Green Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development
It has been only a year since I started to study Environmental Sciences as a major in my undergraduate degree. The crux of my learning in this one year was short and simple — the people of this Earth are taking it for granted. One way or the other, we are almost obtuse to the fact that how negligently we are using Earth’s limited resources. But how the people of this place that we call home can make a difference in creating a world where there is no threat to the sources provided by it?
The answer is to construct a mindset that is fully aware of the term sustainable development. In the framework of modern day business environment, most corporations and businesses have now realized this fact that the planet’s resources are limited and the upcoming human life will not be able to meet its requirements if the corporate sectors continue to pace up the depletion of Earth’s resources through unsustainable practices. Hence awareness of sustainable innovation and entrepreneurial advancement in the context of end users is no longer an option but a compulsion for business survival today.
Twenty years back, a young mom Julie Clarke used to make home videos for her infant daughter exposing her to classical music, art and literature, lectures of which she used to deliver as a teacher. Having zero experience in business development or marketing her product, Julie never gave up on her entrepreneurial project started off in her home’s basement. As an outcome of her hard work, five years down the lane, Walt Disney bought her brand Baby Einstein for an undisclosed amount with a working staff of only five, making it a multi-million dollar franchise all over the world.
Similarly in 1994, two PhD fellows turned a student hobby into a global brand from “Jerry and David’s guide to the world wide web” to “Yahoo!” — something that completely revolutionized the exchange of information and communiqué between people all over the world.
Although Baby Einstein and Yahoo! widely differ in their business, nevertheless, are remarkably similar in the way their founders adopted for their incubation. A need was identified in their daily lives, the solution, not available in the market, was formulated, and eventually commercialization of the entrepreneurial venture happened at the end.
One of the most successful examples of users as innovators and entrepreneurs in the context of sustainable development is undoubtedly the ride sharing service BlaBlaCar. Founded in the year 2006, this car sharing facility attempts to eradicate excess clutter of transport by allowing drivers who have empty seats with paying passengers.
Sustainable development requires a sound commitment and experience especially in third world countries where the governing bodies and users are less aware of this valuable concept. Explosive population growth, deprivation and degradation of natural assets complement each other and in a struggle of only achieving the basic necessities for people, a substantial quantity of existing resources is put to brutal consumption, eventually failing the whole resolution of sustainability. For a country like Pakistan, achieving sustainability through user innovation and entrepreneurship is still an ongoing process, since it demands concord and coherence between a stable government and a society with a sense of safety among users along with clear objectives for economic achievements.
Amani Durrani is a student of Forman Christian College and currently interning with Communications Department, WWF-Pakistan.
