Center for Entrepreneurship: Sustainable Entrepreneurship

The University of Portland is striving to be a sustainable member of this community, this state, this country and this planet. Part of the responsibility in becoming more sustainable is teaching people ways to live and create in a sustainable manner—in their personal lives and, perhaps more importantly, in the ways they create new ventures, businesses and projects. We believe that together we can create exciting programs that teach people that entrepreneurial ventures can address society’s needs in ways that are socially, environmentally and financially beneficial.

Our activities in this realm include a $149,000 grant from the Coleman Foundation to support faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences and in the School of Business in teaching sustainable entrepreneurship to their students. Faculty are supported in developing projects that teach students how entrepreneurship skills and mindsets can help them succeed in ways that help their communities thrive.

The National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) is also supporting the University of Portland’s sustainable entrepreneurship teaching with a grant to infuse a sustainability component dealing with the environment, design and society into the Entrepreneur Scholars Program (E-Scholars).

The sustainability component is introduced in the BUS 480 course (Creating a World-Class Venture). When these students take BUS 481 (Entrepreneur Apprenticeship) in the spring or summer they will include a sustainability filter in the feasibility study that they create with a mentor. For BUS 482 (Global Entrepreneurship) in the spring or summer, students will compare and contrast sustainable business practices in the US to business practices in another country. 

Also as part of the NCIIA grant, the Center for Entrepreneurship chose four E-Scholars to participate in the Bramadero Project, a joint project with Green Empowerment, which culminated in a trip to Nicaragua in May, 2007. Green Empowerment partners with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in emerging countries to build sustainable capacity for renewable energy and water systems. Its projects emphasize environmental concerns, local leadership, community participation, and long-term economic and environmental sustainability by assisting with feasibility studies, technical training, project construction, commissioning, organizational planning, publicity and fundraising.

The E-Scholars participating in the Bramadero Project experienced a tailer-made version of Green Empowerment’s Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Skills Training Program, gaining valuable skills in developing/managing an international NGO.