The chapter will provide our working definition of ecopreneurs as (start-up) entrepreneurs who focus on an environmental or green aspect in their product or service innovations (Harte et al., 2021) and the roadmap for the chapter.
A brief literature review on the state of ecopreneurship scholarship identifies a deficit in traditional Entrepreneurship Education (EE) (Kirkwood and Walton, 2010; Marhandrie, 2024). This will include the motivations of sustainable entrepreneurs and the developing ecopreneurs (Linnanen, 2002; Ljungkvist and Andersen, 2020). A new model is presented, which highlights the need for a new ecopreneurship paradigm as an extension of existing EE. The model, developed from our extended research with UK ecopreneurs (Harte et al, 2021), generates the core question ‘how to create new EE courses bridging the gap’?
The new model will focus on the issues ecopreneurs face: green values are raison d’etre of the ecopreneur, but tensions can occur when, e.g. an economic focus is encountered as venture grows/develops and there is increased financial pressure; this situation can be reversed with similar attendant tensions encountered (Jolink and Niesten, 2013; Niesten, Jolink and Bacha, 2024). Further, there is a need to move from the individual ethos of green values to a need to inspire others and satisfy financial stakeholders (Niesten, Jolink and Bacha, 2024).
The model discussion would also consider including a platform that potentially shares experiments and cases centred around the new (old?) ways of living and elimination of non-sustainable practices in areas including, but not exclusively, food waste, nutrition, health, medical treatments, transport and mobility, urban planning, packaging, etc.
The conclusion will identify areas to enhance curriculum in EE and how ecopreneurship can develop as an elaboration and augmentation of traditional EE for those with green values. It will also guide new start-ups from the tensions previously encountered by incumbent ecopreneurs.
Citation
Harte, P., Fonseca, A. P., & Peisl, T. (2024, November). The new path towards ecopreneurship education. Presented at Heriot Watt University Sustainability Week, Edinburgh
