Thanks to a generous donation from the Wallace Genetic Foundation, The College of Wooster has been able to create a new fund focused on exploring the intersection between faith and the environment. The Ex Uno Fonte Program seeks to advance the critical intersection of faith and environmental stewardship through educational programming, events, and community partnerships.
Sacred Spaces & Activities
In conjunction with Religious & Spiritual Life, the Office of Sustainability supports and maintains nature-based sacred spaces on campus. This includes a planned rejuvenation of the Prayer Labyrinth, with the creation of an interfaith Prayer/Meditation Booklet, the establishment of a Japanese Zen Garden-inspired Pollinator Plot near Luce Hall, and on-going engagement with the Campus Learning Garden. We are exciting to introduce Shinrin Yoku/Forest Bathing into our planned offerings for the 26-27 school year to inspire deeper connection and conservation opportunities for the college community. We are always looking for ways to partner with Student Faith/Religious organizations. Past events have included a Sustainable Samhain with the Coven and a Spring Sustainability & Spirituality event with RSL. Email us if you’d like to collaborate!
Fall Break trip
Each Fall, The Ex Uno Fonte Program sponsors a Fall Break Trip in the region to focus on Faith & Sustainability in Action. Past trips have included Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Highlights have included farm & camp stays, volunteering in Faith-Based Urban Permaculture Gardens, enjoying and learning about sustainable foods from the Jewish diaspora reimagined through a local foods lens, Zen Basket weaving, Regenerative Tea Gardens supporting local activists, a visit to a Hindu Jain Temple, and exploring sustainable features of Lakewood Cemetery. In addition to learning and exploring personal values, each trip includes nature-based downtime, campfires, and always s’mores.
South Pacific TREK
This summer TREK is a 1-credit course entitled “Climate Justice and Religion in the South Pacific.” Students will visit Fiji and Tuvalu for 3 weeks, where they will encounter community leaders, frontline activists, church leaders, government ministers, and others who are working to respond to the climate crisis in a distinctly Pacific way. Our main sponsor, the Pacific Conference of Churches, has ties throughout the Pacific region, and is actively involved in climate education and advocacy both regionally and on a global scale. Perhaps most uniquely, students get to spend almost a week in the tiny atoll nation of Tuvalu, one of the least populated and the least visited country in the world. Sitting at less than a meter above sea level, Tuvalu is the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” for climate change impacts. We’ll learn first hand what their nation is doing to respond to these complex global challenges and the unique challenges and opportunities that religious engagement with climate change offer.
Faith & Sustainability Network
The Wooster Faith & Sustainability Network is an ever-evolving way for the college and local faith community to connect and partner on sustainability initiatives. Past events have included a Holiday Swap & Shop designed to reduce consumerism and support community members, speakers such as Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman on why Christians should care about climate change, and a Sustainability & Spirituality event featuring a virtual talk by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer. We have also worked with local churches to install pollinator gardens, assist with Climate certifications within their denominations, and provide support for the Interfaith Justice Group through various initiatives. We welcome groups of all faiths and are always looking to deepen our involvement with local congregations and faith communities.
