In the recent speech of Fr Roberto "Bobby" Yap, SJ, newly installed President of Xavier University (XU) in Cagayan de Oro City, he encouraged all to "maintain a green campus with a blue heart; a heart that appreciates the goodness of creation and discerns the active presence of God within creation."

Grounded on the GC35 Jesuit mission on Reconciliation with Creation, Fr. Bobby wants to start his term on two environmental stewardship projects: making the campus green and adapting to climate change. He seeks to continue to pursue the three University Development Goals that Fr Jett Villarin SJ, his predecessor, articulated: Stronger Formation, Greater Societal Engagement and Better Administration.

Following the three symbols of GC35, Fr. Bobby challenged everyone to: have fire in their hearts for stronger formation, explore the frontiers for greater societal engagement, and establish friendship for better administration.

In pursuit of the mandate given by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Asia Pacific to become a prototype green campus for other Jesuit schools in the region, Xavier University seeks to:

· Use environmentally-friendly cleaning agents
· Become a styrofoam-free campus
· Operate a Materials Recovery Facility center
· Reduce the waste dump at the city landfill
· Manage trees inside the campus by pruning, landscaping, and treating tree diseases
· Practice composting of yard and fruit wastes
· Set up a rainwater catchment system
· Conduct regular energy audit and improve energy efficiency

The university community took up this challenge positively with key people in the university and auxiliary units gathering together to discuss the process of achieving a road map towards a Solid Waste Management 2020 green campus vision. This initiative is a work in progress towards synergy, which also seeks to broaden its scope by including wastewater, chemical, and other related wastes.