Sands of time
Published: 30 June 2015 Helen Marquard
Today, the 30th June, is a significant date: it is exactly 8 years since I left the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to join the SEED Initiative, and it now marks a transition from my role as Executive Director of SEED, to Chairman. Read more
SDGs:
Increasing the impact of social enterprises in developing and emerging economies
Published: 25 June 2015 Aline Margaux Wachner, Lisa M. Hanley, Tim Weiss
A recent large-scale survey published by Zeppelin University and Siemens Stiftung generally support the idea that social enterprises can have a positive impact on poverty reduction. However, it also reveals some caveats, which have led us to derive concrete recommendations for action. Read more
SDGs:
What role for eco-entrepreneurship in the Post-2015 agenda?
Published: 19 June 2015 Anais Mangin, Helen Marquard
The Millennium Development Goals have shaped development cooperation in the last 15 years, and there has been progress towards eliminating poverty worldwide. Nevertheless, much remains to be done. Read more
SDGs:
SEED participates in the high-level consultation ‘Review and Monitoring of the Post-2015 Agenda’
Published: 09 June 2015
The event aimed to provide a platform for national and international experts to exchange lessons learned from existing processes and their various perspectives on possible elements of a mutual state-led review process against the background of recent and forthcoming rounds of intergovernmental negotiations on the Post-2015 Agenda. Read more
SDGs:
What is your pledge for the World Environment Day?
Published: 05 June 2015
Today, Friday 5 June, is the World Environment Day (WED); the United Nations flagship day to encourage worldwide awareness and action for the environment. Read more
SDGs:
From telegraph to internet – How can entrepreneurship help bridge the digital divide?
Published: 17 May 2015 Jona Liebl
In the middle of the 19th century, the invention of the telegraph was transforming societies: instead of sending letters by horses or ships which could take weeks or even months, messages could now be delivered within minutes. Read more
SDGs:
Greening South Africa’s economy: improved business development support for social and environmental enterprises
Published: 06 May 2015 Julia Rohe-Frydrych, Rest Kanju
According to World Bank, South Africa ranks as an upper-middle income economy, representing the second-largest economy in Africa. While disposing of an abundant supply of natural resources and a modern infrastructure, unemployment, poverty, and inequality remain a challenge. Read more
SDGs:
Ten years of SEED Awards (2005-2015): A rich experience in promoting entrepreneurship for sustainable development
Published: 20 April 2015 Anais Mangin, Helen Marquard
SDGs:
How the business of bees contributes to sustainable development
Published: 10 April 2015 Amélie Heuër, Carolin Ehrensperger
Bees play a vital part in our natural ecosystems as they are responsible for the pollination of many fruit, nuts, vegetables and other species. Read more
SDGs:
Imagine an Earth Hour with Clean Energy for All
Published: 28 March 2015 Amélie Heuër, Carolin Ehrensperger
Today, on March 28th, thousands of cities around the world will turn off their lights during Earth Hour to draw attention to the urgent need to act on climate change. Even though the devastating impacts of climate change are becoming ever more visible, global carbon emissions – one of the main contributor to climate change – continue to rise at an alarming rate. Read more
SDGs:
Preparing women entrepreneurs for tomorrow’s reality
Published: 08 March 2015 Anna Fälth
In October 2014, UN Women Executive Director proposed 2030 to be the expiry date for gender inequality (UN Women). How can we make this bold goal a reality? Where do we start? Let’s start by envisioning the world in 2030. Read more
SDGs:
Protecting wildlife by turning elephant dung into paper: A business case?
Published: 03 March 2015 Carolin Ehrensperger, Jona Liebl
It has long been acknowledged that the equilibrium between humans and wildlife is one that can hang in the delicate balance at the best of times, a devastating one-sided scaling at worst. Read more
SDGs:
SEED participates in AMCEN pre-session event: “Inclusive Green Economies for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development in Africa: From Inspiration to Action”
Published: 12 February 2015
SEED will participate in a Regional Workshop "Inclusive Green Economies for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development in Africa: From Inspiration to Action" which will be help in Cairo on 28 February and 1 March. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Awards 2015 - Apply by 31 March 2015!
