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From Blight to Bright: Reclaiming marginalized land in Pittsburgh
Growth Through Energy and Community Health (GTECH) is a newly formed non-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, PA. GTECH Strategies is unique in every way; the innovative company was started as a graduate project for two students attending Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School of Public Policy.
Chris Koch and Andrew Butcher have found a way to create a biofuel commodity by harvesting plants like Sunflowers and Canola that are grown on contaminated sites (brown fields) across Pittsburgh. These sites have become dilapidated over years as populations have dwindled. The houses that once stood on many of the 14,000 vacant lots in and around the city, are now contaminated with asbestos and heavy metals and cannot be built on until the soil is clear of chemical pollutants. The plants that GTECH Strategies harvests, leech the soil of its toxins, giving a rebirth to these sites and allowing for a development horizon timeline, usually 3-5 years. Additionally, GTECH Strategies provides 'Green' job training to young adults living in these marginalized communities. What GTECH Strategies is doing is nothing short of inspiring and phenomenal. Growth Through Energy and Community Health (GTECH) is a newly formed non-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, PA. GTECH Strategies... more -
Recycling at outdoor concerts: Wecycle has a better idea
It’s summer, and you are sitting outside on the Great Lawn of Central Park, listening to a concert in New York City. You are surrounded by friends, you are enjoying a delicious picnic, and the music is great. The only way to improve this event would be to devise a smarter way for you and the thousands of other people at the concert to dispose of the plastic cups they are using to drink beer, soda, and water.
Enter Emery Goossens and Evan Eichorn, two New York Univeristy college students.
Concerned about the amount of plastic waste generated by outdoor concerts, they were looking for a way to offer more opportunities for concert-goers to recycle. Unlike plastic bottles and soda cans, however, plastic cups traditionally have little or no value, and so recycling services do not offer to recycle them. Emery and Evan needed to find another way to generate revenue to pay for the recycling of plastic cups, and they co-opted a traditional corporate path to make money: sell advertising space. Based on this idea, they founded a business that combines recycling, advertising, and charitable giving. Wecycle sets up recycling facilities at outdoor concerts in New York City, and generates revenue by selling ad space on its recycling bins. This revenue helps run Wecycle and pays for waste haulers to remove the plastic cups and take them to recycling facilities. The co-founders also donate a percentage of their profits to a local food bank. It’s summer, and you are sitting outside on the Great Lawn of Central Park, listening to a concert in New York City. You are surround... more -
What the eff is a social entrepreneur???
I get this question ALL the time. Check it out and learn just what a social entrepreneur is!
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Women Build Businesses Their Way - New York Times
"Sisters are doin' it for themselves." Annie Lennox
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5 Mistakes Many Entrepreneurs Make
Whether you are an emerging entrepreneur just launching out or youve been in business for several years, you may have been (or still could be) guilty of one of these mistakes that many entrepreneurs make... Whether you are an emerging entrepreneur just launching out or youve been in business for several years, you may have been (or still ... more
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Global X Social Entrepreneur Interviews
Check out this series of interviews. Social entrepreneurs are sexy!!!
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Celebs Gone Good?!
The Internet is chock full of famous people making famously huge mistakes, but this is a really cool blog about celebrities doing good things! Who knew? The Internet is chock full of famous people making famously huge mistakes, but this is a really cool blog about celebrities doing good... more
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Dream it. Do it.
Youth Venture is a really awesome organization that empowers youth and gives them the tools to create positive change in their communities. Truly inspiring stuff! Youth Venture is a really awesome organization that empowers youth and gives them the tools to create positive change in their communi... more
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Social Entrepreneurship
Contributors (10)
Social Entrepreneurship
