Entry #21:  Small Steps Get Things Done:  Microfinance

Background:  When I speak with student groups or in public presentations, I often hear individuals remark that they feel overwhelmed by the multiple economic, social, and environmental problems we face in this world.  They feel that their contributions would be too small to make a difference.  My students prove otherwise.  Anyone can do something to make this world more sustainable.  

This little piggy - is from the Spartan Global Development Fund (SGDF).  SGDF raises funds for microloans for small entrepreneurs in the United States and around the world.   I am advisor to this group, and I serve on the Board of Directors.   My students began with four micro-loans of $25 each through KIVA (www.kiva.org) in July of 2009.  As of November 2011, the group has extended over 300 microloans to small entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world.    Along the way, SGDF has been granted 501(c)(3) non-profit status by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, and now raises funds for other projects.  Some contributors have contributed substantial sums.  For example, merchants in the East Lansing and Lansing area have allowed SGDF to set up the green piggy banks, donated by MSU Federal Credit Union, around our community to collect coins to help fund loans.  It is a team effort every step of the way. 

As a result of  fund-raising, SGDF has signed an agreement with the non-profit group Esperanza en Acción, (www.esperanzaenaccion.org), a Fair Trade organization based in Nicaragua with which I have worked for several years.   SGDF will help Esperanza’s producers by funding microloans at no interest.

My students’ work through SGDF is an example of how small steps and synergies among individuals and groups lead to big results.   Please visit the SGDF website at www.spartanglobalfund.org to learn more about these projects and many more being carried out by young people from MSU who care about making a difference in this world.  Additionally, the website gives more information about the wonderful groups and individuals who support their work. 

Copyright© 2011 by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo.  

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Entry #19, September 10, 2011

Environmentalist in Process & the Second Anniversary of MSU’s Recycling Center

Reflection:   Here is an example of my development as an environmentalist in process.   Over the past several years, the amount of garbage I put out for pick up has dwindled as the amount I take to recycling has increased.  Here is one week’s garbage and recycling:  The white basket is for garbage.  The two black bins are for recycling.   I’m not perfect, but I’m getting better.  I have a long way to go before I completely get rid of that white basket.  Then again, perfection (no waste) may go beyond what I am able or willing to pursue at this point in my life. 

The fact that Michigan State University opened a major recycling center  on September 10, 2009 has made recycling much easier for me and others in our community.  The center takes most kinds of recyclable materials except for styrofoam.   Until recently the center only accepted certain kinds of glass, but now it accepts all colors.  For information about the center, go to  http://recycle.msu.edu/.  

To think about ways to reduce your impact on the Earth, I recommend the book “No Impact Man” by Colin Beaven as well as the documentary movie based on his book.  For information about the book and  Beaven’s work, go to http://www.colinbeavan.com/.  For information about the movie go to http://www.noimpactdoc.com/index_m.php.    After seeing the movie and reading the book, I heard Beaven speak at the Chicago Green Festival in May of 2011, and I was extremely impressed by his  thoughtful approach to reducing his footprint upon the Earth.  He is extremely humble and, at the same time, gives his readers a lot to contemplate.  

Copyright© 2011 by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo.   

 

Entry #18 – June 13, 2011

Environmentalist in Process

Reflection:   During our first class session for “Environmental Law and Sustainability” each year, I ask my students , “Are you an environmentalist?”  Each responds on a note card.  Next, I ask each to define “environmentalist” on that  card.  We discuss that response.   At the end of the discussion, each student writes on the back of the card, answering the questions, “Are you an environmentalist?” and  “Have you changed your response as a result of our discussion?  Why or why not?"

In answer to the first two questions, many say they are not environmentalists because they do not do enough for the environment.*   As part of our discussion, I explain that I label myself as an “environmentalist in process.”  I know that I do more than some people to promote sustainability, but I do a lot less than I could.   Nevertheless, each month and year, I have been changing my perspectives and practices to reduce my footprint on the Earth. 

On that first day of class, some people change their responses by the end of the discussion saying, “I am comfortable calling myself an “environmentalist in process because …” (fill in the blank.)    Others change their responses during the course of our semester..  It is delight to see that they change the way they view their role in the pursuit of sustainability, not just environmental perspectives.  Their essays in our class document what they are doing as individuals, within their families, and within student organizations to live in more sustainable ways.  

*Interestingly, until about two years ago, many students who said they were “not environmentalists” said so because they viewed environmentalists as “radical tree-huggers” (their words) who are not like them.   It is so wonderful that the perspectives of some business students are shifting.   Many students now see that sustainable business practices produce economic, social, and environmental benefits in the short term and long term.

In the photo, I am at Cueva Roja, Chiapas, Mexico on a farm that is part of the Maya Vinic Coffee Cooperative.  (See my blog about Higher Grounds Coffee.  Chris Trete, co-founder of Higher Grounds, began his business as  a result of his relationship with the wonderful people of Maya Vinic.!)

Copyright© 2011 by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo.  

Entry #17 – June 11, 2011

Don’t Let the Perfect be the Enemy of the Good – Voltaire

Reflection:   This photo is of my Business Law and Public Policy Students, officers of Spartan Global Development Fund and MSU Students for Fair Trade, and others from our college in April of 2011.  The occasion was a visit by Dr. Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange for our Annual Fair Trade Bash.  He spoke in my classes about “Green Careers.”  A theme in all of my classes this past semester has been “Don’t Let the Perfect be the Enemy of the Good.”  It applies in many ways.  Sometimes students entering my classes feel overwhelmed in light of the challenges we face (climate change, the need for alternative energy, clean up of toxic contamination, etc.).  Yet, even if we are not perfect in our pursuit of sustainable practices, we  must continue that pursuit.  When a business student seeks employment upon graduation, many prospective employers are far less than perfect in their efforts to promote the Triple Bottom Line (sustainability in the areas of economy, social equity, and environment).  Yet, each of us must start somewhere.  I have faith in my students that they can and will work from within companies to move them toward more sustainable practices.   But, as my teaching assistant Ross Stavoe said  in our Environmental Law and Sustainability class, “Don’t let the good be the enemy of the perfect.”  Attainment of some good does not excuse us from the pursuit of the perfect.  We have a long way to go as we, as a society, pursue the Triple Bottom Line.

Copyright© 2011 by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo.  

Entry #16 – March 13, 2011

Everybody Reads – and Promotes Sustainable Practices

Reflection:   This is my friend Scott Harris:  caretaker, guardian, manager and  owner (who earns very little for himself) of Everybody Reads Bookstore in Lansing, Michigan.   He  has put over five years of his life into creating and nurturing a wonderful, community-based bookstore that provides reading materials and a gathering space for community groups. Everybody Reads offers books about topics related to sustainability, human rights, and diverse ways of thinking and living.   Additionally, Everybody Reads practices sustainability by offering customers a way to buy books locally and a free book exchange.  The store offers Fair Trade goods from around the world, too. 

I recently received the following email from Scott:  “We’re collecting canvas bags! If you have extra reusable canvas shopping bags, we'd be glad to take them off of your hands! With crummy weather upon us … and with a dislike of plastic and paper bags, we'd love to make certain that if we offer someone a bag, that we're not foot printing! When done with the bags, bring 'em back and we'll keep 'em circulating!” (See http://becauseeverybodyreads.com/)

I have been questioning the number of free canvas and synthetic-material bags that I have accumulated from environmental events and professional meetings.  They are a great idea, except that I have more than any one person or family can use.   It’s time to take some of them to Everybody Reads.   Maybe you or someone you know could do something similar? 

P.S.   If you can think of good practices for recirculation of goods, please share them through a comment on this blog.  Just click on “Add comment”   below.

Copyright© 2011 by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo.  

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Entry #15–  February 11, 2011

The Tool:  The Talking Stick

Reflection:   Native Americans use a talking stick to discuss important matters at their councils.  The person who holds the stick holds the floor and is the only person who speaks while the stick is in his or her hands.  It is a reminder to all to listen carefully to the speaker and to respect each other’s viewpoints.  It is also a mechanism to ensure that everyone, from a small child to a one hundred year old elder, has a voice within the circle.  

