Sharing the Message Back at College

Tracy Tunwall introducing
Barbara Knapp and Danny Mishek

Going back to my alma mater, Mount Mercy University (www.mtmercy.edu), was an unbelievable experience. It had been 16 years since I last stepped on campus. Wow, has it changed. New buildings, great upgrades and a green space that will make you want to smell the roses!

I was honored to be the keynote speaker for the Barbara Knapp President’s Lecture Series. My topic of sustainability and green products was coming at a timely moment as the campus qualified for a sustainability grant and was starting to focus on a campus Green Objective. (Manufacturing in the USA didn’t hurt the message either.)

Danny Mishek (MMU '97) sharing his story of  US
manufacturing and sustainability. Green is the future.

The students were engaged as this is what they were taught growing up. It shows that sustainability is already being embraced by our youth. They have recycled and composted in their elementary schools. They have learned to re-use and look on the bottom of their plastic for the recycle numbers. They bring reusable lunch bags and refill water bottles. The older generations and local governments are preventing them from fully executing these practices in real life.

I ran into a few professors and my golf coach that I had in the mid-90’s. It was fun to spin the yarn that was spun back in those days. My roommates and old friends made an appearance for a late dinner. My sides still hurt from re-hearing the stories and the shenanigans that occurred while I was a student athlete. Glad I was mostly a spectator during those times. I was usually too busy at the library to fully enjoy the social aspect. J #ThankGodForNoDigitalMediaWhenIWentToCollege

Students talking to Mishek after the event. Questions ranging
from "Would this application work?" to "Are you hiring?".

A special thanks to President Laurie Hamen, Barbara Knapp, Tracy Tunwall and all the MMU faculty and staff for making my visit memorable and relevant. Thank you and good luck with your journey for a greener campus. #LandfillFree