Team Tetris: Week 2 — Composting in Cincinatti
When we first formed our team, we agreed that learning about community resilience through sustainability- and socially-centered enterprises would be a key focus for our team. Oftentimes sustainability and profitability are thought (even in some of our courses) to be opposing forces — how
can a company help others while also helping themselves? After working with Queen City Commons in Cincinnati, we can confidently say that “doing good while doing well” is not just a catchy slogan, it’s
possible and it’s being done!
Arriving in Ohio, our expectations prior to Week 2 were surpassed when we met the Queen City Commons team. Marie, Julia, and Kaelee, epitomize mission-driven business owners. All of us were deeply impressed by their passion for and action toward contributing to community sustainability,
education, and resources. While the mission serves as the engine of their business, they are also highly practical, understanding the need to be profitable, grow, and remain relevant as the composting
industry evolves locally and nationally.
The intersection of mission and profit defined our Week 2 projects as we worked to produce two deliverables. First, we conducted a feasibility study to assess the potential demand and profitability of Queen City Commons offering compost training workshops. Second, we investigated the benefits, costs, and hurdles Queen City Commons could anticipate if they were to develop their own composting site. Through these two deliverables, the team learned more than we ever expected about composting in
Ohio. More importantly, our experience with Queen City Commons made us zoom out and reflect on our singularly profit- and growth-focused business school education. Marie, Julia, and Kaelee serve as
examples to us and their community that businesses don’t have to sacrifice mission for the sake of business or vice versa.
As it turns out, Cincinnati has an incredible ecosystem of grassroots organizations. On our last day in Ohio, we attended the Midwest Sustainability Conference where we got to interface with and learn
from many inspiring for-and non-profit organizations doing community scale work in the region from energy to beer brewing to youth education, we were unanimously floored by the number of people working hard every day to impact their community.
We left Cincinnati with a greater appreciation for the role of small business as a resource for community sustainability and resilience. Now, we’re looking forward to our next stops where we will move upstream in the food system from food retailers in St. Louis, MO to farmers in Atlanta, GA.
