What begins as a fun day of golf at Blythefield Country Club ends up producing stellar young men like new Aquinas graduate Brendan Molony. Brendan represents the many outstanding Aquinas scholarship students who get vital financial help from the donors who play in the annual Peter M. Wege ProAm.
Brendan knows about Peter Wege. The reason he came to Aquinas from Kalamazoo’s Hackett Catholic Center “was the sustainable business program.” The text that most influenced him was ECONOMICOLOGY, the book Wege wrote named for his word calling for a balance between ecology and the economy.
“I see ECONOMICOLOGY as a guide to the future,” Brendan says. “It’s his vision on sustainability. His book showed me that businesses can be profitable and good to the environment…we learned that the triple bottom line (People Planet Profits) works.”
Besides academics, Brendan helped Aquinas’s cross-country team win their conference, make it to the NAIA (the NCAA of small schools) all four years, and this year finish fifth in the nationals.
Brendan Molonoy is now putting his business-sustainability education to work at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo where he interned last summer and hopes to work full-time. His job is to implement environmental changes that will save the hospital costs by reducing energy and waste.
Again Brendan is following Peter Wege’s vision for building green by earning his LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Associates degree. Now he is now working on the next level to become a LEED Accredited Professional.
Grand Rapids leads the nation in LEED-certified buildings because of Peter Wege. Ten years ago Wege said all capital grantees had to apply for LEED. That triggered the move that makes G.R. the top LEED city in the country. Brendan Molony says students in Aquinas’s sustainable business program “will lead the way to change.” His LEED credentials make his point.
This engaging student athlete also has a big heart. He helped his tired fellow cross-country team member Dan Foley the last mile in a recent half-marathon to finish one and two.
Among Peter Wege’s favorite sayings are “Educate! Educate! Educate!” and “Children are the hope of our future.” Brendan Molony is what Peter Wege’s legacy is all about.
