IDEAS
IDEAS enables students to tackle environmental and sustainability challenges in the developing world through global collaboration.
| Startup type: | Social Enterprise |
| Status: | Active |
| Stage: | Growth |
| Publicity: | Open to speaking to journalists. |
| Funding: | Angel, Friends and Family, Self-funded |
| Industries: | Cleantech, Education |
| Location: | Stanford, CA |
| Website: | http://www.ripplingideas.org |
OUR NEWS
IDEAS has no news yet.
ABOUT US
1. What issue will your venture address?
IDEAS addresses environmental and sustainability challenges in the developing world. Climate change is a global problem requiring a global solution, but unfortunately, the sustainability movement has yet to spread throughout the developing world. In order for this trend to change, two things need to happen. First, future leaders in the developing world need to become aware of and passionate about sustainability issues. Second, immediate opportunities to address environmental/sustainability problems need to be implemented. IDEAS seeks to achieve both goals by enabling students in the developing world to implement sustainability projects through global collaboration. Because Stanford has been a leader in campus sustainability, we are uniquely positioned to help collect best practice and disseminate to universities around the world.
2. Why are YOU pursuing this specific issue?
Our team members have been active leaders in the sustainability community on campus. Over the years, however, we realized that Stanford already has so many great sustainability projects that each new project adds very little marginal benefit to the community, while the developing world still suffers from a severe lack of awareness and effective sustainability programs. We felt we could contribute to solving this problem by creating a mechanism to share best practices on campus with students in the developing world. In contrast to one-way teaching, we have been learning as much from those students as they have from us, and witnessing this incredibly exciting and inspiring impact is what drives our team forward everyday.
3. How will your venture solve this problem?
IDEAS tackles environmental and sustainability challenges in developing countries. We do so by enabling students in those countries to design and implement hands-on projects through collaboration with students in the U.S. IDEAS has chapters in many developing countries/emerging economies including China, India, Korea, and Turkey, and students at those chapters closely collaborate with the IDEAS chapters in the U.S. The projects can range from hosting an energy conservation competition among departments at an Indian university to carbon-auditing local businesses in Seoul to helping reduce deforestation from illegal mining in the Amazon.
THINGS WE NEED
The IDEAS team hasn't posted any needs yet.
Information of interest to people who are or know Sustainable Entrepreneurs : The William James Foundation Socially Responsible Business Plan Competition offers in-kind and cash prizes worth more than $100,000 for sustainable entrepreneurs. Entrants can be of any age or from anywhere in the world. First round deadlines are Sept 10th and Dec. 4th. Details: www.williamjamesfoundation.org.