Alex’s proposal for OVER:
“I teach entrepreneurship at the University of Washington. When students address unmet needs to find entrepreneurial opportunities, many draw from their own experiences and the profit-maximizing logic present in the United States. As a result, many entrepreneurial opportunities do not consider the environmental and social impact. I believe sharing a book like this early in the quarter will prompt students to consider the negative externalities of their “solutions” to problems facing developed economies.
Having worked at Grameen in Nairobi, I worked with a number of social entrepreneurs and ventures which aim to solve problems while considering the well-being of the planet and society. I believe exposing the students to this book will prompt them to think about the issues facing the world and how the solutions they propose to “problems” may actually have a negative impact. I’d love to incorporate the book into my course to encourage students to go forth and create entrepreneurial ventures which consider the problems facing our planet.”
There are many ways to participate! Together, we can raise awareness and bring about change.