05/11/2008
enlarge
Morning Sentinel staff photo
enlarge
Morning Sentinel staff photofrom the Kennebec Journal
Local Republicans still thrilled by Palin speech day later
McCain takes charge
Fired official pleads guilty
Riverview has interim chief
BRIEFS
Arrests dent county's 'serious opiate addiction'
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 1 CAPSULES
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
Waterville: Low engineering cost draws questions
NORRIDGEWOCK School 'without the sense of bigness'
WELD Man facing sex charges
MADISON Officials explain embezzlement sentencing
Journalist to speak at Colby
A 779-mph ride of a lifetime
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 1 CAPSULES
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
That was the message of Unity College's commencement Saturday afternoon, billed as the "greenest" in the history of the small, environmentally oriented liberal arts college.
There were eco-friendly plates and cups at the banquet. Soy inks and recycled paper were used for printed materials and linens, flatware and glasses were rented to reduce waste. Naturally, food and paper waste went to the campus compost pile.
Most important, there were the 129 students who were expected to receive their two- and four-year degrees in the college gymnasium.
Commencement speaker Tedd Benson, author and owner of Benson Woodworking Company, Inc., gave the graduates three pieces of advice: be happy; buck convention and save your world.
Benson's company has built more than 700 timberframe structures. He and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology designed a prototype for an affordable "green" home that will produce more energy than it consumes.
That prototype will be built on the Unity campus in May. It will house President Mitchell Thomashow and his wife Cindy.
Benson told graduates to love what they do, even if it means making less money.
Too many people go through life hating what they do for work, he said.
"Sustainability begins in you. It is critical that you find work that satisfies you in that very deepest part of your soul," said Benson, according to a copy of his speech made available before the commencement.
Benson said he and his wife spent many of their early years with very little money and a few of their more recent years with more than enough. While he prefers having more than less, Benson said he can't recall ever wanting to do anything but be a builder.
Don't let the big, thick walls of conventional wisdom stand in your way, he told students.
"To build a sustainable world for humans, we'll first need sustainable beliefs and aspirations," said Benson. "We need a new vision from those who haven't yet been boiled in the stew of prevailing illusions and disconnections."
Finally, the best way to save the world is to save your world, he said.
Fighting against the big world problems is frustrating, ineffective and depressing, he said.
"It is much easier, much more positive and much more rewarding to work toward your ideal of how the world should be," he said, according to a copy of his remarks.
Benson received an honorary doctorate during the ceremony.
Other honors include the following:
Duane Hallowell received an honorary doctorate. Hallowell is president and CEO of Hallowell International, in Bangor, which makes a heating and cooling system that outperforms conventional heating systems by about 300 percent.
Citations were given to the following:
n The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, or MOFGA, the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country.
n Central Maine Newspapers, which publishes the Morning Sentinel, based in Waterville, and the Kennebec Journal, in Augusta. The citation recognizes the contributions of the paper to its communities, including its coverage of environmental issues.
n NRG Systems, a wind energy company that is a leader in the manufacture of wind energy assessment equipment.
n ReVision Energy, a company that promotes sustainable energy alternatives, including grid-tied solar electricity, solar hot water and wood boilers.
Alan Crowell -- 474-9534, Ext. 342
acrowell@centralmaine.com
Reader comments
Click here to view or add reader comments