World We Dare Imagine Part 1
World We Dare Imagine Part 1
To make the world a better place, the first thing that comes to mind is education. It would be a kind of long-term investment that doesn’t show immediate results or profit. I believe that you shouldn’t force people in third world countries to simply accept aid that you have to give. As shown in The Blue Sweater, when people receive money, they will simply spend it without regard to keeping it sustainable. A good solution would be to have people like the author of The Blue Sweater teach the locals of third world countries how to have a sustainable business model. From there, the locals will know the basics and would be able to expand and replicate that kind of sustainability and will end up using aid well. Another point is emphasizing the importance of environmental sustainability in all its forms. So as third world countries become industrialized eventually, they will choose to keep the environment in mind. I think this could be applied to first world countries as well, but I would rather avoid the politics and not say that people are uneducated. It’s better to form the culture and mindset of environmentalism before industrialization even begins.
Darren, I like your insight: a proper respect and concern for the environment should precede industrialization. Maybe you can create an organization that provides micro-financing to third-world residents that promise to use ecologically-friendly business models.
ReplyDeleteYour organization should also have a prominent education component. You could run an international school. Get funding from wealthy donors. Teach the local children about CSR, entrepreneurship, and environmentalism in addition to the regular subjects of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Those students with the best business plans can receive seed funding from your organization.
Your school-venture capital model can be licensed out to every country in the world. You'd simultaneously create an international network of similarly-educated entrepreneurs that care about education, business, and the environment.
Darren, I think you are completely right. In order to really help someone you need to teach, not give. It is a lot easier to give someone a dollar than it is to teach someone how to earn a dollar. I think social entrepreneurship is the best way to do this. Creating a business that is sustainable and can help produce long-term success. I think there are ways to create a social enterprise that also addresses issues of the environment. You could come up with a business that employs people in need (to your post, people struggling in 3rd world countries) and provides some aid to the planet. Maybe an environmentally friendly product that is made by someone in a third world country. Definitely a lot of avenues to explore. I can't wait to see what you come up with.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHello Darren,
You are absolutely right! Education is a long-term investment, and although there will not be any immediate results or profit, it will foster positive social change in a nation. It will encourage political participation, social equality, and environmental sustainability. I think two of our peers, Rachel and Dennis, are onto something. I think Rachel’s approach to focus on social entrepreneurship is a great idea. From that, you can promote an environmentally sustainable business model and further tackling social, cultural, and environmental issues. There are so many options to explore, as Rachel said, and I am so excited to see what you came up with.