UISS 114 - Talking Trash: Pollution and Social Entrepreneurship

3 credit(s)
The litter that accumulates in global waterways is a problem impacting wildlife, human health, water quality, and the economy. While not a new problem, our reliance on single use plastics means that millions of tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. In addition to its impacts on ecosystems, this debris negatively impacts industries including tourism and recreation, shipping and yachting, fisheries, aquaculture, and agriculture. In this interdisciplinary course, we evaluate the challenge of plastic pollution from both environmental and entrepreneurial standpoints. We will explore the problem from scientific and policy perspectives, then challenge students to use social entrepreneurship in envisioning solutions to the problem, including innovations to re-use, recycle, or avoid plastics. The course reviews theories and models of social entrepreneurship, the challenges faced by such enterprises, and the process through which they are created and implemented. Real-life social entrepreneurship approaches to the plastic problem are examined through case studies. In an immersive project, students will cover the practical aspects of creating business plans, assessing costs and financing sources, creating financial sustainability forecasts, and establishing the impact of social entrepreneurships.

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