"This Juneau-based brewery has been forced to innovate cutting-edge brewery technology to keep costs down and brew in an environmentally conscious way. Beer-powered beer is at the forefront of brewery technology recycling spent grains (traditionally provided to local farms by breweries in the lower 48) to power the brewing process."
What do we mean when we say we are looking for Social Entrepreneurs to apply for our Green Equity Accelerator?
We are looking for people who either have an existing business or a business idea that will address community-based problems—anything from turning waste to profit, reducing food miles, replacing imports, implementing renewable clean energy, and other innovations. We support ideas that have an environmentally conscious approach to creating positive changes in your community.
We aim to work with entrepreneurs on the North Olympic Peninsula in the transition to a new green economy.
Our accelerator is offered at no cost because everyone should have access to the tools necessary to improve their communities. We understand that starting a business (especially for the first time) can feel daunting; we are here to support you and set you up for success.
In our Green Equity Accelerator, you will:
Learn business fundamentals during your 14 training modules
Receive feedback from experienced local businesses
Have a mentor
Receive ongoing counseling from our business advisors
Pitch your business showcase after completing all required activities and receive up to $5,000 in startup capital to move your projects forward.
Some example businesses that have an environmentally conscious approach to create positive changes:
Cycling delivery service.
It fills a communities need to deliver mail, meals, and groceries with a cost and emission-conscious approach.
Glass recycled to sand business.
Glass that would end up at landfills or wouldn't be processed sustainably can be collected and turned into sand, used for soil enhancement, to make concrete, as sandblasting media, etc.
Runner Duck Business
Selling runner ducks to improve farmers' crops. Benefits are: they improve permaculture because they produce rich manure from the pesky slug and insects they eat, produce eggs almost daily, and do not disturb plants.
Stump grinding business that uses homemade diesel.
Recycles cooking oil that could otherwise cause issues with garbage trucks, solid waste sites, clog pipes and attract pests. It fills the need to grind stumps in forested areas while reusing something often seen as waste.
*A social entrepreneur is someone who seeks to provide a solution to community-based problems by starting a business.
*A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment.