Social Enterprise – Page 2 – Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity

April 14, 2021June 17, 2021

2021 SMU Giving Day: The Power of One Person’s Vision

Mohammed Njie envisions a future in which all of Africa has access to reliable, affordable, clean energy in his lifetime. Since his first day at the Hunt Institute, he has been working to make this vision a reality, starting with his home country of The Gambia. Mohammed developed a plan with the help of the Hunt Institute team. During that process, Mohammed founded Janta Energy, a social enterprise, with the goal of bringing clean, reliable energy to The Gambia. Like all great ideas, he needed a pilot project to test his hypothesis that rural schools could be fully functional with solar panels because the majority of their meeting time is during daylight hours. The pilot has the panels connected to batteries for evening classroom access. The long-term goal is to include fuel cells when the technology advances enough to offer an affordable option.

After securing permission from the Minister of Energy for The Gambia and local leadership in Tintinto, the team installed the technology needed to illuminate 50% of Tintinto Primary and Secondary School. During Janta’s pilot project, the team was able to pull data from the school’s energy use and excess, evaluating capacity in planning what should be installed to complete the project. After a year of use, based on the findings, the technology has proven that it will be a viable solution going forward.

In the spring semester of 2021, the student employees’ goal was to raise the remaining money needed to finish the pilot; they called it the “Illuminating Tintinto” project and submitted it to the SMU Giving Day roster. Through their hard work, they spread the word to generous donors who donated to complete the project. Now 100% of the Tintinto Primary and Secondary School will be powered by solar panels. Access to electricity will make available an entirely new learning environment, providing tools for teachers to use to enhance the learning experience of students in Tintinto.

In response to the generous donations made to support his pilot project, Mohammed said, “This is amazing. We are one step closer to making the dreams and hopes of the students in Tintinto village a reality. Progress and sustainability are possible through education, and energy access makes education a limitless experience for students. I am very excited about the future of Tintinto village, its students, and its people.”

With the knowledge and experience gained through this process, Mohammed intends on scaling Janta. By replicating the same technology, he plans to continue using local resources and labor to outfit other schools, eventually expanding the idea for use in rural hospitals in his pursuit to bring clean energy to all of The Gambia.

We, the team at the Hunt Institute, would like to thank all the supporters supporting the group of student employees determined to help Illuminate Tintinto. We are excited to see the progress that Mohammed Njie is making and are proud of the student employees that embody our university motto, “World Changers Shaped Here.”

Many of our supporters have long been by our side, some are new friends, and still, others are our very own SMU Alumni that worked in the Institute and returned to once again aid in our impact. Thank you!

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

April 13, 2021February 10, 2022

Illuminating Tintinto | Hunt Institute’s Project for SMU Giving Day 2021

Today is SMU Giving Day – the one day of the year for all Mustangs to come together in support of the SMU causes and students we care about most. Giving day is not about how much we each give, it’s about the impact we can make as a collective. The more Mustangs who give, the more positive change we can create. Donations received are put into a matching program, making all donations even more impactful and appreciated.

For this year’s SMU Giving Day, the Hunt Institute is featuring a Global Development Lab project that is installing solar panels for Tintinto Primary & Secondary School, a school in a remote village in West Africa. The beginning of this pilot proved to be successful and we will be continuing the development of this project. Principal Amadou Kinteh, teachers, parents, and students are pleased with having access to clean energy and are excited to see the completion of this project with the final section of the school illuminated by Summer 2021!

During COVID-19, school administrators reported that having access to electricity created the opportunity for teachers and students to work remotely by having access to charge their cell phones in rotations at the school during the pandemic lockdown. When the schools were able to re-open, the teachers hosted additional tutoring times for students after school to help bridge any gaps that occurred during their absence due to the pandemic. As a result, Principle Kinteh reported that his students excelled in their exams (equivalent to state exams in the USA). Watch him talk about their experiences in the above video.

Mohammed Njie is an SMU student and Hunt Institute Social Entrepreneur who founded Janta Energy to provide sustainable, clean, and reliable energy to The Gambia, a West African country where just 48% of people have limited access to electricity, leaving the remaining 52% with no access. Recently, he published a website for this initiative called JantaGM.com.

