Teaching Change takes a philosophical turn in this week’s episode when Jerrid and Courtney ponder their purpose in life. As educators, they find that this is an area where students have difficulty articulating a clear-cut answer—and so do Jerrid and Courtney! Finding one’s purpose remains an important part of the decisions and careers their students will undertake.

This is also the case in the world of social entrepreneurship where the purpose is a major talking point. Of the two essential components of social entrepreneurship, wealth, and value, value has long been the more complicated one to decipher. In the process of creating social value, social entrepreneurs are changing people’s lives for the better. This type of value creation is often closely tied to their missions in life. Therefore, when social entrepreneurs are presenting their ideas and talking about their organizations, the conversations are often framed by purpose.

"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction" - John F. Kennedy

Jerrid’s ultimate purpose is to leave the world better than he found it. However, for him, the tangibles of this purpose continue to evolve and can take on many shapes and forms. Jerrid recounts how he started to put his purpose into action in the music field where he helped up and coming bands put on concerts. The gratification he experienced from this morphed into his desire to help people on a broader scale.

Courtney’s purpose stems from her determination to savor life and to enjoy every moment. Lifelong learning is an important part of this. She wants to improve and broaden her horizons each day because life is way too short. In doing so, she motivates others to do the same.

"Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one" - Malcolm Forbes

Is following one’s purpose selfish or selfless? Or is it a little bit of both? One of Courtney’s pieces of advice for students is to be selfish in their studies. If they find a way to make each assignment about themselves, they will be more motivated and interested in completing their work. The same could be said of social entrepreneurs. If their own life’s purpose drives their work and business practices, they are likely to be more invested in the success and prosperity of their organizations.  

 

**Credit: The theme music for Teaching Change is provided by bensound.com.**

 

 

In this episode, Jerrid and Courtney discuss Benefit Corporations, also known as B Corps. To obtain a B Corp certification, organizations must adhere to a set of guiding principles that involve the betterment of people and the planet. This process may also include site visits.  Another component of becoming a B Corp deals with legal status. As is the case with other business classifications, registering as a B Corp may impact taxation rates.

Although a worthy certification, many people outside of the social justice and social entrepreneurial fields may not know about B Corps. However, as consumers, having this awareness could help people make more informed decisions about which businesses to the patron. Take a coffee shop for instance. Customers may decide to choose Coffee Shop A over Coffee Shop B if they discovered that Coffee Shop A paid its employees a livable wage and operated sustainably.   

B Corps are still in the business of making money—they would not be able to survive otherwise. They just earn profits in a way that gives more than they take. In doing so, this philosophy encourages organizations to have larger conversations within their internal ecosystems and with shareholders. All the same, not every social enterprise has gone the B Corp route. Reasons include not seeing the value, not being able to afford it, or simply not qualifying.

In the Central Florida area, examples of B Corps include Clean the World, Downtown Credo, and Ten Thousand Villages. Some B Corps may identify themselves to consumers with a sign on the door or next to the cash register. Information of this type is becoming increasingly important to consumers as they use their money to support various causes.

Teaching Change Shout-outs

For more information on topics discussed during the show, see the list below.

What are B Corps?

Clean the World

Downtown Credo

Ten Thousand Villages

**Credit: The theme music for Teaching Change is provided by bensound.com.**

 

 

Join Jerrid and Courtney for a walk down memory lane as they discuss their personal moments of obligation. In social entrepreneurship, the moment of obligation is when social entrepreneurs realize they have to make a change in their own lives or others for the greater good. However, as is evident in the episode, such realizations occur in many different fields and circumstances.

For Jerrid, his moment of obligation came in the form of one of his students. Several years ago, he chaperoned a class of college students on a service learning trip to Immokalee, FL. Immokalee is a rural, farm community that primarily grows tomatoes. Many of its citizens are immigrants and are among the working poor. Jerrid and his students were there to volunteer at a homeless shelter.

Late in the day, Jerrid discovered that the parents of one of the students had been frantically trying to reach her. She had not returned their calls because she felt her parents would not approve of the trip. They were not the type of family that worked for free. In spite of her family’s values, this student went on to become a valuable leader in the service program—all without the knowledge of her parents.

This encounter left a profound impact on Jerrid—even if he did not know it at the time. This is the case with many moments of obligation. Seeds are planted along the way until the feeling or thought of change is crystallized. Therefore, many moments of obligation are years in the making. As Jerrid continued his work, it troubled him that the student thought her wishes to better society and her parents’ philosophy of work were so at odds. Through his work with social entrepreneurship, Jerrid realized that common ground was attainable. He has discovered a multitude of ways that people can have a profitable, beneficial life and still better society.

