Entry #17 – 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 then discuss that response. At the end of the discussion, each student answers the questions on the back of the card, “Are you an environmentalist?” and “Have you changed your response as a result of our discussion? Why or why not?" |
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![]() Entry #16 – June 11, 2011 Don’t Let the Perfect be the Enemy of the Good – Voltaire This photo includes my Business Law and Public Policy Students, officers of Spartan Global Development Fund, MSU Students for Fair Trade, and others from the Broad College of Business. 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.” ![]() Entry #15 – March 13, 2011 Everybody Reads – and Promotes Sustainable Practices This is my friend Scott Harris: caretaker, guardian, manager, and owner of Everybody Reads Bookstore in Lansing, Michigan. He has devoted over five years of his life to creating and nurturing a welcoming, community-based bookstore. The store offers reading materials for underrepresented topics and provides a gathering space for community groups. Books and magazines include topics related to sustainability, human rights, and diverse ways of thinking and living. ![]() Entry #14– 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. 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. ![]() Entry #13– January 17, 2010 Sustainability from Coffee, Cups, and Bikes to… a lot more! A simple way to help make the world more sustainable and avoid filling landfills is to carry your own coffee mug or cup. My friends in Fair Trade at Higher Grounds Coffees (http://highergroundstrading.com) in Traverse City, Michigan pursue sustainability in many significant ways, including the usage of reusable mugs. ![]() Entry #12– January 7, 2011 Highest Quality Chocolates - Produced in Michigan and Serving the World I am a Fair Trade and sustainability advocate, and I love chocolate. So, it’s great to combine those passions. Mimi Wheeler is doing wonderful things with chocolates and foes 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 chocolate shop in the movie "Chocolat" but with the cheerfulness, inside and out, of bright colors typical of Mexico's Caribbean or Ecuador's coastal towns. The flavors vary including pear, ginger, apricot orange, sunflower seed, chilis, and more. Each handmade chocolate is gorgeous, too. ![]() Entry #11– December 13, 2010 The Image and Message: The Peace Pole -- Que La Paz Prevalezca en la Tierra – May Peace Prevail on Earth My wish for everyone is for peace as we celebrate Christmas and many other holidays around the world this month. This is one of many Peace Poles I have seen in Northern Michigan. I do not remember the rainbow being there when I took this photo, so its appearance is a fun surprise. According to the website for the Peace Pole Project, there are over 200,000 Peace Poles in about 195 countries. See http://www.worldpeace.org/index.html for the history of the Peace Pole, and stories and photos from around the world. I would like to plant one in my own yard in 2011.* copyright© 2010 by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo. P.S. I did add one to my yard after writing this blog entry. In answer to the comment by Leland Ross: Mine is in English, Spanish, French, and Hebrew. Sixteen languages? Fantastic! ![]() Entry #9 – December 1, 2010 The Image: A storefront in New York City.
It's time for a less serious blog! On Tuesday, November 23, 2010, at the end of three days in New York City, I went for a walk before my departure to the airport. As I returned from Times Square along 42d Street, I had to stop, laugh, and cross the street to take pictures. A security guard confirmed my observation: the signs and open doors had not been there the previous day. Just in time for Christmas and other holidays, Charmin offered a place every tourist and shopper seeks: a place to use the restroom. It seems fitting that folks in NYC would make the bathroom into a Broadway production. copyright© 2010 by Paulette L. Stenzel for the photo and text. ![]() Entry #7 – November 20, 2010 The Concept: Learning Community The learning community is central to my teaching. I do my best to encourage students to work together, prepare thoroughly for class, and recognize that each of us has something to contribute and much to learn from each person in the community. For me, it is about gathering around a subject, concepts, and issues to explore them together in ways that go beyond what an individual can accomplish. My students and I have been particularly successful in creating a learning community our Environmental Law and Sustainability for Business class. November 8, 2010 ![]() Entry #6 The Question: ¿Hay Comunidades en Los Estados Unidos? Reflection: Luís Ortega, the young Mexican taxi driver, asked me this question as we descended from the mountains of Chiapas after visiting the community of Acteal, the Maya Vinic coffee cooperative, and driving through many comunidades that day. Literally, he asked: “Are there communities in the United States? ![]() October 26, 2010 - Entry #5 "If you build it, they will come." Last month, a friend and I spoke of how our community needed a place where friends can meet for a cup of coffee or tea and socialize among kindred spirits. The place should promote sustainability by serving Fair Trade, organic, and local foods, in addition to selling or lending books. ![]() October 5, 2010 Entry #3 Chakra and chacra I was recently reminded of another chacra: a garden. The fact that chakras and chacras sound identical is intriguing. Both are about a healthy lifestyle through balance and integration. The photo shows my friend Oscar Santillán in his family’s chacra at Pakarinka Sisari in Agato, Ecuador. ![]() October 1, 2010 Entry #1 “A tiny spider rains sunlight upon me through its web.” I saw this spider web at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York this summer (August 2010). The spider is so tiny that it does not show up in the picture. The web is a metaphor for my teaching, my research, my life, and the pursuit of sustainability. I like the idea that spider webs are associated with writers. During the first week of my classes, my students and I discuss the spider web and how it serves as a metaphor for the subject matter of our class and learning in general. Copyright©2010, by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo. |
Paulette L. Stenzel I am Professor Emerita of International Business Law and Sustainability at Michigan State University (MSU). I continue to teach part time at MSU and coordinate the Broad College Ethical Leadership program Additionally, I advise Spartan Global Development Fund, a student-driven microfinance organization, and serve on its non-profit 501(c)(3) Board of Directors. . Archives
June 2025
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