World changing Responses 1-7

Levester Williams


1.Social Entrepeneurship
After taking a class on social entrepreneurship, I understand that it is an enterprise that meets a social value by creating a self-sustainable model. Its goal is not to maximize profits, but to maximize its social impact. Muhammad Yumus’s enterprise represents such mission. Seeing the poverty in Bangladesh, he wondered how he could help the people in that area. Therefore, he provided people who wanted to start businesses with funding. He invented microcredit that allowed the small provision of money to be loaned to these people. It worked since the people in Bangladesh only needed a small sum of money to start a business there (Steffern 352). Being inspired by social entrepreneurs such as Yumus, I have started to work on a project that could provide transportation for the Washtenaw area by integrating a recycling system at the main bus stations in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti since some people cannot always afford the one dollar and quarter price.

2. Seeing the Big Picture
As consumers, we “dwell in the blissful ignorance of partial knowledge” (Steffen 402). This happens since we cannot fully understand how macrosystems work such as corporations and governments. Also, most of facts are concealed since we are contented with what the media and corporations provide us until we start to question our consumptions and the systems that produce these products and medial image. Steffen states that indicators are able to measure the critical information for us and provide us with a trend that can be easily read such as n a barometer. By using graphs just as smiley faces to represent the information, people will be able to through the shadowing done by corporations (Steffen 402).

3. Placing Yourself
To become a global citizen who becomes responsible for one’s action toward the global environment, one must place oneself within the context of our world. Then, we are able to become active participants who are able to ask questions that criticize our consumption and production fields. Steffen states that we are able to place ourselves through by naming places according to their attributes such as “Where Salmon Grow”). If we place ourselves, we are able to understand the historical significance of being a global citizen. We can understand our biota around us and prevent much ignorant damages to it. We can questions products that may cause us health issues in the long term. Also, the industrial field will not be a distant knowledge, yet something that we are able to have a full understanding of its effects (Steffen 476).

4. Ecosystem Services
Sometimes, since we live in this technological world, we may at once forget that “nature is working for us” (Steffen 486). Technology now seems to be capable of providing us with things that nature provides us already. We are able to clone things and artificially change the genes of organisms such as corns to match our desires. Technology provides us with lighting. However, this all come at a cost while nature does it for free (Steffen 486). According to the “Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Synthesis Report,” it would cost about at least $33 trillion a year to simulate what nature does for us. However, we don’t fully understand how much natures provide for us (Steffen 487).

5. Buying Better Food
Buying better food may cost more than its competitor; however, it may actually save you more money in the end. By eating healthier with food that is grown locally, we consumers are able to know form where the actual product comes. We are able to visit these places ourselves and understand how the food is being produced instead of it being shadowed by the distancing. But, it should start with the institution. If poor nutrition
equals poor grades, then primary schools should provide our children with a healthier choice and teach them how to be better consumer. Therefore, at an older age, we would be more cognizant of what actually are healthy for us instead of having to do research ourselves about it (Steffen 58). Also, by choosing to eat local, we invest money back into our community. Look at Urban Farming. When a speaker from Urban Farming came to speak in my social entrepreneurship class, she claimed that buying locally invest money back into the community. When you buy from super retailer like Wal-Mart, your investment does not go directly back into your local community. Therefore, buying locally support a healthy lifestyle for you and your local community.

6. Creating Business Value from Sustainability
Corporations function as to maximize their profit even at the expenses of the environment and personal rights of human. Think of the building of polluting plants next to poor neighbors since the land cost is relatively cheap. The companies are infringing on their rights. Companies also will sue individuals who try to speak against their unsustainable practices. Yet, we have companies that are trying to practice “green” while sustaining a social value. Instead of having to create technology that support us as nature do for free, we are able to save much money in the long term buy preserving our environment (Steffen 386).

7. Green Marketing
Even though some companies are not practicing sustainable methods, some large retailers are being pressured due to the growing concern of our environment. Therefore, corporations are introducing green products as a way to content those who question the production of the corporation. It now seems to be a trend to be green. You see posters, ads, and commercial that support eco-friendly products. Companies such as Philips and Toyota are utilizing green products that save much energy while it brings considerable profits back into the company (Steffen 390).











Work Cited

Steffen, Alex, ed. Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st century. New York: Abrams, 2006. Print.