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Make a difference! Panel talks social entrepreneurship

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Started 1 year ago by hkline
Latest reply from rus

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hkline

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Get ready to be inspired!

Sustainability advocate and noted restaurateur Liz Lessner (Betty's Family of Restaurants) will be joined by Joe Deloss of Freshbox Catering and Dave Parker and Sean McGee of CauseImpact to talk social entrepreneurship as part of a Worthington Libraries panel discussion this Tuesday (February 22).

Social entrepreneurs get creative when it comes to improving the way things work. And they don't just do it to make money, they do it for the greater good. Learn firsthand how the concept is changing business and our lives at 7 pm at Old Worthington Library, 820 High St.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Event preview, here:

http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/local-businesspeople-to-discuss-social-entrepreneurship-on-tuesday/

Posted 1 year ago #
jeff_r

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I think this is going to be a neat event. Non profits will get the chance to learn about some entrepreneurial approaches, and businesses will see how introducing a social component to their work can add a greater sense of purpose and engage their customers.

If you can make it out, we'd love to see you!

Tuesday Feb 22, 2011
Old Worthington Library
820 High Street
Worthington, OH 43085
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Free and open to the public!

Posted 1 year ago #
jeff_r

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This event was fantastic!!! Thanks Liz, Joe, and Sean for sharing your stories and experience.

Posted 1 year ago #
fringeoutfitters
Columbus reviving its urban core
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agreed jeff_r. Thanks for hosting. educate, agitate, advocate.

Posted 1 year ago #
rus

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Related article on CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/08/14/solar.light.bulbs/index.html?&hpt=hp_c2

So often, he says, large aid organizations simply don't understand what people need.

Polack points to the example of a product called the Play Pump. It seems like a great idea: A children's merry-go-round operates as a water pump. As children play on it, it pumps water into a holding tank.

In 2006, the United States invested more than $16 million in a massive effort to install Play Pumps across sub-Saharan Africa. Four years later, 4,000 Play Pumps had been installed.

But according to a UNICEF report the Play Pumps haven't worked as promised.

At $14,000 each they are expensive. And the children grew bored of the hard work of "playing" on the merry-go-rounds, forcing women in the village to operate the pumps. In addition, the pumps proved to be unreliable, and when they break they require expert technicians to repair them, according to UNICEF.

Polak says this is exactly the wrong approach because the people living in the villages were not given an opportunity to choose whether these pumps would work in their communities.

"They're not going to spend their money on it if it doesn't make sense," Polak says. "The problem with a lot of these things using the charity model is that they get these things foisted on them."

Polak's nonprofit markets a pump of its own, which costs about $8 to make and sells for $25. Polak says a small family farmer who buys a pump can increase his annual income by $100.

He says they have sold 1.5 million in Bangladesh alone and have created thousands of jobs in turn.

"We have 3,000 (villages) dealers making an income and 3,000 well drillers making an income, and 75 workshops making the pumps making an income," Polak says.

Posted 9 months ago #

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