August 9, 2011 – 11:48 am
[tweetmeme source=”seprogram” only_single=false http://www.columbiasocialenterprise.wordpress.com%5D
By Adam Shepherd ’12
One of Manna's water treatment facilities. Image via UNDP.
Despite global and national uncertainties facing carbon markets, market-based mechanisms are still being used to address climate change and other human development goals. One example of this is Manna Energy Limited, an innovative firm based in Rwanda and in the United States. With the support of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Manna has developed a project that draws on carbon credits to fund the provision of clean water in Rwanda.
By incorporating solar-powered technology at water treatment facilities in communities, schools, and hospitals, this is the world’s first water treatment project to be registered through the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). CDM registration enables Manna to fund the project through the sale of carbon offsets to the Swedish Energy Agency. In doing so, Manna has designed a climate- and health-focused project that is not just economically sustainable, but also profitable.
How does a clean water project in Africa catalyze carbon credits? By using solar technology to purify drinking water, the project avoids the burning of firewood (which would have been used to boil the water). As a result, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, and because these reductions are voluntary and closely monitored, they are eligible to be recognized under the CDM scheme as carbon credits.
What other approaches to combating climate change can generate financial returns? How effective are these approaches at addressing the challenge of global climate change? Yannick Glemarec, director of environmental finance at the UNDP, will speak about such ideas at this year’s Social Enterprise Conference.
October 7, 2010 – 11:55 pm
[tweetmeme source=”seprogram” only_single=false http://www.columbiasocialenterprise.wordpress.com%5D
-
See video of the microfinance discussion at the Clinton Global Initiative. Participants include: Vikram Akula of SKS Microfinance Ltd; Adam Davidson of NPR’s Planet Money; Mary Ellen Iskenderian, of Women’s World Banking; and Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank.
-
Products that claim to be environmentally friendly might have to face higher standards.
-
Social entrepreneurship is proving to be a powerful force for bridging cultural divides.
-
Microfinance is maturing, with record numbers of borrowers, loan amounts, new international partnerships, and a focus on transparent reporting.
-
Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of Grameen Bank, makes a special appearance on The Simpsons, as Lisa becomes interested in microfinance.
September 27, 2010 – 12:19 pm
[tweetmeme source=”seprogram” only_single=false http://www.columbiasocialenterprise.wordpress.com%5D
Though retrofitting buildings with environmentally friendly technology is certainly not a new idea, data on the effects of these retrofits is remarkably scarce. Retrofitting projects are undertaken with the intention of saving both money and energy, but few measures are available on the results of these efforts.
Because of this lack of data, retrofitting has not caught on as some would expect; some financial backers have been reluctant to support retrofitting initiatives since the economic benefits remain largely unproven. Though retrofits unquestionably take place—the Empire State Building has recently announced a $20 million green retrofit—the practice still exists largely outside the mainstream.
In an interview with The New York Times, Gary Hattem, the president of Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Deutsche Bank, described:
“The largest obstacle to making these [retrofitting] practices go mainstream is data that will convince building owners to retrofit their properties and at the same time increase underwriters’ willingness to finance the projects.”
In order to address this lack of data, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation has partnered with Living Cities, a philanthropic collaborative of 22 foundations and financial institutions, in order to develop a national database on the effects of retrofits.
Continue reading →
[tweetmeme source=”seprogram” only_single=false http://www.columbiasocialenterprise.wordpress.com%5D
Next Billion recently interviewed Katherine Lucey, the founder of Solar Sister, to discuss her motivations for leaving the investment banking industry and entering social enterprise. Lucey explains:
“I used to work as an investment banker, raising billions of dollars to build power plants—I realized that large-scale power could not reach the poor, since the investment and infrastructure costs would be too great. I wanted a simpler solution to the energy problem.
95% of people have no access to electricity in rural Uganda. Currently, the women in these villages spend about 30-40% of their income on kerosene for their lamps-it is a priority purchase in the household. These lamps emit smoke, cause burns, are fire hazards, and need to be refilled constantly.
Solar electrical installations transform the life of a village. They are safe and efficient. Children can study at night and villagers can gather together. It frees up the portion of a household’s income that would have been used on kerosene to use on other things, like nutrition and studies.”
Continue reading →
columbiasocialenterprise.wordpress.com 