In December of 2019, the Tintinto Primary and Secondary School agreed to be a beta test site for Janta’s pilot project. In January of 2020, a team installed five 330-watt 24-volt solar panels, two 250-amp 12-volt solar batteries, and a 50-amp solar charge controller to power four classrooms and a staff room. The pilot was designed to test the panel’s effectiveness as a solution to bring electrical connections for lights, fans, and eventually computers. Although the entire school is not yet powered, Njie has a vision: “As a pilot project, we were limited to installing a [certain] amount of panels. We used those panels to provide 100% energy for half of the school. The idea was that after we did a successful pilot project, then we will install more panels to extend the power to the other side of the school.”

Join us as we prepare to finish installing the necessary panels to complete this project for the Tintinto Primary and Secondary School so that all teachers and students will have access to electricity in their classrooms.

Eventually, Janta will use this concept to build a micro-grid, with the school at the center, to help power the entire village. Looking ahead to the future, Janta Energy seeks to replicate the model used in Tintinto across other rural villages as well, eventually spanning the entirety of the country. You can help make a difference in the lives of Gambians by contributing to the Hunt Institute’s project for SMU Giving Day to finish this pilot project. All proceeds will go toward this project in The Gambia.

April 13, 2021 all day giving day #SMUDayOne resulted in meeting our goal.

Check back for updates as this project progresses!

The Hunt Institute and everyone in the Tintinto Primary & Secondary School appreciates your support for this Global Development Lab project.

April 12, 2021February 17, 2022

Spotlight on Young Social Entrepreneurs

This month, we want to shine the spotlight on some young social entrepreneurs that are doing amazing work around the world.

1. David Yeung, Green Monday

Through a multi-faceted approach, Green Monday is working to encourage the widespread adoption of a plant-based diet to combat climate change, food insecurity, and public health issues. The social side of the organization, Green Monday Foundation, raises awareness around the environmental and health impacts of our food choices. The venture side focuses on increasing the supply of sustainable choices through impact investing, food tech innovations, and corporate consulting.

2. Bryan Pape, MiiR

Founded in Seattle in 2010, MiiR sells stainless steel vessels for coffee, beer, wine, and food. A portion of the revenue earned from every product sold is contributed to a project focused on clean water, a healthy environment, or strong communities. MiiR is Climate Neutral certified, a Certified B Corporation and a member of the 1% for the Planet organization. To date, they have granted $1.5M towards 71 projects in 26 different countries.

3. Shreya Shukla, Vatsal Shukla, and Abhinav Jaiswal, Parched Foodworks

Parched Foodworks’ mission is to reduce food waste in India. They provide customers with safe, healthy, versatile, and affordable packaged dehydrated foods straight from the farms of rural producers. They also empower the rural farmers to earn fair value for their produce.

4. Victor Zhu, Jean Chew, and Sharon Li, HATCH

HATCH empowers young adults to find a fulfilling career by offering skill building courses and supporting them through the job hiring process. Since their beginning in 2018, they have impacted 249 students across 7 countries. Through its strong community partnerships, HATCH is able to support all students, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds, in taking their careers to the next level.

5. Wawira Njiru, Food4Education

Food4Education was founded to address the child nutrition crisis in Kenya. The organization uses technology to efficiently deliver nutritious, subsidized meals to primary school children. To date, they have supplied 5,000,000 meals, leading to improved nutrition and school performance for these students.

6. Roberto Patiño, Mi Convive

Patiño, an expert in citizen security and conflict resolution, founded Mi Convive, a Venezuelan NGO. Through their violence prevention workshops and victim care network, Mi Convive has helped to reduce violence in over 70 communities in Caracas. They have cared for over 300 victims of violence and trained over 50 community leaders to support their efforts.

As stated in the United Nations World Youth Report, youth unemployment is one great challenge the world is currently facing, particularly in developing countries. Social entrepreneurship is a sustainable solution.

The report further explains, “Fundamentally, youth social entrepreneurship has the potential to act as an inclusive development strategy. It represents both a vehicle for youth development and an outlet for youth engagement in the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals. In leveraging the talents and capacities of youth, youth social entrepreneurship services the goal of employment while activating youth as agents of change.”

As established above, encouraging youth to pursue the path of social entrepreneurship has many benefits. However, youth entering this field face numerous challenges related to structural factors as well as their individual characteristics. How can we reduce the barriers that youth face in starting social enterprises so that they can contribute positively to society?

