Making growth sustainable: co-creating solutions through social and green entrepreneurship
Published: 10 June 2014 Jona Liebl
Africa has some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but many people remain excluded from the benefit of this growth with almost half of the population in sub-Saharan Africa living on less than USD1.25 per day. Read more
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Making green and social entrepreneurship work for all in the developing world
Published: 01 June 2014 Amélie Heuër, Helen Marquard
With the target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaching, consultations are taking place globally to draw out insights that can contribute to the “Post-2015 Development Agenda and Framework”. Read more
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SEED celebrates the success of former SEED Award winner on International Day for Biological Diversity
Published: 21 May 2014
This year the IBD has the overarching theme Island Biodiversity, paying tribute to the fact that islands and their surrounding near-shore marine areas constitute unique ecosystems. Read more
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SEED Awards 2014 - A Call for Applications
Published: 11 February 2014
Start-up social and environmental entrepreneurs who have developed innovative products or services and are working with local communities can win a tailor-made business support package through the 2014 SEED Awards, which open for nominations today. Read more
SEED Awards 2014 - Apply by 8 April!
Published: 01 January 2014
The SEED Initiative has just launched the 2014 SEED Awards to support entrepreneurs for sustainable development. Read more
SEED Annual Report 2013
Published: 18 December 2013
Looking back, 2013 has been a particularly good year for SEED, a year marked particularly by the selection of the 34 new SEED Winners - remarkable exemplars of social and environmental entrepreneurs at the grassrootsand by growing interest internationally in the programme, but also by new partnerships to build on those that have been essential in SEED’s growth so far. Read more
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From Plates that Grow Food to Certified Cocoa: UN Awards Innovative Green Enterprises at Green Economy Symposium
Published: 31 October 2013
The 34 winners of the 2013 SEED Awards were announced today. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: BanaPads
Published: 31 August 2013
BanaPads produces comfortable sanitary pads from natural agricultural waste materials. They are low-cost, 100 % biodegradable, locally made, safe and hygienic. The enterprise aims to reduce absenteeism among schoolgirls in rural and poor communities, create a distribution network of female entrepreneurs and establish sustainable independent micro-businesses. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Solar Serve
Published: 31 August 2013
Solar Serve specialises in the manufacture and distribution of solar cookstoves and clean cookstoves. Customers benefit from reduced costs for fuels and improved health, while pressure on the environment is decreased due to the reduction of deforestation and carbon emissions. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Trees for Global Benefit
Published: 31 August 2013
Trees for Global Benefit is a cooperative carbon offsetting scheme linking farmers in Uganda to the voluntary carbon market, combining carbon sequestration with rural livelihood improvements through small-scale, farmer-led, agricultural and forestry projects while reducing pressure on natural resources in forest reserves. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Nuru Energy
Published: 31 August 2013
Nuru Energy provides portable rechargeable lights and the first commercially available pedal power generators, giving rural communities energy for their daily activities. By introducing an affordable alternative to kerosene, the enterprise also helps reduce CO2 emissions. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: New Sun Road
Published: 31 August 2013
Southeast Asia Renewable & Adaptive Energy (SEA-RAE) provides sustainable energy infrastructure for small, remote communities in Southeast Asia. It supplies grid technologies such as photovoltaic arrays and hydro-energy harvesters that are adapted to the needs of local communities and increase their resilience to climate change. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Dichung.vn
Published: 31 August 2013
Dichung.vn is an online platform that helps reduce traffic jams and environmental pollution in urban areas of Vietnam. An easy-to-use website and application connect users so they can share empty seats on various types of vehicles and so reduce carbon emissions. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: NABIDI Power
Published: 30 August 2013
NABIDI Power develops and distributes mobile phone and laptop chargers, lamps and radios that use kinetic energy. The first products with casings manufactured from a new bio-polymer made from sugar cane waste, the enterprise’s products help mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Khulumani Gogos Going Green
Published: 30 August 2013
Khulumani Gogos Going Green supplies solar home systems that meet the lighting needs of rural off-grid households. It is run by elderly Khulumani women (“Gogos”) and is financed by loans from a savings and credit group. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Duncan Village Secondary Recycling Cooperative
Published: 30 August 2013
The enterprise collects organic waste from low-income households and processes it into compost, which in turn provides valuable nutrients for their urban food production. By combining composting and sustainable food production the cooperative helps improve community waste management. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Life Out Of Plastic - L.O.O.P.
Published: 30 August 2013
Life Out Of Plastic – L.O.O.P. is a 100 % women-owned organisation that raises awareness about plastic pollution. It finances awareness campaigns on the value of marine ecosystems to communities through the sale of up-cycled plastic products and environmental educational services for the private sector. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: MRDP Sunwater
Published: 30 August 2013
MRDP Sunwater aims to supply solar water heating through black PVC pipe systems, allowing communities – and especially women and children – to save time and money. By reducing the need to gather firewood, the enterprise helps communities save trees and manage their natural resources sustainably. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Farmer Eco Enterprise Development (FEED Africa)
Published: 30 August 2013
Farmer Eco Enterprise Development (FEED Africa) develops low-carbon eco-farming for emerging organic farmers, empowering them to enter the green economy as entrepreneurs. It offers them support on infrastructure, land development, management, training, mentorship, marketing skills and helps them to access markets. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: 5 Star Stoves
Published: 30 August 2013
5 Star Stoves creates a local bio-energy value chain out of waste biomass. It produces biomass pellets that are then used in updraft gasification stoves for cooking and heating. Stoves are assembled locally and distributed in the community via a franchise model. Read more
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Enterprise Brief: Sustaintech
Published: 30 August 2013
Sustaintech distributes fuel-efficient, smokeless cookstoves to vendors of street food and to small commercial kitchens. Customers benefit from significant cost savings for firewood and improved health. At the same time, the environment benefits from reduced greenhouse gas emissions and less deforestation. Read more
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Celebrate and share the World Environment Day!
Published: 14 June 2013
World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. WED activities take place all year round and climax on 5 June every year involving everyone from everywhere. Read more
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SEED Annual Report 2012
Published: 18 April 2013
In 2012, SEED has not only continued to work with a record number of inspiring and innovative grassroots social and environmental enterprises all over the world, but has also formed new partnerships and participated in major events which contributed to the promotion of both gender equality and the green economy. Read more
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SEED South Africa, a partnership between SEED and the Independent Development Trust (IDT) South Africa
Published: 05 March 2013
Progress is being made towards the promotion of social and environmental entrepreneurship within South Africa. Read more
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SEED partners with the UNDP CLIMBIZ Initiative to launch the Black Sea Challenge for social and environmental entrepreneurs
Published: 01 February 2013
The UNDP Black Sea Climate and Business Initiative (CLIMBIZ) is a regional partnership focused on sustainable development and the green economy in the Black Sea area. The CLIMBIZ Challenge will be implemented in partnership with SEED. Read more
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