The Cynic Speaks with Madeline Kunin
Mary Mann
Issue date: 4/19/05 Section: Features
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Madeleine Kunin, distinguished visiting professor at UVM, is a classic success story.
She fled Switzerland as a child due to the threat of Holocaust and moved with her family to America, where she received a Masters in journalism from the prestigious Columbia University in New York.
Her subsequent media career was brief, ending when a family and children came into the picture, but it paved the way for great things.
Kunin has been, among other things, the Governor of Vermont, the deputy secretary of education in the Clinton Administration, and the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland. She has written two books: Living a Political Life (1993) and The Big Green Book (1976).
Her pioneering efforts in the environment and women's issues include serving on the President's Council on Sustainable Development, the board of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, and the President's Interagency Council on Women.
She was also a member of the delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference in Beijing.
It is an honor to have Kunin as a part of this University, and it was my personal honor to be able to sit down and talk with her about her recent projects, and find out what her views are on some of the current events in politics today.
Cynic: You are the founder of the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC). What does this group do?
Kunin: The ISC is an NGO (non-governmental organization) that I started 15 years ago. It began when I went to Bulgaria in 1990 as a co-chair of an election observation team. It was their first democratic election.
While observing the proceedings, I decided that people in developing democracies need more help in democracy building and environmental issues. I started ISC as a response to this.
Sustainable development means, essentially, not doing any damage that would have to be paid for by future generations. This is a broad definition, and fits both political systems and environmental policies.
She fled Switzerland as a child due to the threat of Holocaust and moved with her family to America, where she received a Masters in journalism from the prestigious Columbia University in New York.
Her subsequent media career was brief, ending when a family and children came into the picture, but it paved the way for great things.
Kunin has been, among other things, the Governor of Vermont, the deputy secretary of education in the Clinton Administration, and the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland. She has written two books: Living a Political Life (1993) and The Big Green Book (1976).
Her pioneering efforts in the environment and women's issues include serving on the President's Council on Sustainable Development, the board of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, and the President's Interagency Council on Women.
She was also a member of the delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference in Beijing.
It is an honor to have Kunin as a part of this University, and it was my personal honor to be able to sit down and talk with her about her recent projects, and find out what her views are on some of the current events in politics today.
Cynic: You are the founder of the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC). What does this group do?
Kunin: The ISC is an NGO (non-governmental organization) that I started 15 years ago. It began when I went to Bulgaria in 1990 as a co-chair of an election observation team. It was their first democratic election.
While observing the proceedings, I decided that people in developing democracies need more help in democracy building and environmental issues. I started ISC as a response to this.
Sustainable development means, essentially, not doing any damage that would have to be paid for by future generations. This is a broad definition, and fits both political systems and environmental policies.