Putting sustainopreneurship into play in the local and regional context

Posted on by September 24, 2009 by anders.abrahamsson

Many of the problems related to the ”sustainability agenda” occur in the local economical context. At the same time, a fresh approach to the problems is required – enters the concept of ”sustainopreneurship” – or ”business with a cause”, in short “entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainability”. Mentioned first time in year 2000, developed further 2003 and onwards, and manifested 2008 in a Wikipedia article, the concept represents that we need to go from old thinking to new doing in taking our burning issues globally and deploy sustainability innovations -  mostly locally.

Sustainopreneurship can acquire some facilitating factors through start centres, not just in the context of developed economies, but certainly in developing as well as in emerging economies. These ‘Micro Sustainopreneurial Zones’ could create dynamic synergies that would speed up a process of making sustainopreneurship a proactive force for sustainable development in these geo-social settings – especially if they are focused on triggering proliferation and innovation diffusion aimed at rural modernization. In short – sustainopreneurship can be put into play by first and foremost giving it a playground, physical as well as virtual.

Sustainopreneurship applied in local and regional interaction gives great hope where settings utilize their own embedded natural, social, knowledge and creative capital to solve their unique place- and culture-defined sustainability problems and to find equally unique solutions, turning them into viable business models aiming at self-sustainability, empowerment and independence. Outside, non-colonial, respectful empowerment and micro-intervention should focus on technology transfer (e. g. solar energy, telecommunication, computers, Internet connection), taking place by the terms set by the locals and their formulated needs. The international financial capital coupling the technology transfer should be fuelled through micro finance intermediaries together with localized mentoring for sustainopreneurial businesses from other local and seasoned, experienced people transferring their experiences in order to strengthen tacit knowledge generation in play – on, and with respect to, their own living conditions.

In the end, with these virtual and physical frames as facilitators, a process is created intended to generate a result as illustrated – in contrast to the institutional framing that introduced this chapter – a sustainable world where all local and regional settings are empowered through sustainopreneurship.

/Anders Abrahamsson

Anders is a serial sustainopreneur and has been the driving force in the conceptual development of Sustainopreneurship, and published its Wikipedia article in 2008. He has published a number of publications on this topic, and is currently authoring a popular book on subject, one blog post at a time. Founder of SLICE Services and Publishing.