April is Earth Month, a time in which to reflect on the environmental issues facing our planet. In recognition of this, we share the work being done by one College of Arts & Letters graduate to bring clean energy options to as many people as possible.

As Executive Director of Michigan Energy Options (MEO), a clean energy nonprofit, John Kinch is working to help the people, government, businesses, and communities adopt more energy efficiency and renewable energy.

“Energy today is not just what the utility is providing you at a particular price point,” he said. “It is a subject that we need to be informed about because choices made today have global ramifications. The electricity power sector alone contributes some 30% of greenhouse gases to climate change. MEO and others are working to find workable, affordable alternatives to how we’ve generated and consumed our electricity for generations. It is both difficult and rewarding work, and it takes informed and engaged populations to join with us to make it happen.”

Kinch earned his Ph.D. in American Studies with a focus in Environmental Studies from Michigan State University in 1996. He also has a B.A. in English from MSU. Prior to joining Michigan Energy Options, he worked as a journalist and for The Nature Conservancy.

“Energy today is not just what the utility is providing you at a particular price point. It is a subject that we need to be informed about because choices made today have global ramifications.”

His time at Michigan State University gave him a set of tools that influenced his professional career and still guide his worldview today – mainly, how to think, learn, and the importance of using these skills for the benefit of others.

 “It was a great university that offered me the courses and education I wanted in a setting and city that offered much to do outside of classes,” he said. “I can remember my mind being opened to new thinking, authors, systems, histories. I was able to pursue my intellectual interests as far as I wanted, ultimately earning a Ph.D.”

This way of thinking turned Kinch into a life-long learner and encouraged him to explore a wide range of subjects during his schooling. He encourages students to make the most of their education by learning and exploring as much as possible.

“Education is personal,” he said. “You can learn as much or as little as you want in most academic settings. By ‘as little,’ I mean you can learn enough to pass the mid-term. By ‘as much,’ I mean that you can open yourself to a lifetime of learning a subject or subjects. I am still interested and learning in my job and also in my personal life. I remain curious about lots that is happening in the world and I remain humble in that just when I think I know about all I need to on a subject, I find out I don’t know it all. As a Ph.D., you are sometimes assumed to know it all. I don’t and am happy to admit that.”

“Learning how to think is by far the greatest reward I got from my English major, creating the receptor for how I make sense of things,.”

Kinch’s English undergraduate degree gave him a skill set that has served him well throughout his professional career. He said it taught him how to think and write, how to discern a cogent argument from a muddled one, how to appreciate and read literature, and how to synergize a range of interesting voices into his worldview. 

“Learning how to think is by far the greatest reward I got from my English major, creating the receptor for how I make sense of things,” he said. “Plus, I get to correct people’s grammar, which always makes you a favorite among friends and colleagues!”

One definite slice of Kinch’s worldview is the importance of life-long learning and using that knowledge base to make a positive change for others. His advice to current students and recent graduates echoes that philosophy: “Your studies are your start. They’re a foundation from which to go on and learn more about a subject or subjects, the world, yourself. Ideally, your college career has infused you with great intellectual curiosity, and for some of you (hopefully most), a desire to make positive change for others.”