Students & Sustainability

Student Climate Coalition

Brophy’s Student Climate Coalition brings together some of the most passionate, motivated and accomplished students on campus. That’s what it takes to put together a thorough and well-written proposal for bringing solar to Brophy; then bring that meticulously researched proposal to Brophy’s Board of Trustees and present it so clearly and persuasively that the board voted unanimously to fund the project. It was a grateful school that gathered on May 5, 2022, to dedicate the SCC’s solar project which includes solar panels on the rooftops and in the south parking lots and will reduce Brophy’s traditional energy consumption by 48%, with money saved going to the financial aid program.

Solar Power World
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Follow @brophy4ourcommonhome on Instagram for more on Brophy's student climate initiatives.

We must never forget that the natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone. ~ Pope Francis

BNAC and Environmental Justice

The Brophy Native American Club has advocated tirelessly for the protection of the environment and indigenous sacred places. In February 2022, they participated in a 230-mile relay from the San Francisco Peaks in Northern Arizona to Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site in danger of commercial exploitation that would have devastating environmental consequences as well as desecrate a sacred site.

Mother Jones: "Running on Sacred Ground" by Aidan Parr '22
Ignatian Solidarity Network: "Miracles at Oak Flat" by Drew Rau '02

Water Conservation at Brophy

Brophy has made significant strides over the last decade in water conservation. When the nine-acre Graham Family Sports Campus (formerly the Brophy Sports Campus) was built, it was equipped with one of the most innovative irrigation and drainage systems in Arizona. A vault at the northeast corner of the campus stores Salt River Project irrigation water that supplies water to Brophy, St. Francis Xavier and Xavier College Preparatory. It frees the three schools from using potable water, reducing water usage and cost.

Brophy has also gone to artificial turf for much of campus, including the field at the sports campus and the central mall area. Plans are in place to install artificial turf in the AMDG Pavilion area.

Brophy's 2020 Summit on Human Dignity addressed the issue of water usage and conservation with the topic, Water Is Life: A New Ethic for Our Most Sacred Resource.

Introducing Ecological Justice Leadership — a new course at Brophy Prep | Contact Sustainability Coordinator Cooper Davis '10 for more information.