To read more about these inspiring young social entrepreneurs, check out the articles they were featured in by The Forum of Young Global Leaders, EcoWatch, and Singapore International Foundation.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

March 26, 2021February 21, 2022

Spotlight on Women Social Entrepreneurs

As we close out the month of March which celebrates and honors the contributions of women throughout history, we want to shine the spotlight on some women social entrepreneurs that are doing amazing work around the world.

Maya-Camille Broussard, Justice of the Pies

Justice of the Pies is a low-profit limited liability company (L3C) that serves sweet and savory pies, quiches, and tarts. Broussard founded the company to honor her later father, a criminal defense attorney and passionate baker who believed that “everyone deserves an opportunity to reform their lives”. Justice of the Pies partners with various nonprofit organizations to carry out this mission.

Audrey Cheng, Moringa School

Working with Savannah Fund in Kenya, Audrey noticed a shortage of qualified software developers. Audrey thought she could help tackle the high unemployment rate in the country if she were able to close that skills gap. She co-founded Moringa School in 2014 to teach students key technical skills and provide them with practical experience. To date, Moringa School has enrolled over 3,000 students and has an 85% success rate of placing students into employment.

Vera Cordeiro, Instituto Dara (formerly Saúde Criança)

Founded in Brazil in 1991, Instituto Dara uses a unique, integrated approach to fight poverty and promote health and human development. The organization offers training and support to help families within the areas of health, education, housing, citizenship, and income. To date, they have impacted the lives of more than 75,000 people in Brazil.

Alice Emasu, Terrewode

Terrewode, which stands for The Association for the Rehabilitation and Re-orientation of Women for Development, is a Ugandan NGO focused on improving the livelihood of women. Specifically, Terrewode supports more than 200,000 women in Uganda that are affected by obstetric fistula by providing them with access to surgery. The organization also works to prevent obstetric fistulas through partnering with various health organizations and hospitals.

Brit Gilmore, The Giving Keys

The Giving Keys is a jewelry company that sells re-purposed keys engraved with inspirational messages. The company encourages customers to wear the jewelry until they find someone else who needs that message more and “pay it forward”. The Giving Keys partners with local LA organizations to employ people transitioning out of homelessness.

Ruth Ibegbuna, RECLAIM

Ibegbuna founded RECLAIM in 2007 “out of frustration at seeing so much wasted potential in young people, often written off due to their postcodes or through appallingly low expectations of their outcomes.” RECLAIM empowers those from middle-class backgrounds to make their voices heard and fight for social change.

Etka Jaju, Onganic Foods

Onganic’s vision is to achieve “a better livelihood for farmers, health and wellness for consumers, and a sustainable planet.” The organization does this by working directly with organic, smaller holder, certified grower groups and supporting them from procuring their seeds to accessing premium markets to sell their products. To date, they have positively impacted over 2,000 farmers and 23 villages within East and North East India.

Servane Mouazan, Ogunte

Ogunte is a Community Interest Company and certified B Corp based in the UK that supports women social entrepreneurs with customized services that address the unique challenges they are facing in scaling their impact. The purpose of the organization is to create an inclusive ecosystem where women are empowered to contribute their social innovations and support one another in creating a better world.

Kendis Paris, Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT)

Truckers Against Trafficking was founded with the idea that transportation professionals could help “assist law enforcement in the recognition and reporting of human trafficking in order to aid in the recovery of victims and the arrest of their perpetrators.” Through their program, more than 1 million truckers have been registered as TAT trained and over 1,200 victims have been identified.

Sakena Yacoobi, Afghan Institute of Learning

Founded in 1995, the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) “provides education, training, and health services to vulnerable Afghans in order to foster self-reliance, critical thinking skills, and community participation throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan.” With 48 learning centers and 6 health clinics, AIL has been able to educate 26,000 students.

In the article we shared on social media last week, the World Economic Forum posits that female social entrepreneurs, like the ones shared above, are essential to shaping a sustainable and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When we reframe the definition of success in a way that better includes and celebrates women social entrepreneurs, we curate an ecosystem that is more likely to inspire and nurture women changemakers,” says Iman Bibars, founder, Women’s Initiative for Social Entrepreneurship, Ashoka.

So let’s empower and celebrate women social entrepreneurs not just in the month of March, but all year long.