Courtney’s moment of obligation stemmed largely from her upbringing and a short stint as a middle school language arts teacher. While she lived comfortably as a teenager, there were some amenities her family could not afford. There were no computers and, by default, no Internet in her household. This lack of access to a powerful resource served as a building block for Courtney’s moment of obligation. Reflecting on her own background, she realized that everyone does not begin at the same starting line. Through her work at the library and as a champion of lifelong learning, she is able to direct people to resources that may give them a head start.

As was the case with Jerrid, one of Courtney’s students also left an indelible mark on her life’s work. As a middle school teacher, Courtney enjoyed taking the journey with her students as they met their academic goals. One memorable student was the class clown who was frequently absent and did poorly on assignments. Courtney and the student would talk after class about his goals and what he wanted from life. Sadly, the student eventually failed her class and had to repeat the grade. The following year, the student came back for a visit and thanked her. He told her he had been listening to their conversations and he was determined to make something of his life. Courtney often looks back at this moment as motivation to listen to people’s stories and to understand everyone has their own unique paths.

**Credit: The theme music for Teaching Change is provided by bensound.com.**

 

 

Mums the word this week on Teaching Change as the hosts interview Professor of English, disability rights advocate, and secret-keeper extraordinaire Crystal Smith.  For Crystal, Valencia College was supposed to be a temporary detour along her journey through life. However, Valencia quickly became a destination when Crystal connected with her students, her peers, and the campus culture.

Crystal plays a unique role in the college’s social entrepreneurship program. She, along with Teaching Change host Jerrid Kalakay, are participants in Valencia’s First 30 course offerings where faculty team teach a group of students using a common theme. Last year’s theme was social entrepreneurship. Crystal felt this was the perfect marriage of the social justice ideas explored in her composition class with the economics and sustainability inherent to social entrepreneurship.

Crystal is also an active member of Valencia’s Peace and Justice Institute. She has taught workshops for Peace and Justice week. One of these workshops focused on the power of love letters to transform and heal. Participants wrote letters of encouragement to strangers and penned the missives on a designated tree. This past year’s theme was letters to the world where students expressed thoughts on news events such as the Syrian refugees and the Pulse tragedy.   

For Crystal, teaching is a deeply personal experience for both her and her students. “The curriculum comes in the room when the students do,” says Crystal. The first essay prompt she gives her students is “tell a story only you can tell.” The intimate nature of the responding narratives often moves Crystal to tears as she reads stories of abuse, hunger, and trauma. These papers are deeply private and Crystal holds them in confidence as the ultimate secret keeper. This assignment builds a relationship with her students and paves the way for community building in the classroom.

Crystal identifies herself as both learning disabled and physically impaired, both of which she readily shares with her students. For Crystal, the disclosure is empowering and models self-acceptance to those who may face challenges in their own lives. The first time Crystal articulated living with a disability was through a college essay when she applied to Stetson University. This proved to be a major stepping stone to the advocacy she practices today. Crystal encourages everyone to embrace their personal power and to claim their personal identity as she did all those years ago.

 

Crystal Smith’s Biography

Crystal Smith is a professor of English with a bachelors and a masters degrees in English as well as an additional bachelors degree in American Studies focused on American sub-cultures.  In 2005, her work in American Studies and disability awareness campus activism at Stetson University led to her winning multiple awards, including the Dian Christensen Award for Community Activism. Her dissertation in language and literature and continued scholastic interest was on the role of disability, embodiment, and femininity in the literature of Flannery O'Connor. As a professor, Crystal's interests include social entrepreneurship, and she was on Valencia College's first team of faculty that developed social entrepreneurship into a meta-major pathway. With regard to disability activism at Valencia College, in 2016, Crystal served on Valencia College's Accessibility Advisory Group, which is a sub-committee of Valencia College's Faculty Association.

 

Teaching Change Shout-outs

For more information on topics discussed during the show, see the list below.

