We're the CEOs - Chief Environmental Officers - of our business, responsible for the 'success' of our operations and its environmental and social impacts. Mostly, we eat what we grow, use what energy we generate ourselves and create the meaningful work we desire. In other words, success is relative to our worldview and based on what we value and find meaning in. Rather than make money from working at a job, we put our limited funds to work for us to serve what we call our Earth Mission, the purpose for which we're here on Earth. We define our business qualitatively, not quantitatively. There are numerous advantages of operating a business for yourself, in terms of tax savings, control over how natural or human resources are used (or misused) and the freedom to pursue your passions without your boss looking over your shoulder. If you grow weary of climbing the ladder, own it. If you don't like the kind of companies that are offering you a job, then make your own in your vision of what it means to tread lightly on the planet. Ever work for a company and become frustrated or appalled by the waste or inefficiencies you witness on a regular basis and your inability to enact changes to end the waste - even if it also saved the company or organization money at the same time? Ecopreneurs, often by their small, human or family-scaled operations, take the reigns and seize control in ways larger organizations fail to even recognize. At Inn Serendipity, on an annual basis we reuse, recycle, reclaim and restore more than we dispose of in our two 35-gallon garbage cans. Piles of tile and grout, old furnaces, wood, children's toys, insulation scraps - all destined for landfills - are in productive, if not also quirky, use in our business today. Our strawbale greenhouse is partially built with the waste stream of our community. Today information, knowledge and innovation are the harbingers of wealth creation in a world increasingly pressing up against environmental, social and resource limitations or issues created by the previous laissez-faire market-driven economic growth. Once the stronghold for guiding positive changes related to the environment or addressing social issues, federal and some state governments have lost their way, effectiveness and courage to take these issues on. Rather than setting forward-thinking policies, politicians are caving in to re-election concerns or the unprecedented influence of special interest groups, many funded by powerful multinational corporations. The present value of money overrides consideration given to issues that face future generations. Increasingly, citizens are ahead of the policy-makers, voting with their dollars and actions (not words). Entrepreneurs are problem-solvers, possessing an ability to see what was there all along then bringing it to market. These entrepreneurs become ecopreneurs when their spirit, boldness, courage and determination not only transform the landscape but coalescence into a movement to transform global problems into opportunities for restoration and healing. Ecopreneurs take a penchant for innovation and problem-solving, applying it to meaningful purpose. Ecopreneurs emblazen the regreening of Earth, restoring degraded land, cleaning the air, building healthy and safe homes, devising clean, renewable energy sources, offering prevention-oriented alternatives to treatment-focused healthcare and helping preserve or restore the ecological and cultural wonders of the planet by changing the way we experience travel, just to name a few. While many entrepreneurs may be motivated, at least in part, to the mantra of 'greed is great' on their journey to becoming a millionaire, growing numbers of ecopreneurs are adopting a different course, focusing on solving the problems facing society through the businesses they create, greening their bottom line. Many are redefining their wealth, as we have, not by the size of their bank account or square footage of their home.Wealth is defined by life's tangibles: health, wellness, meaningful work, vibrant community life and family. There are many ways in which entrepreneurs and ecopreneurs are similar. Both embrace failure and are idea driven, innovative, creative, risk tolerant, flexible, adaptable, freedom minded and independent. However, ecopreneurs go beyond organic, beyond compliance to laws and regulations (or redefine them), beyond consumerism, beyond minimum wages and beyond the free market economy to conduct business. Successful ecopreneurs change their perspective about money. Instead of working for money, our money works for our aspirations, dreams and hopes for what we want to see the world become - our Earth Mission. Money is an intangible, a tool for change.We invest in the future, not save for it. While entrepreneurs make their money work for them through the businesses they create, or assets they accumulate, ecopreneurs use their businesses to implement their Earth Mission. If you're earning a living now, perhaps working for a company or organization, then becoming an ecopreneur will revolutionize how you think about money, your livelihood, your life. Excerpted with permission from 'ECOpreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet before Profits' (2008, New Society Publishers, $17.95) by John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist. To order, call (800) 567-6772 or visit newsociety.com. For more information on Inn Serendipity, visit innserendipity.com. Entrepreneur vs. Ecopreneur Values money (I wanna be rich) / Values life (Fulfillment through work) Return on Investment (ROI) / Return on Environment (ROE) Free trade (extracts, exploits) / Fair Trade (Cooperates, is socially responsible) Follows regulations (meets governmental regulations) / Sets (voluntary) standards beyond regulations Stakeholders equal stockholders (financial results-driven) / Stakeholders equal everyone and everything (considers nature, community, future generations) Technology will triumph / Technology is a tool Super-size me (bigger is better) / Human-scale (Small is beautiful, less complex, adaptable) Source: 'ECOpreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet before Profits'
John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist of rural Monroe, Wis., are innkeepers, organic farmers and partners in a marketing consulting company. They are innovative young leaders in the growing rural renaissance movement and have been featured in a variety of media for their contemporary approach to homesteading, conservation and green living.
