06 October 2025
Bilbao Campus
On 6 October, the University of Deusto marked Common Home Care Day as part of EcoLoiola, an initiative by the Loyola Apostolic Platform of the Society of Jesus aimed at reflection, awareness, and collective action for the care of our planet.
During the day, the university community gathered in the Cloister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for a moment of reflection for peace, inspired by Pau Casals (1876–1973), the cellist and composer regarded as a global icon of music and an advocate for freedom and peace. The event honoured his legacy and symbolically conveyed the spirit of his famous work El Cant dels Ocells (“The Song of the Birds”), alongside the Peace Prayer, which calls for transforming hatred, offence, and discord into love, forgiveness, and unity.
As a symbolic gesture, each participant was invited to write a message of peace and plant it on an olive tree, a tree symbolising life, reconciliation and hope. This action sought to reinforce the connection between caring for the natural environment and promoting peace and coexistence.
The day also featured the launch of “Deusto Campus Book Exchange”, an initiative aimed at promoting book sharing within the university community. This initiative gives a second life to books that have already been read, promoting reading as a learning activity and contributing to sustainability by reducing the ecological footprint.
The process is simple: if you have books you no longer read, you can leave them on the shelf and pick up others to enjoy. Once you’ve finished reading a book, you are asked to return it so that other members of the community can enjoy it. The initiative promotes reading, reuse and environmental awareness, under the motto: "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover!"
On the Bilbao campus, there will be three locations where books can be picked up and returned: the Deusto Campus offices entrance, the CRAI library, and ESIDE-La Comercial. On the San Sebastian campus, the book exchange point will be located at the entrance to the CRAI library. The initiative is open to the entire university community, aiming to make reading an act of learning rather than consumption.
The celebration of Common Home Care Day reinforces the University of Deusto’s commitment to sustainability, environmental education, and the promotion of peace. It aligns with the principles of justice and social responsibility that guide EcoLoiola and draws on the writings of Pope Francis: the Laudato Si’ encyclical (2013) and the Laudate Deum apostolic exhortation (2023).
For more information about EcoLoiola and its activities, visit their website.