First 30

The World Needs More Love Letters

 

Part two of Chris Castro’s interview tackles the bottom line of social entrepreneurship. Chris has mastered two of the big Ps, people, and planet, but what about the third one: profit? Chris delves into the business side of his enterprises to explain how doing good and doing well coincide with generating revenue. First up is Fleeting Farming, Chris’ nonprofit organization that transforms neighborhood lawns into produce-yielding farms. Revenue mechanisms attached to its services include: charging for garden installation, selling produce at farmer’s markets, and hosting corporate team building experiences. As Fleet Farming expands into other cities, the streams of revenue will continue to expand.  Another example Chris discusses is his for-profit clean energy consulting firm, Citizen Energy, which is based in Washington D.C. Founded in 2012, Citizen Energy improves the energy and water efficiency of buildings through the use of technology. This is done by training students to assess and benchmark the status of the buildings. Then Citizen Energy helps finance improvements in efficiency by providing upgrades such as LED lighting and building controls. This is done with no upfront costs to the building owner. Over time, Citizen Energy recoup its investment by sharing in the building’s energy savings now that expenses have been reduced. The conversation then turns to Chris’ day job with the City of Orlando. In his current position as Director of Sustainability, Chris helps the city develop policy and programs. He is proud of the work he has done to ensure the energy efficiency of Orlando’s government buildings and, as result, save the city money. Chris helped implement the Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (PACE) that provides home and business owners with financing that can be used to improve water and energy efficiency for their properties. Instead of repaying the city through a traditional loan payment, the home and business owners pay off the financing through an added fee on their property taxes. Another signature initiative for Chris has been Orlando’s Benchmarking and Transparency policy. This policy requires Orlando’s largest buildings to benchmark energy use and to report this data to the City. Orlando is one of just twenty-four cities in the country that has passed this policy. Ultimately, the adage of all work and no play does not apply to Chris. For him, it’s all play. His family and friends often join Chris in his endeavors. Sustainability is his passion and he has fun championing it. 

 

Teaching Change Shout-outs 

For more information on topics discussed during the show, see the list below. 

Citizen Energy 

Fleet Farming 

Green Works Orlando

 

The surf’s up for this episode of Teaching Change! In this two-parter, the hosts talk chasing waves and sustainability with Chris Castro, the Director of Sustainability for the City of Orlando. Chris’ love of nature started at an early age in Miami, FL where he worked on his stepfather’s palm tree farm. His extracurricular activities included snorkeling, scuba diving, and surfing--which was a major reason why he chose to attend the University of Central Florida (UCF) as an undergraduate. Orlando’s location gave Chris easy access to Florida’s exciting beaches and waterways.

Chris may have come for the surfing but he quickly found himself at home among Orlando’s emerging innovation and technology scene. Within these budding platforms, Chris saw the potential for initiatives involving sustainability. Chris’ path to his current advocacy and life’s work is a testament to the power of higher education and the personal development it affords. When asked about his interest in sustainability, Chris recalls the course in Environmental Sociology he took as a student at UCF. He credits this class with opening his eyes on how humans impact the world and each other with actions such as energy consumption and waste. These revelations sparked his interest in sustainability activism and in solutions to issues that plague the environment. That’s when Chris went mobile.

He rallied his peers together and formed IDEAS for Us, which began in 2008 as a UCF interdisciplinary organization of students working on policy and solutions to make college campuses more sustainable. Now IDEAS for Us has chapters all over the world, including one at Valencia College. The focus of IDEAS for Us revolves around energy, water, food, waste, and ecology. Two initiatives spearheaded by IDEAS for Us include Kill-A-Watt and Green Your Game. For Kill-A-Watt, students living in dorms compete to conserve energy and save money to win scholarships. Green Your Game promotes recycling, reducing, and reusing efforts at UCF’s tailgating events.

The conversation then turns to Chris’ work as an urban farmer and the importance of creating a sustainable agricultural system. Chris shares that food currently travels an average of 1500-1800 miles before it reaches a person’s plate. To address this issue, Chris co-created the Fleet Farming program that converts lawns and underused land into farms. Fleet Farming is made possible through Swarm Rides which consist of volunteers on bikes collecting the city-grown produce. The produce is then sold at farmers markets and to local vendors.

Chris wears many hats in addition to his day job. This episode just scratches the surface. Be sure to check back next week to hear the conclusion of Chris Castro’s interview.

Chris Castro’s Biography

(Per LinkedIn)

An award-winning sustainability professional, eco-entrepreneur, urban farmer, and community organizer working to accelerate the transition to a smart, resilient, and sustainable future.

Chris is currently the Director of Sustainability, Senior Advisor to Mayor Dyer, and Co-chair of Smart Cities for the City of Orlando, developing partnerships, policies, and programs to support the sustainability, clean energy, & climate-related goals of Mayor Buddy Dyer's Green Works Orlando initiative.

