All Posts By

Mike Kensler

Justice and Mercy: Creating a Sustainable Society on a Healthy Planet Director's CornerSustainable Development Goal 1 - No PovertySustainable Development Goal 10Sustainable Development Goal 12

Justice and Mercy: Creating a Sustainable Society on a Healthy Planet

“Rats and roaches live by competition under the law of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy.” ~ Wendell Berry Wendell Berry is an icon in the sustainability movement.  He is a Kentucky farmer, poet, essayist, novelist, and…
Mike Kensler
April 2, 2025
Sustainability’s Place in Higher Education Director's CornerSustainable Development Goal 11Sustainable Development Goal 12Sustainable Development Goal 17Sustainable Development Goal 4

Sustainability’s Place in Higher Education

“The organizations that truly lead…will be those who convert sustainability challenges into compelling strategic opportunities.” ~ Peter Senge Mike and Aubie at the Sustainability Picnic. For years, I had a habit of checking sustainability job boards even when I was not seeking a new position.  I recall seeing in the…
Mike Kensler
April 1, 2025
Director’s Corner: What is a Health Promoting University? Director's CornerSustainable Development Goal 3

Director’s Corner: What is a Health Promoting University?

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” World Health Organization. One of the most important outcomes of the COVID pandemic across the United States and beyond has been the realization that the health and well-being of people…
Mike Kensler
January 29, 2024
Director’s Corner: Sustainability Reflects “The Progress of the Human Mind” Director's CornerSustainable Development Goal 11Sustainable Development Goal 3

Director’s Corner: Sustainability Reflects “The Progress of the Human Mind”

“Sustainability is a non-negotiable yardstick against which all our actions, goals, and plans have to be measured.” Robert Costanza My favorite memorial or monument in Washington, D.C. is the Jefferson Memorial.  It is a beautiful structure in a gorgeous setting, especially when cherry blossoms bloom in the spring.    Photo Credit: Neal…
Mike Kensler
September 6, 2023
Director’s corner: Green Certified Buildings Are Good For You! Director's CornerSustainable Development Goal 11Sustainable Development Goal 3Sustainable Development Goal 9Updates

Director’s corner: Green Certified Buildings Are Good For You!

“We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.”  Winston Churchill  The M. Miller Gorrie Center received LEED certification in 2008. Photo credit: Jen Morse. Modern humans in modern surroundings spend almost all of their time indoors.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), North Americans, on average, spend…
Mike Kensler
April 3, 2023
Director’s Corner: Warriors for the Human Spirit Director's CornerSustainable Development Goal 13Sustainable Development Goal 4Updates

Director’s Corner: Warriors for the Human Spirit

“A Warrior for the Human Spirit is a decent human being who aspires to be of service in an indecent, inhumane time.”  Margaret Wheatley, Who Do We Choose to Be?  Effective individuals, leaders, teams, organizations, and societies practice a common discipline:  the willingness and courage to, in the words of…
Mike Kensler
January 31, 2023
Director’s Corner: What we can learn from “Earthrise” Director's CornerSustainable Development Goal 13Sustainable Development Goal 15

Director’s Corner: What we can learn from “Earthrise”

The Gift of Perspective Created on December 24, 1968  “To see the Earth as it truly is, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats is to see ourselves as riders on the Earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold.” Archibald MacLeish,…
Mike Kensler
December 2, 2022