Sagrado Embraces Sustainability and Community Well-Being

During its own Arbor Day, the institution reaffirmed its commitment to preserving and expanding tree cover on campus.

By Institutional Communications

Universidad del Sagrado Corazón celebrated Arbor Day for the first time as part of its commitment to sustainability and the well-being of the university community, with a series of events organized under Sagrado Bosque Urbano, a project that seeks to preserve and strengthen Santurce’s green lung.

The day included a series of educational, recreational, and environmental awareness activities aimed at promoting environmental and community well-being, including wellness and healing workshops, classes held under the trees, discussions on public policy, and a market featuring student entrepreneurs.

The event took on deeper significance for the university community because it was held on October 1, a date that traces back to 1880, when the first classes of Colegio del Sagrado Corazón began. At the time, the school was located in the Diputación building in Old San Juan. The creation of this elementary school dedicated to the education of girls marked the beginning of the educational work established by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, which today we know as Universidad del Sagrado Corazón.

“On this day, we honor the legacy of those who planted the roots of our institution on that October 1, 1880, when the first Sagrado Corazón school in Puerto Rico opened its doors with seven students. Thanks to the vision of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as well as the commitment of generations of faculty and staff throughout our 146-year history, today we celebrate the legacy that has given life and continuity to this educational project,” said Gilberto J. Marxuach Torrós, president of Universidad del Sagrado Corazón.

The president also highlighted the importance of the Sagrado Bosque Urbano project as part of the institution’s efforts toward transformation in areas such as research, sustainability, and well-being, both on campus and in the surrounding communities.

The ceremony was dedicated to emeritus professor Francisco “Pancho” Ferrer, who devoted 45 years of service to teaching at Sagrado. The university community also honored the lives of the first generation of students during the tree-planting ceremony by naming seven trees after the first students of Colegio del Sagrado Corazón: Carmen U., María F., Ana, María S., Natividad, Carmen O., and Victoria. The eighth tree was named Micaela to commemorate the legacy of Sister Micaela Fesser, one of the three Religious of the Sacred Heart who arrived in Puerto Rico from Havana 146 years ago to establish the educational mission of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

A Sustainability and Community Well-Being Project in Progress

The Sagrado Bosque Urbano project aims to preserve, strengthen, and expand green coverage on campus by assessing existing trees, eliminating diseased or compromised trees, and planting new trees to support urban biodiversity.

The work plan calls for planting 250 new trees between 2026 and 2027. It also incorporates efforts to reduce environmental impact throughout all phases of the project, such as the use of compost and organic waste, as well as the reuse of viable wood.

The Advisory Committee consists of Pedro J. Rodríguez Anadón, Sagrado’s Chief Project Officer; Dr. Sofía Macchiavelli Girón, professor and academic leader of the School of Health and Sciences; student Ilenis F. Pérez Rivera of the School of Health and Sciences; and Perla Sofía Curbelo Santiago, community representative, alumna, and founder of Agrochic.

This celebration, grounded in environmental and community well-being, is part of an institutional vision that places sustainability at the center of the university experience and guides Sagrado toward the goals of its Sagrado 2030 Strategic Plan. This approach was also highlighted recently when Sagrado was recognized with the Carnegie Classification for Sustainability, making it the only university-level institution in Puerto Rico to receive the distinction.

Related stories