New SHU Course Combines Sustainability and Study Abroad

Italian agriculture and slower-paced living give students a look at eco-friendly practices

Sacred Heart University students learned about eco-friendly living during Sustainable Italy? Tourism, Agriculture & Local Cultures in a Warming World, a new two-week undergraduate course in Italy’s popular Cinque Terre region, Levanto and Rome.

The course focused on Pope Francis’ appeal for “a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet.” Complementing Sacred Heart’s commitment as a Laudato Si’ campus—one that responds to the pope’s call to care for our common home—the program explored the ethical and spiritual meaning of sustainable living. Participants read and delved into the pope’s Laudate Deum (On the Climate Crisis) as they immersed themselves in the culture of Cinque Terra’s villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

“We’re passionate about environmental ethics, addressing climate change and living responsibly and intergenerationally,” said Brian Stiltner, professor of theology & religious studies and co-director of SHU’s Hersher Institute for Applied Ethics, who co-taught the course with Gordon Purves, associate professor of philosophy. The key themes included local and traditional forms of agriculture and slower-paced living compared to the consumeristic American lifestyle that stresses the environment. The class learned from local winegrowers, a marine biologist, olive oil producers and a Levanto representative, who talked about the resort town’s zero waste program.

Dedicated to minimizing their carbon footprint while in Italy, the class of 14 students walked, hiked or traveled by train whenever possible. They calculated that they contributed 46% fewer emissions by taking the train instead of a bus. According to their step counters, they walked about 100 miles during their two-week stay.

The students absorbed the local residents’ slower-paced lifestyle, which intentionally supports area agriculture. In Levanto, where local winemakers hosted them, they learned agricultural practices and helped irrigate a vineyard with a natural spray of quartz and water. Because it is illegal to add sugar or unnatural flavors to wine in Italy, it ages naturally and sustainably.

Avery Alfano ’25, a criminal justice and sociology double major, described the lifestyle she witnessed. “Everything is local,” she said. “Everyone just buys what is locally sourced to last a day or two. Nothing is overproduced, and they don’t buy in bulk like we do at large grocery stores.”

Also, the recyclables are separated in a way that made Alfano reflect on what she throws away. “I’m going to start taking the time to look at labels and deliberately recycle properly,” she said. “It might not be drastic, but I will feel like I’m contributing to improving the environment moving forward.”

Business economics and finance double major Ella McGowan ’26 discovered surprising ties to her studies. “I found I was looking at things from a different perspective,” she said. “There’s more to the way things are done than making money, especially as it relates to the environment.”

“In America, we move so fast,” she continued. “Our societal and economic structure is designed to make fast money, to have quick turnover. I learned to take a step back and reevaluate the things I’m doing and why I’m doing them.” She now has a heightened appreciation for the environment. “That’s the big thing I am going to take home and share with the people around me,” she said.

Daniel Shkreli ’26 also came home with an increased commitment to protecting the environment. “I wasn’t deeply concerned about climate change,” he said. “I would recycle, but I didn’t really think about it.” A finance and accounting double major, he drew connections between what he learned abroad and what he is studying at SHU. “High demand has led to many of the climate change issues,” he said. “We have the opportunity in business to change it—for the better or the worse.”

He and the other students said they learned a great deal in the two weeks abroad. They will use their new knowledge as they embark on the upcoming academic year, especially looking for opportunities to incorporate sustainability practices on campus.