Willie Smits: Alleviating Poverty with a ‘Spoonful of Sugar’

A bit of a short spotlight today on one of the changemakers out there who is using social entrepreneurship to make a difference and a living.  Ashoka Fellow Willie Smits runs a palm sugar refinery in Indonesia that helps local farmers to process their palm juice into sugar and ethanol.  Yet, by making a few changes to his business practices, getting his customers involved in cooperatives, and using renewable energy sources, Smits provides a business model that also acts to preserve local forests, raise living standards, stabilize local communities, and even protect endangered orangutans.

Hear more about Smits’ philosophy in his 2009 TED talk, or read more on Ashoka’s website.

Skoll Foundation on the Impact of Social Entrepreneurs

The Skoll Foundation recently released an eight-minute video describing the spirit of social entrepreneurship.  Part history of the movement, part definition of the term, and part motivational speech, the video draws on a number of the pioneers in social enterprise, and is worth a viewing if you are new to the concept.

The Skoll Foundation was created by Jeff Skoll in 1999, and aims to promote and support social enterprise in the US and abroad.  The foundation also hosts a number of other videos about specific individuals using business models to drive social change.