The Development of Ecopreneurship Education in South African Universities Curriculum

Abstract:     
The recent United Nations conference on climate change did not bring substantial and binding resolutions and measures. However, participants, specially the civil society and Non for Profit Organisations, to this gathering all agreed on the imperative to educate their respective citizens on ways and means to protect the environment.

Tertiary institutions worldwide have a mandate to groom future generations of individuals by inculcating them good practices, among other things, on effective and efficient ways to protect the environment. The challenge is current Universities curriculums don’t have courses on Ecopreneurship or green entrepreneurship. Universities, if they want to join the international community in the protection of the environment, must incorporate courses that provide a platform to their students to be ready to embark on entrepreneurial initiatives that are environmentally friendly, ecopreneurship.

Ecopreneurship or green entrepreneurship is the move by entrepreneurs to a sustainable business framework that is environmentally friendly by looking not only to make profit, but driven by their concern to make a world a better place. The ecopreneur is driven by the desire to protect the environment while achieving his entrepreneurial vision.

The current contribution explores how this move, the one of developing a curriculum that includes courses on green entrepreneurship could be achieved in the development of new minds driven not only by profit, by also by the desire to make our environment a better place to live.

working papers series