addressing an audience of educators, youth leaders, local officials, and international figures from UNDP, the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership, and DepEd, Fr. Sales emphasized that academic institutions must actively transition from the wasteful, linear “take-make-use-dispose” model to sustainable ecosystems that prioritize resource efficiency and waste minimization.
“Private schools operate with a level of agility that allows us to innovate rapidly. However, we also bear a profound shared responsibility. We mold the minds of the future CEOs, engineers, policymakers, and educators. If we do not teach them, and more importantly, show them what circularity looks like in practice, who will?,” Fr. Sales remarked. He then shared various SLU programs that promote circular economy, such as its sewage treatment plants, “Water is Life” free water-refilling stations, hydroponics, and upcycling partnerships.
Beyond the university premises, SLU, through Fr. Sales, served as a lead figure in formulating the Circular Economy Resource Manual in Baguio City. He highlighted that the manual’s core philosophy is deeply rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and missionary values, explicitly mirroring Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’ on the care for our common home, alongside the historical encyclicals Populorum Progressio and Rerum Novarum.
The manual integrates the core CICM missionary thrusts—championing justice and peace, care for the environment, the indigenous peoples’ apostolate, a preferential option for the poor and abandoned, and dialogue—as well as the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) advocacy for Ecological Integrity.
To demonstrate that these principles are already active blueprints rather than mere theories, Fr. Sales shared several of SLU’s flagship green initiatives during the event. He underscored the university’s concrete sustainability programs, which include the “Water is Life” project, the widespread deployment of Solar Panels for clean energy, an advanced Sewage Treatment Plant for wastewater management, and modern Hydroponics systems for sustainable urban farming. Through these functional, localized solutions, Fr. Sales challenged schools and various organizations to utilize the newly launched resource book to instill minimalist values and ecological responsibility in the hearts of young learners.
This program on Circular Economy is clearly aligned with the Laudato Si principles and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 13 (Climate Action), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Through such trailblazing initiatives, SLU solidifies its commitment to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the principles of Laudato Si’ and the Papal Encyclicals on ecological management, embedding environmental stewardship across its curricula, operations, and community partnerships. (Article and Photos by Dr. Joselito Gutierrez)
