Meet Ben Chu
This month's installment in the ongoing series of Q&A sessions from the Office of Sustainability catches up with Ben Chu. Keep reading to learn about Ben, his views on sustainability, and how he implements sustainable practices into his daily life.
What is your position/department/year/major/club affiliation at Gonzaga?
I’m a Specialist for Ecological Spirituality with our Office of University Ministry where I get to create opportunities for students to connect to God in the beauty of creation on wilderness retreats, prayer hikes, and outdoor ministry programs like Gonzaga Explore. I also teach in the Comprehensive Leadership Program with our School of Leadership Studies.
What does sustainability mean to you?
For me, sustainability means being in life-giving and just relationships both intra-generationally across cultures and inter-generationally across time in a way where we examine and imagine how our actions affect others and the Earth we call our common home. It's learning how to be a good steward to the gifts that God gave us.
How have you been involved in promoting sustainability on campus?
It’s been a joy to collaborate creatively with partners all around campus such as the Office of Sustainability, the Climate Center, GU Outdoors, the Gonzaga Environmental Organization, Fossil Free Gonzaga, the Green Fund, the Employee Sustainability Ambassadorship, and staff and faculty from many different disciplines and departments. My hope is to help others find their own intrinsic motivation and calling to deepen their love of God and neighbor, especially in caring for our common home, and this happens through transformation - not just information.
What are some things you do in your personal life to live sustainably?
It’s an ongoing journey of discovery. My family and I live by the motto of “enough.” We do our best to prioritize our relationships to God, to other people, and to our planet, and that is the source of our life’s joy and meaning. Who we are is enough, and what we have is enough.
How could Gonzaga continue to improve its sustainability efforts?
I’m new here so I’m still learning about our community, but the recent Climate Summit I attended was a great example of groups on campus working together, and it seems like we’re rowing in sync. The more we work together as a cohesive team, both within and outside of our school, the more successful we will be in our shared goal of the common good.
How will you continue to promote sustainability at Gonzaga?
Our world needs policy changes and structural transformation, and I believe that starts with an honest examination of our philosophy, spirituality, and worldview, which is where my role comes into play. My hope is to foster what Pope Francis calls an “ecological conversion” in which we recognize our intrinsic oneness in the human family, move beyond a throwaway culture that only values planet and people for their utility, and deepen our connections to the goodness that is immanent in creation. All of these happen through life-giving relationships and experiences.
How do you see sustainability intersecting with social justice issues on an institutional, national, or global scale?
My role explores the intersection between faith, environmental conservation and stewardship, and caring for those on the margins of society, all of which are inextricably linked. My mother is a Secular Franciscan, and I grew up around Franciscans, so I’m deeply inspired by how St. Francis followed Christ, and how he loved and saw God in both nature and in the poor. For me, it’s as simple as this: I believe that God’s goodness is imbued in creation, so I want to love and protect our planet and the people on it. I don’t do this perfectly, but it’s a calling I feel drawn to in which we heal and grow together as a human family in community with all living creatures on our one, beautiful planet.