About five years ago, I asked a Native American friend if he would be comfortable if I used a talking stick in my teaching.  His response was “Of course!”   (I realize that he spoke for himself, but I hope and trust that other Native Americans would be comfortable with this use of the talking stick so long as we are respectful in the process.)  I set out to find my own talking stick, and I quickly found the perfect item:  a stick painted by my daughter  when she was a small child.   Since then, the talking stick pictured here has been in the hands of at least 1,000 people, including my students as well as people who have participated in my workshops, even as far away as Coventry, England. 

The stick is integral to my teaching, because I am trying to help students create a learning community in each of our classes.  The talking stick ensures that we hear each voice in our classroom, even the voices of those who ordinarily would be shy and not volunteer for class discussion.  That discussion is part of what makes our classes special:  we listen to and learn from each other.  

  

Copyright© 2011 by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo.  

Entry #14–  January 17, 2010

The Topic:  Sustainability from Coffee, Cups, and Bikes to… a lot more!

Reflection:   A simple way to avoid putting valuable resources into landfills is to carry your own coffee mug or cup.    Perhaps you have extra mugs that you received for promotional purposes that you might donate to a local coffee shop.   My friends in Fair Trade at Higher Grounds Coffees (http://highergroundstrading.com) in Traverse City, Michigan  pursue sustainability in many significant ways.  They begin with wonderful Fair Trade, organic coffees, including those produced by the Maya Vinic growers – the folks in Chiapas, Mexico with whom I visited in October of 2010.  In their coffee shop in Traverse City, there is a wall of coffee mugs used in the shop or sent out the door if someone wants coffee to go.  The coffee cups have all sorts of designs and logos because many have been donated by customers.  Returns and donations of cups are wanted, of course.   Beyond the shop, deliveries within the Traverse area are done by bicycle -- definitely easy on the environment!

If you are doing something similar, I would love to hear about it.   Please leave a comment on this site or send me an e-mail.  

P.S.  Remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, his birthday, and every day.  By pursuing sustainability, taking care of each other and the Earth, we contribute to the pursuit of peace.   

Copyright© 2011 by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo.  

Entry #13–  January 7, 2010

The Topic:  Sustainable and Locally Produced Chocolates

Reflection:   I love chocolate, and I am a Fair Trade and sustainability advocate.   So, it’s great to combine those passions.  Mimi Wheeler is doing wonderful things with chocolates and does them in sustainable ways at her company in Empire, Michigan:  Grocer’s Daughter Chocolates.  Walking into Grocer's Daughter is akin to walking into the wonderful smells and tastes of the chocolate shop in the movie "Chocolat," but with added the cheerfulness, inside and out, of bright colors typical of Mexico's Caribbean coastal towns or Ecuador's coastal towns.  The tastes include typical and atypical wonderful flavors such as pear, ginger, apricot, orange, sunflowerseed, chilis, and many more.  And each handmade chocolate is gorgeous, too.    

I visited with Mimi Wheeler for the first time in June of 2010 I went to the Traverse City area to learn about organic, Fair Trade, and sustainable products being produced here in Michigan and visited with Mimi WheMimi works closely with three others I interviewed:  Chris Treter (Higher Grounds Coffees http://highergroundstrading.com ), Angela Mache (Light of Day Organic Teas http://lightofdayorganics.com ), and Timothy Young (Food for Thought http://www.foodforthought.net ).  I love the fact that folks involved in the sustainability movement work with each other.  For example, Grocers' Daughter folks use Food for Thought preserves in their chocolates, and Higher Grounds sells Grocer’s Daughter chocolates and Light of Day Teas.   

I respect the many  people in Fair Trade, organics, and similar movements who work together to give a hand up to others around the world.  Mimi Wheeler works with folks in a village in Ecuador helping them produce chocolates.  See this article:  http://www.mlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2010/12/ecuador_chocola-tour_has_ties.html.  Mimi and Jody Treter (a co-founder of Higher Grounds) have established a copmany called GoBe to help indigenous producers in Ecuador through microloans.  

copyright© 2011 by Paulette L. Stenzel for  text and photo.