Social Entrepreneurship, Environmentalism and Personal Commitment to Change

Here is another abstract for a paper that I hope will be presented at the SIU Conference in January.

Social Entrepreneurship, Environmentalism and Personal Commitment to Change

Abstract

The GREEN LIVING venture includes multimedia support for a popular campaign aimed at encouraging awareness of global climate change and affecting behaviour with the motto ‘Do a little thing, make a better world.’ This is an example of social entrepreneurship that arose from a regular entrepreneurial business and was created as the result of personal commitment to change exhibited by the founder (Ms. Warita Sinthuyont). In this paper, the founder of GREEN LIVING reflects on her personal philosophy, which contains elements of Buddhism, environmentalism and self-empowerment. This philosophy is compared with the philosophies more commonly attached to entrepreneurs and subsequent analysis highlights the need to integrate different approaches towards creating social and commercial organizations into the understanding of the nature of contemporary entrepreneurs.

Warita Sinthuyont and John Walsh

Female Social Entrepreneurship in Thailand: The Case of Sinthu Creation and Green Living

This is the third abstract for the ICIRD Conference panel on female entrepreneurship in the Mekong Region:

Female Social Entrepreneurship in Thailand: The Case of Sinthu Creation and Green Living

Abstract

This paper recounts the experiences of a female entrepreneur in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, as she progressed from an early idea of obtaining income from her venture which would be run on a functional basis to a more mature vision of a socially responsible entrepreneurial venture aimed at bringing about real change. The area of concern is global climate change and the concept of the social entrepreneurship venture is to ‘Do a Little Thing, Make a Better World.’ The venture is supported by company’s longstanding competencies in graphic design, web design and development in producing the Green Living free magazine and the promotional activities that form the core of the Green Living Society. The principal change agency for Green Living involves planting mangrove trees on the basis of the Thai dictum of ‘Restore the Forest and the Fish Will Return.’ Thousands of trees are being planted at the Sirindhorn International Environmental Project at Cha-am Amphur, south of Bangkok and people are encouraged to buy tickets to participate in the weekend long events. To provide revenue, the owner produces and sells premium design Earth Shirts and accepts donations from well-wishers. This strategy has evolved over time to reflect emergent opportunities resulting from technological development and also the owner’s philosophy. It provides a space wherein traditional Thai wisdom and local knowledge can interact with a domestic and international audience.

Warita Sinthuyont and John Walsh

Ms. Warita Sinthuyont is an entrepreneur and founder of Sinthu Creation and Green Living Magazine and Society

Dr. John Walsh is Assistant Professor at the School of Management, Shinawatra University, Thailand