In 2008, Chris co-founded IDEAS For Us, a global 501c3 non-profit & UN-accredited NGO, working to incubate global environmental solutions and fund local action that advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In 2013, he helped co-create Fleet Farming, a renowned urban farming program that is refining local food by building distributed organic agricultural systems through neighborhoods and communities.

For this episode, Jerrid and Courtney venture out of the studio to chat with Diana Palmar, the Queen of Clean. Diana is the owner of City Maid Green located in Orlando’s College Park neighborhood. City Maid Green doubles as a cleaning service and retailer of plant-based cleaning supplies.

Diana’s entrepreneurial journey started when she and her friend were looking to earn a little extra money. They settled on a maid service but were concerned about prolonged exposure to commercial cleaning products. So in a move that would make her former science teachers proud, Diana went to work experimenting with various natural ingredients that would be safer alternatives. Several YouTube videos and a share of Breaking Bad moments later, Diana found the right combination of plant ingredients that satisfied her needs.

What started out as a summer venture has grown into a successful business that now has been an Orlando staple for 8 years. As City Maid Green’s customer base expanded, Diana hired additional staff to meet the demand. It was important to Diana to give her staff a living wage. Diana wanted her company to be a place where people enjoyed working and at the end of the day felt they had made a decent living for their hard work. Being a business owner has not been without its challenges. Whenever obstacles have gotten in her way, Diana uses her customers as motivation. Their interest in her green cleaning products and their positive feedback serve as encouragement to continue forward. Diana says that the possibility of failure has never crossed her mind. Those with entrepreneurship spirits live with a higher level of risk. Even so, she advises anyone with a heart to start a company to go for it.

Diana Palmar’s Biography

I studied visual communications and public relations at Berry College in Rome GA and moved to Orlando as a fresh graduate for my first graphic designer job at a non-profit. I've always believed in nurturing and using my talents and gifts to better society and this beautiful planet we live on. One summer, a friend and I teamed up to earn a little extra income by cleaning houses together. Having helped numerous companies with their branding as a brand designer, I launched my own cleaning company, City Maid Green. I wanted to create a company who's existence was more than just the bottom line but one that worked with and for the flourishing of society and our earth. After researching numerous "green" cleaning products on the market, I ventured to develop my own that would exclude all synthetic ingredients and truly be GREEN. Over the last 8 years, City Maid Green has cleaned over 1,000 Orlando homes, sold thousands of cleaning products and hired dozens of Orlando women at a living wage. The ethos of our company is sustainability- for our workers, our earth, and our homes.

Teaching Change Shout-outs

For more information on topics discussed during the show, see the list below.

 City Maid Green

 

Rachel Allen, college professor, and peace connoisseur drops by the studio to discuss the origins of Valencia’s Peace and Justice Institute (PJI). Once a tiny seed of an idea, the institute has grown into a powerful vehicle for addressing social issues not only at the college but in the community as well.

PJI’s work is rooted in the Principles of How We Treat Each Other, a list of guiding practices that foster respect and community building. In times of conflict or frustration, the principles can be used as tools of reconciliation. Rachel's work with the principles evolved from retreats she attended where Parker Palmer's touchstones were used to encourage conciliatory acts such as turning to wonder and speaking your truth. Rachel knew that the inner work conducted at the retreat would have to be fundamental to the mission of PJI. Through the years, Rachel has discovered that the beauty of the principles is that it values all the ways we are different.

The principles are now firmly woven into Valencia’s culture. Faculty and staff are exposed to them as new hires. Departments request presentations to strengthen communication. Students learn about them through events, workshops and the New Student Experience course. Posters of the principles are even posted in many of the classrooms.

The good will of PJI and the principles have expanded beyond Valencia and into the community. The institute has facilitated trainings to city employees including police officers and firefighters because Orlando’s government leaders recognize the importance of treating each other with respect. This has given birth to a community that more and more speaks with a common language on matters of peace. This was very much on display during the aftermath of the Pulse tragedy when Orlando united against hate and violence.

Rachel recently fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams to meet President Jimmy Carter. She visited the Carter Center and heard from people that lead the work of peace and health throughout the world. Rachel’s admiration for President Carter and his teachings stem from his expression of love for everyone and his lessons of hospitality. The Declaration of Human Rights, drafted in 1948, was also a topic of discussion during her visit. President Carter believes this document is more important than ever—and so does Rachel. The Declaration of Human Rights will be the focus of PJI’s Peace Week which will take place either in late January or early July.