To read more about these inspiring female social entrepreneurs, check out the articles they were featured in by Change Creator, Forbes, and Ashoka.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

March 11, 2021February 28, 2022

How Can We Build Back Better: Helpful Insights for Climate-smart Inclusive Economic Development from the United Nations’ Recent Assembly

Last month, on February 22, 2021, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) convened representatives of its 193 Member States and other stakeholders to discuss how to build back better as we begin the return to a post-pandemic world.

In preparation for UNEA-5, the United Nations Environment Programme’s North America Office (UNEP North America) led a series of workshops to explore ways in which nature is already being used to address climate change and other issues. Over 400 North American stakeholders including governments, the public and private sectors, NGOs, and youth came together to share best practices, success stories and challenges with implementing and scaling nature-based solutions. Some important takeaways emerged that we should keep in mind as we aim to foster a climate-smart and inclusive economy:

“Both top-down and bottom-up approaches must work in tandem to achieve effective, long-term solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises.”
“Co-designing nature-based solutions with stakeholders at the local level, particularly with indigenous communities, is key.”
“Cross-sector collaboration is required to implement and sustain nature-based solutions.”
“Empowering youth and communities through education can inspire the sustainable lifestyle transition and behavior change needed to achieve the SDGs.”
“Innovation, data, and technology have an unprecedented role to play in designing and demonstrating the benefits of nature-based solutions.”
“The standardization of language and metrics around nature-based solutions is needed to define collective rules and impact.”
“Stakeholders must invest in nature, financing and derisking nature-based solutions.”
“Private sector entities should rise to the challenge of integrating sustainability into core business values.”

These best practices for implementing nature-based solutions were echoed during the UNEA-5 conference. UNEA emphasized the importance of taking action now in their final statement:

“Human health and wellbeing are dependent upon nature and the solutions it provides, and we are aware that we shall face recurring risks of future pandemics if we maintain our current unsustainable patterns in our interactions with nature.”

To read more about the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, click here. To learn more about each of the workshops held by UNEP North America prior to the conference, click here.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

February 5, 2021August 10, 2021

Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions Design Competition

Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions (K.I.S.S.), in partnership with SMU’s MASD Program, the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity and three universities in Tanzania, has officially launched an architectural design competition for the building of the Rulegura Center.

The primary purpose of the Rulegura Center, which will be located in Kasisa Village in northern Tanzania, will be to provide a place for education and training in sustainable methods and practices in the areas of energy, construction, clean water, agriculture, aquaculture, sanitation and health. The Rulegura Center is at the heart of K.I.S.S.’s mission, to promote sustainable development in rural Tanzania and protect the country’s wildlife and natural resources. The center will also serve as a community space for gatherings and meetings.

17 teams comprised of 31 students from 3 universities in Tanzania: Ardhi University, University of Dar es Salaam, and Mbeya University of Science and Technology have entered the competition. Each student team will be drafting building plans for the Rulegura Center, which will then be judged by a panel of 4 jurors. Since the building itself will stand as a model for appropriate sustainable design in rural Tanzania, students are highly encouraged to incorporate local materials into their designs as well as ensure energy efficiency and sustainable maintenance.

It was important to Clara Ford, founder of K.I.S.S., to involve local students in crafting the building plans. “It is part of our mission to empower and encourage young folks to be aware that they have the ability to solve problems facing the local community. I hope through this project to inspire self-confidence and self-determination among the young generation in Tanzania,” Ford says.

The community involvement will continue throughout the entire process of building the Rulegura Center, as K.I.S.S. begins the process of educating and training citizens on how to construct efficient, durable, and resilient buildings. Creating sustainable and durable buildings is just 1 of 9 objectives that K.I.S.S. sets out to achieve. Ultimately, Ford’s goals for K.I.S.S. are to reduce cyclical poverty and empower the local people with technical skills to improve their quality of life.

“Our program is designed to source solutions from the people living there on the ground. We understand the local folks are much more aware with problems they face in their daily lives and our role to showcase how these solutions can be implemented effectively for efficiencies and sustainability. For this strategy to succeed it is crucial to involve these folks and the local communities we hope to impact.”

Stay tuned to the Hunt Institute Digest for updates on the Kijiji project and to find out the winning student team of the architectural design competition!

