Career Matters: Fresh Markets for Environmental Entrepreneurship
Last spring I stopped by Career Services after I gave a talk to a class at the Nicholas School. Assistant Dean Karen Kirchof asked if I’d be interested in a two-week intensive workshop for mid-career professionals that taught the use of markets in conservation? That was my first introduction to PERC (Property and Environment Research Center) in Bozeman, Mont.
The idea that an environmental professional could make a profit while enhancing the protection of natural resources was novel to me, until I recently participated in PERC’s Enviropreneur Institute. PERC has been training environmental entrepreneurs for almost a decade now and the real-world lessons learned by these alumni are the centerpiece of the annual two-week, paid, Enviropreneur Institute each summer.
Environmental entrepreneurs from past years have shaped the curriculum and do much of the teaching. Their real-world experience and passion for innovation is contagious. The program combines in-depth sessions on topics such as venture capital and fundraising, collaboration, business plan development and economic analysis.
During the training, each fellow develops their entrepreneurial project idea that is further refined through mentoring sessions with the alumni entrepreneurs, PERC staff and invited experts. The fellows come from all sectors, including government, nonprofit, and private. This results in a diverse array of project ideas, from government-run conservation incentive programs to private sector start-up businesses.
The Enviropreneur Institute offers an opportunity to take a fresh look at solving natural resource challenges and to collaborate with other environmental professionals on devising innovative solutions. The Institute awakened my entrepreneurial ideas and I think it can do the same for you.
In these economic times it is less likely that mid-career professionals are thinking of changing jobs, but now is a very good time to add new skills or experiences to their employment brand, says Kirchof. Mid-career professionals should consider participating in PERC or seek other programs such as NEPA training (offered by the Nicholas School’s Duke Environmental Leadership Program), or the Kinship Conservation Environmental Leadership Program.
Interested in learning more about PERC? E-mail Lucy Henry at lucy.robertshenry@gmail.com or go to www.perc.org. To learn about other programs, contact Kirchof at kgki@duke.edu or 919-613-8016.
