O’Dowd Senior Creates Lasting Impact By Planting Trees
“Not only did we get to help our environment, but we also connected as a community,” she says. “It’s amazing to watch two different...
CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES | LIVING LAB
Kinship with Creation
Located on a hillside blessed with spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay, our 4-acre Living Lab and Center for Environmental Studies (CES) are widely celebrated for their environmental leadership and ecological integrity, earning The Green Achiever Award from the California Department of Education. Offering students a pioneering education in ecology, environmental science, and environmental justice, our Living Lab includes a native plant community, certified wildlife habitat, and sustainable garden. Our CES features two large science laboratories, and a large covered outdoor classroom. Together the Living Lab and CES create an experiential and multidisciplinary learning platform for students, offering them myriad opportunities for both cutting-edge research and quiet contemplation, and empowering them to become the next generation of environmental and sustainability leaders.
Environmental
Education
"Environmental education should facilitate making the leap towards the transcendent which gives ecological ethics its deepest meaning. It needs educators capable of developing an ethics of ecology, and helping people, through effective pedagogy, to grow in solidarity, responsibility, and compassionate care."
- Pope Francis, Laudato Si
Beyond the Classroom
Kinship with Creation
We believe in learning “Beyond the Classroom” and several O’Dowd courses, including Science and the Environment and Biology, require students to contribute service hours to the Living Lab. With options ranging from Green Dragons Flex, After School Service, and Saturday Service Days, students participate in caring for native plants, composting, planting, caring for animals, and more.
Michael Downs, Director of Justice & Kinship
Raised in Montana, Michael graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Education. He went on to earn an MA in Christian Spirituality from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union. He is most inspired by O’Dowd’s unique Charism of social justice, kinship with creation, and joy.