January 7, 2021February 28, 2022

Julianna Bond, Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort Intrapreneur

Julianna Bond joins the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort as an Intrapreneur. Her focus is on enabling the enablers: how can consulting firms use their unique position—straddling organizations, industries, and sectors—to accelerate innovation and amplify social impact? Consultancies are already experts in fostering partnerships, disseminating knowledge, coordinating efforts, elevating solutions, and catalyzing change. Within these firms are consultants with the desire to leverage their collective knowledge and skills to tackle environmental and societal challenges. Julianna’s project will develop a replicable framework for empowering consultants to serve their local communities and champion sustainability.

Julianna is a Data & Analytics Consultant for Slalom Consulting and has experience across a dozen industries and functions, serving in data visualization, business analysis, project management, change management, and data strategy roles. Internal to Slalom, she is passionate about building bridges across capabilities and driving social, environmental, and community stewardship. In her previous firm, Sendero, Julianna co-founded the internal Diversity & Inclusion Committee focused on recruiting, cultivating, and celebrating diverse talent; she also played a critical role in coordinating pro-bono consulting projects.

In service of the community, Julianna has served as the board chair and development committee chair for Kids-U, a non-profit providing tutoring and holistic care for at-risk youths in low-income apartment communities. She is currently a partner at Social Venture Partners Dallas and is an alumna of their Dana Juett Residency program designed to help young professionals become philanthropic leaders. During this program, Julianna led a non-profit consulting, capacity-building project for The Educator Collective and was the winner of a fast-pitch competition on the non-profit’s behalf.

Julianna’s passion for social impact began during her undergraduate studies at Southern Methodist University, where she graduated with degrees in Political Science, Management, and a minor in Chinese. Beyond campus life, she ran a 3-year long Big iDeas & Engaged Learning Fellowship project focused on food insecurity and sustainable micro-agriculture for urban environments, resulting in setting up an aquaponics garden at Jubilee Park Community Center in Fair Park. When she returned to SMU for her Master of Science in Business Analytics, she worked with the Hunt Institute to support research for the Collective Action for an Inclusive Sustainable Economy model and corporate stakeholder interviews. Her favorite quote by Frances Hesselbein is, “Carry a big basket. In other words, be open to new ideas, different partners, and new practices, and have a willingness to dump out the old and irrelevant to make room for new approaches.”

When asked what her motivation is as a social intrapreneur, Bond answered, “I live to help people realize their greatest potential and inspire us, collectively, to be better and do better. This starts with building deep, meaningful relationships based in genuine care and understanding of individual needs, motives, and struggles. Mutual understanding is the foundation for fruitful partnerships and cultural change.”

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

January 7, 2021February 28, 2022

Dr. Candice Bledsoe, Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort Intrapreneur

Candice Bledsoe, Ph.D., Social Intrapreneur and Executive Director of the Action Research Center

Dr. Candice L. Bledsoe is a well-known scholar, professor, and social entrepreneur. A strong advocate for innovation, leadership, and diversity, her unwavering efforts to combat social and economic gaps have earned her international recognition.

In 2020, the United Nations awarded Dr. Bledsoe with the UN Day Global Leadership Award, for Sustainable Goal 4: Quality Education, because of her tireless advocacy for increasing access to education and school enrollment rates, especially for young women.

Dr. Bledsoe joined the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort as an Intrapreneur in pursuit of her program’s success. The Young Social Innovators & Social Entrepreneurs Program aims to address issues of poverty in local communities by seeking to equip young individuals with the entrepreneurial skills they need to help close economic and social gaps.

With a focus on underrepresented and minority student education, the program is aiming to develop minority youth as change agents and successful social entrepreneurs through the promotion of personal development, academic excellence, and social change.

Dr. Bledsoe currently sits as the Executive Director of the Action Research Center in Dallas, Texas which is an organization that aims to enhance equity in local Dallas/Ft. Worth communities. In addition, she is also the founder of the Collective, a group of community leaders, writers, scholars, and entrepreneurs who tell the story of minority women in America.

Dr. Bledsoe conducts research on equity, equal access, and granting voice to minority narratives as a means of addressing wealth disparities and underrepresented groups. Over the years, she has led numerous international initiatives in partnership with organizations such as the Bank of Thailand, Microsoft, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Aba Dhabi Department of Education and Council (ADEC), and more.

