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A glimpse at social entrepreneurial initiatives in Costa Rica

Photos from Monteverde Coffee, a coffee plantation co-op in Monteverde, and Rancho Margot , a self-sustaining ranch and farm outside La Fortuna.

Having recently announced plans to be the first carbon neutral country by 2021, it's no surprise that this small country boasts a significant number of sustainable initiatives with social entrepreneurs leading the way.

Stay tuned for the August issue of SEE Change, where we will delve deeper into these inspirational stories, exploring the impact of social entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide.


Photographs by Elisa Birnbaum

Aboriginal Social Enterprise in Action

Aboriginal artists are creating new opportunities for themselves through a gallery opening in Vancouver in 2011. The Urban Aboriginal Art Gallery will enable artists to display and sell their works in a fair trade environment, while also providing a much-needed production space for those who may not have their own studio.

The artists in this photo essay are part of the Looking Forward Looking Back initiative that helped make this gallery a reality. Though they come from different backgrounds and have different artistic styles, they all credit their art as a means of survival - both physical and spiritual.


Photographs by Nadine Morris

In Conversation with Laura Reinsborough
Podcasts
by Elisa Birnbaum
on December 29, 2011

Not far from the treeNot Far From the Tree (NFFT), an organization founded in 2008, has the unique mission of ensuring Toronto’s fruit doesn’t go to waste. Here’s how it works: if homeowners feel overrun by an abundant fruit harvest, they call NFFT who quickly mobilize their volunteers to get picking. The harvest is split three-ways, one-third to the tree owner, one-third to the volunteers, and the last portion donated to food banks, shelters and community kitchens.

 

 
SEE Change discusses social enterprise on talk radio
Podcasts
by administrator
on August 23, 2011

SEE Change co-founder Elisa Birnbaum discusses the evolution of social enterprise with Peter ter Weeme on his radio program, Green with Envy.


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Original airdate: August 4, 2011

 

Listen to the full interview here:

http://www.worldtalkradio.com/worldtalkradio/vepisode.aspx?aid=55438

 
In Conversation with Nicole Rycroft
Podcasts
by Elisa Birnbaum
on March 08, 2011

Nicole RycroftListen to a clip of Elisa's interview with Nicole, from February 2011.

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Next time you pick up the Globe & Mail, reread the Harry Potter series or absorb the latest Canadian Geographic, rest assured the environment was protected in the process. You can thank Nicole Rycroft and Canopy for that. For more than 11 years, Canopy - with Rycroft as its innovative ringleader - has been protecting the world's forests by galvanizing publishers, printers and paper producers and strategically persuading some 700 of them to adopt green practices.

 
In Conversation with Geoff Cape
Videos
by Elisa Birnbaum
on December 07, 2010

Geoff CapeSEE Change Magazine's video series, dedicated to social entrepreneurs in Canada and beyond. This inaugural installment features one of Canada's most celebrated social entrepreneurs, Geoff Cape, co-founder and executive director of Evergreen. Launched in 1991, the Toronto-based organization is dedicated to deepening the connection between people and nature, making cities more liveable in the process.

 
In Conversation with Juan Sostheim
Podcasts
by Elisa Birnbaum
on September 12, 2010

Elisa Birnbaum Listen to a clip of Elisa's interview with Juan at his ranch, from April 2010.

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My driver, Javel, arrives at 9am sharp. I descend into his jeep, nod hello to my fellow passengers and spend the rest of the bumpy ride speaking Spanglish en route from La Fortuna to our ultimate destination: Rancho Margot, a self-sustaining ranch and farm, seemingly located in the middle of nowhere.