Director's Corner SDG16 SDG8

Ecology + Democracy = Sustainability

“A healthy democracy is as dependent on public life as a healthy ecosystem is dependent on clean air and water: in the absence of an engaged public, democracy begins to die, and some form of oligarchy (government by the few) emerges to take its place.” ~ Parker Palmer, Healing the Heart…

Mike KenslerSeptember 24, 2024

Director's Corner SDG3

Director’s Corner: Sustainability & the Goal of Human Wellbeing

“The foremost concern is the wellbeing of humanity and the planet we inhabit.” ~ The Dalai Lama Sustainability means so many different things to different people. Definitions and descriptions are all over the place. In my humble opinion, some of them are much better than others. That’s why here at…

Mike KenslerAugust 12, 2022

Director's Corner SDG13 SDG16

Is the Response to Climate Change a War? Yes. And No.

As I write this, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties – COP 26 for short – is about to convene in Glasgow Scotland. It opens on October 31 and ends on November 12. Before 1995 when COP 1 was convened we already knew that planetary warming…

Mike KenslerNovember 2, 2021

Director's Corner SDG SDG13 SDG4 SDG7

Climate Change 2021 & a “Quality Education”

By Mike Kensler. For September, this column continues our tour of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this month focusing on SDG 4: Quality Education. Sort of. As I write this in late August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just released its Sixth Assessment Report, also…

Mike KenslerSeptember 1, 2021

Director's Corner SDG1 SDG17 SDG2 SDG9

We are Partners in the Business of Preserving Life

“A successful development agenda requires inclusive partnerships — at the global, regional, national, and local levels — built upon principles and values, and upon a shared vision and shared goals placing people and the planet at the centre.” ~ Sustainable Development Goal 17 The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are a…

Mike KenslerAugust 9, 2021

Director's Corner SDG13

Dread & Disbelief: My Brother’s Death & Climate Change

“The future is not set in stone. Some amount of change is inevitable. It’s as if we’ve been smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for decades, but we don’t have lung cancer yet. The amount of change that we’re going to see—whether it’s serious, whether it’s dangerous, whether it’s…

Mike KenslerMarch 29, 2021

Director's Corner SDG7

To achieve clean energy, let’s rethink carbon

“So, when you asked, ‘What is the next big opportunity?’ it is design. It is design for next use in the circular economy. But safe and circular.” Bill McDonough Clean, renewable energy is the only energy path to a livable future. In 2015, 193 nations agreed that a shift to…

Mike KenslerMarch 2, 2021

Director's Corner SDG1 SDG12 SDG5 SDG8

A “Decent” Economy

“If you define the goal of a society as GNP , that society will do its best to produce GNP. It will not produce welfare, equity, justice, or efficiency unless you define a goal and regularly measure and report the state of welfare, equity, justice, or efficiency.” ~Donella Meadows More…

Mike KenslerFebruary 1, 2021

Director's Corner SDG15 SDG9

Director’s Corner: Humanity’s Design Problem & Nature’s Design Solutions

“We see a world of abundance, not limits. In the midst of a great deal of talk about reducing the human ecological footprint, we offer a different vision. What if humans designed products and systems that celebrate an abundance of human creativity, culture, and productivity? That are so intelligent and…

Mike KenslerNovember 4, 2020

Director's Corner SDG11 SDG16 SDG17 SDG9

Director’s Corner: Healing the Heart of Democracy

“The human heart is the first home of democracy. It is where we embrace our questions. Can we be equitable? Can we be generous? Can we listen with our whole beings, not just our minds, and offer our attention rather than our opinions? And do we have enough resolve in…

Mike KenslerOctober 6, 2020