A big trend in business today is the emergence of social entrepreneurship. This stellar idea of creating business to help solve societal or community problems has been popping up nationally, even here in the Stevens Point community. I’m studying it in my Business 390 course and it has been fascinating to learn about different people and projects and how they’re changing their communities.
Today I got the opportunity to take a field trip through the School of Business & Economics to Greens and Goods greenhouse site in Plover, Wis. It was a great break to my week and normal class cycle. We spent the morning outside looking at the rows and rows of flourishing organic vegetables on the property, including broccoli, kales, lettuce, tomatoes, tomatillos, herbs and even leeks! (Check out Sandra wrestling a cabbage in the picture!) We learned how vital compost is to keeping the plants warm over the winter. With a combination of food scrap from restaurants, coffee grounds from area coffee shops, and even waste from brewing beer, the compost generates heat that will keep the greenhouses warm enough for the greens to grow. Most of the produce goes to area restaurants or sells in The Market on Strongs in Downtown Stevens Point.
Business is often criticized for the lack of concern on the environment. After seeing projects like this firsthand, and studying social entrepreneurship and other ethics concepts, it’s clear many business decisions are made with the environment in mind. It disappoints me to see so much press focused on the failures of companies when it comes to environmental protection. Although there is always room for improvement, I believe focusing on what businesses are doing right would help alleviate some of the negativity towards the business field. Some social entrepreneurs, like those at Greens and Goods, are taking steps in the right direction to better our communities and world as a whole. I hope more people will start to take notice and change their views on the positive power businesses can have.
-Courtney
Courtney Cerniglia is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point majoring in business administration and Spanish.