Published: 06 February 2015
In 2015 SEED will make available up to 31 SEED Awards, for which SEED has received support from the European Union, the Government of Flanders, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the international law firm Hogan Lovells. Additional support is provided by the Government of the Netherlands and other SEED Partners. Read more
Why the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs supported SEED since its inception in 2002
Published: 29 January 2015 Amélie Heuër, Christopher Whaley
The UK has been a strong supporter of SEED since it was established in 2002. It has been a real pleasure to see SEED grow from a small biennial awards scheme, with a modest research programme, to a much broader global initiative promoting social and environmental entrepreneurship. Read more
SDGs:
How to improve support to social and environmental enterprises in Mozambique?
Published: 16 January 2015 Rainer Agster
Since the end of the civil war in 1992 Mozambique has experienced impressive growth rates of 6-8 per cent; embodying the new optimism regarding Africa’s economic outlook. Read more
SDGs:
Small meets big: How partnering with large corporations can scale impact of sustainable entrepreneurs
Published: 23 December 2014 Anais Mangin, Helen Marquard
Are locally-driven social and environmental enterprises too small to have an impact? We at SEED don’t think so, and Organic Africa demonstrates that. In 2007, when everyone was leaving Zimbabwe due to political and economic turmoil, Dominikus Collenberg started to train smallholders in the organic production of herbs, spices and oils. Read more
SDGs:
2014 - A truly exceptional year for SEED
Published: 18 December 2014
SEED’s achievements in 2014 are captured in the 2014 SEED Annual Report. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Annual Report 2014
Published: 17 December 2014 Amélie Heuër, Anais Mangin, Helen Marquard, Jona Liebl, Mirko Zürker, Rainer Agster
2014 was truly exceptional; a year where SEED recognised over forty new SEED Winners - remarkable enterprises that generate grassroots eco-solutions at the grassroots. This and more great SEED achievements in our annual report. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Africa Symposium 2014: Making Growth Sustainable. Co-creating Solutions
Published: 03 December 2014
On September 10th and 11th, the SEED Africa Symposium 2014 convened at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. 320 representatives from business, government, academia, support institutions and civil society from 30 different countries attended. 'Making Growth Sustainable: Co-creating Solutions through Social and Green Entrepreneurship' was the theme of the event. Participants were invited to Explore, Enable and Engage with each other to find ways of building effective ecosystems for green and social enterprises in Africa. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Africa Symposium 2014
Published: 25 November 2014
On September 10th and 11th, the SEED Africa Symposium 2014 convened at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. Read more
SDGs:
GroFin’s investment for the future: Kenyan women entrepreneurs are good ‘jockeys’
Published: 08 November 2014 Rishi Khubchandani
SDGs:
SEED South Africa Symposium 2014: Advancing the Green Economy
Published: 07 November 2014
At the SEED South Africa Symposium, held over 19 and 20 March 2014, over 150 participants from government, private sector, media, academia, development, and civil society organisations, and including around 40 entrepreneurs, gathered at the CSIR in Pretoria to exchange experience, knowledge and perspectives that could advance the growth of socio-environmental entrepreneurship in South Africa. Read more
SDGs:
Social and Green Enterprises – How to Create Enabling Frameworks to Increase their Contribution to Sustainable Development?
Published: 04 November 2014 Amélie Heuër
Over the last four years, SEED has hosted a series of unique multi-stakeholder for a focussed on the Green Economy and Africa - the SEED Symposia - where each year innovative and promising start-up enterprises, that won a SEED Award for their remarkable efforts to address social and environmental challenges at the grassroots, are presented. Read more
SDGs:
Promoting entrepreneurship for sustainable development: why, and how?
Published: 23 October 2014 Helen Marquard
When UNEP, UNDP and IUCN decided to register the SEED Initiative as a Type II partnership at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, they clearly thought they were on to something – but possibly not quite what SEED is now. Read more
SDGs:
