Social Entrepreneur

Solar Bear is a Native American owned solar installation company.

Robert Blake of Solar Bear has a habit of mashing up two problems and coming up with a solution. His driving philosophy is “healing is in the environment.”

Solar Bear is a Native American owned solar installation company. They train people on the Red Lake Indian Reservation to install solar power. “If we can do this in Red Lake, we can bring this out to other tribal nations,” Robert explains...

Routific uses AI to cut mileage and drive time by 20%-40%.

Marc Kuo is the Founder & CEO of Routific. He is a routing expert with nearly a decade of experience in last-mile logistics. But he didn’t always work in logistics.

“Being a fresh grad out of school, I just wanted to get into either management consulting or investment banking, simply because of its prestige,” Marc told me. “I was ambitious. I wanted to aim for something challenging...

The Environmental Resilience Institute helps midwestern communities understand and prepare for environmental change. 

There’s something powerful about understanding how a global trend impacts your local community. For example, it’s one thing to hear about world hunger. It’s another to hear about hunger in your state. But there’s a different feeling when you realize that there’s a hungry kid in your neighborhood. As Tip O’Neill said, “All politics is local...

The problems are systemic and complex. So are the answers.

Globally, the United States accounts for 5% of the world’s population, but we produce 15% of the energy-related CO2 emissions. Coastal flooding, hurricanes, drought, and fires are all related to climate change. And who suffers the most from the impacts of climate change? Mostly the poor and vulnerable.

Bringing this closer to home, in the US, 5...

If you could invent a post-pandemic world, what world would you create?

I hear a lot of people talking about the desire to return to “normal.” However, normal was unsustainable. Before the pandemic, there was another crisis, an environmental crisis. A crisis in our food systems, our energy systems, our clean water systems, and our unequal economic systems. Coronavirus did not break our systems. It revealed how broken our systems already are...

In season two, we are telling stories of an inclusive and just transition to a clean energy future.

Happy Earth Day! Welcome to Season Two of Social Entrepreneur. You already know that we tell positive stories from underrepresented voices, focused on solutions. In season two, we are focusing on stories of an inclusive and just transition to a clean energy future...

Positive stories of resilient people who thrive in life, connect with others, and contribute to the world in the face of adversity.

Who do you know who is modeling resilience during difficult times?

Have you heard any good stories lately? In this critical time, we are surrounded by acts of heroism, both large and small.

I want to introduce you to the podcast, Thrive. Connect. Contribute...