Dr. Bledsoe is no stranger to the Institute; she sits as one of the distinguished Fellows, serves on the Leadership Council in the Inclusive Economy Consortium, and is an Expert in Residence for the Hunt Institute. Recently, in 2020 she completed a project in the Global Development Lab called Youth Up Next, which continued the development of The Young Social Innovators & Young Social Entrepreneurs Program.

“I believe that innovation is a tool to help improve organizations and create sustainable solutions,” Dr. Bledsoe said. “The Young Social Innovators & Young Entrepreneurs Program uses an innovation and social entrepreneurship framework to enhance students’ self-confidence, discipline, and self-efficacy. Not only do students help create a business while addressing a social need, they also develop leadership skills that will support them for the rest of their lives.”

Stay tuned to the Hunt Institute Digest to follow Dr. Bledsoe, and her Cohort, as she pursues developing youth into agents of change for the betterment of their communities.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

January 7, 2021February 28, 2022

Pharr Andrews, Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort Intrapreneur

Pharr Andrews joined the Hunt Institute's Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort as an Intrapreneur to find solutions to address the energy poverty gap exasperated by the effects of climate change.

As an experienced scholar and fervent advocate for the mend of environmental and sustainability issues, Pharr Andrews joined the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort as an Intrapreneur.

Andrews aims to continue to push for solutions that address the energy poverty gap exasperated by the effects of climate change.

Currently serving as the Senior Climate Coordinator for the City of Dallas, her primary role is to coordinate the City’s first Comprehensive and Climate Action Plan (CECAP). Through her extensive experience, traversing 20 years of acquired knowledge in the field, she displays a strong commitment to preserving the environment and has earned a reputation among peers as a leader in the field.

Andrews’ social enterprise project “Energy Equip” attempts to provide basic energy services to low-income areas and proposes to address energy poverty symptoms through six main pathways: education, leveraging of resources, commitment to amplifying ongoing actions, expanding partnerships, outreach, and awareness-building.

Her employment background stretches across various environmental initiatives; these include Environmental Outreach Manager for the City of Richardson and Air Quality Manager for the City of Austin.

While in Austin, she chaired the region’s Clean Air Coalition Advisory Committee and helped implement three regional air quality improvement plans. She was also a founding member of the City’s Climate Protection Team and played a vital role in the climate planning effort. Prior to serving at the City of Austin, she worked for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on environmental policy issues.

This December, Pharr Andrews will be presenting her social enterprise project at the Hunt Institute’s Impact Forum where she will continue to spark discussion around reducing the energy burden and raise awareness for the issue’s urgent need for action.

When asked what has motivated her impact work, Andrews said, “Climate Change impacts everyone on the planet, but does not affect everyone equally. I am very motivated to help ensure vulnerable front line communities have access to the tools that reduce negative impacts, build resiliency and improve quality of life.”

Look forward to more from the Hunt Institute Digest, to stay up to date on Pharr’s work and progress as she pursues solutions to energy poverty in the DFW area.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

January 6, 2021February 28, 2022

Matthew Sheldon, Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort Intrapreneur

Matthew Sheldon, Social Intrapreneur and Communications Lead for Toyota Motor North America Social Innovation

Matthew Sheldon is a highly dynamic individual with experience across corporate communication programs, public relations, investor relations firms, and a passion for combating societal and environmental challenges.

Sheldon joined the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort as a Social Intrapreneur with his project, which focuses on combatting bioplastic waste and decreasing the environmental impact of waste.

As the Communications Lead for Toyota Motor North America Social Innovation, Sheldon is tasked with developing and implementing communications programs for the division’s community sustainability, inclusive mobility, and workforce development initiatives.

Sheldon’s Social Enterprise Project is working to find ways to divert waste from landfills, putting forth initiatives that aim to create a circular system to recover food waste and bioplastics and convert them into energy. This system has many benefits: diverting waste from landfills, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, creating new revenue streams, and the potential for new fueling sources for hydrogen-powered vehicles.

This project is set to spur a coalition of local companies, government organizations, and academia to bring forward a solution in DFW while also creating a template to replicate in other regions.

Sheldon says he is motivated by “a sense of urgency to address societal and environmental challenges. Through social innovation, we can tackle systemic issues while strengthening business.”

Stay tuned to the Hunt Institute Digest to follow Matthew as he pursues waste-to-energy solutions in the DFW area.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.