 

Rachel Allen’s Biography

Rachel Allen is a life-long educator and practitioner who supports others to practice and educate for peace and justice in their work and personal lives. She brings thirty- three years of experience as a leader and educator at diverse institutions including Eagle’s Nest Foundation, Outward Bound, the University of Oregon and Valencia College. At Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, Rachel is a tenured Professor of Humanities and founding member and director of the Peace and Justice Institute.

Rachel holds an M. A. in theater from the University of Oregon and a B. S. in interdisciplinary studies from Northwestern University. In addition to her decades of teaching and facilitation experience, she has experience providing strategic planning and vision, program and curriculum design, fundraising and community building practices. Rachel has studied with leading peace builders from Berkeley, Notre Dame, and Eastern Mennonite Universities is a certified Safe Zone advocate for the LGBTQ community and a National SEED Project Facilitator. Her community service includes work with the Coalition for the Homeless, Shepherd’s Hope, and Pine Hills Community Performing Arts Center. She serves on the board of ArtReach Orlando and is a member of the League of Women Voters.

 

In this episode, Jerrid and Courtney ponder the cost of social value, one of the core tenets of social entrepreneurship—the other being wealth creation. As a springboard for the conversation, Jerrid refers to Certo and Miller’s “Social Entrepreneurship: Key issues and concepts” which defines social value as having little to do with profit. Instead, social value is the fulfillment of long-standing needs such as food, water, and medical attention.

The hosts acknowledge how often they take comforts such as the Internet and electricity for granted because they are so readily accessible. Jerrid recalls a time when this was not the case. During the infamous 2004 hurricane season, Orlando was hit with three consecutive hurricanes. In addition to dealing with damaged homes, many people had to cope without water and electricity for days. This experience gave Jerrid a small taste of the hardships people face daily around the globe and further motivated him to help people facing social inequality.

For Courtney, the library is a perfect extension of social value. The magnitude of its resources and outreach strive to place everyone on an even playing field. In fact, in the aftermath of the Orlando hurricanes, libraries operated as safe havens where citizens could access helpful community resources, power, and the Internet.

One critical component missing from Certo and Miller’s definition of social value is the environment. The environment is a hot button issue with today’s social entrepreneurs as they look toward sustainability and combat climate change. Having recently weathered droughts and wildfires in Florida, this issue resonates with the hosts.

Ultimately, there is no definitive formula to measure social value. Unlike wealth creation, there are no tangible sales figures or profits to show a return on investment. This presents an ongoing challenge to social entrepreneurs who must not only articulate how their organizations will benefit investors financially but also how their organizations will benefit society.  

 

Teaching Change Shout-outs

For more information on topics discussed during the show, see the list below.

“Social Entrepreneurship: Key issues and concepts” by Trevis Certo and Toyah Miller

 

**Credit: The theme music for Teaching Change is provided by bensound.com.**

This episode is brought to you by the three Ps: People, Planet, and Profit. Valencia’s Director of Sustainability, Resham Shirsat, joins the hosts in-studio to chat about sustainability and how it intersects with social entrepreneurship. She is also a fellow member of Jerrid’s Guiding Coalition who helped bring social entrepreneurship education to Valencia.

Resham’s passion for sustainability is driven by her own academic journey. As an undergraduate, she enrolled in an elective environmental class that changed her life. Resham credits the class for exposing her to some of the harmful ways profit was being earned at the expense of people and the planet.  Ever since Resham has embraced the mission to grow the economy in a way that is socially equitable and environmentally viable.

Resham’s work with students includes holding presentations, facilitating workshops, advising a branch of the IDEAS student club, and working with Valencia’s Career Center. The outreach to the Career Center gives Resham the platform to educate students on the multitude of sustainable career paths. She believes sustainability is the fastest growing job industry and employment in fields such as data management, information technology, and engineering will be essential to support the work.

Resham also shares news about Valencia’s upcoming Associates of Science degree program in Energy Management Controls Technology. A result of a $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, students will utilize campus and community resources outside of the classroom to align their coursework with real-world applications.

Outside of Valencia, Resham participates in Orlando initiatives such as the Smart City Summit and the Building Energy and Water Efficiency Strategy (BEWES) program. This participation allows her to support the city’s sustainability efforts by matching its needs with the college’s workforce development.

When reflecting on her role at the college, Resham defines her position as increasing revenue and protecting profits while doing good for people and the planet. She wants everyone to know that small changes in energy use and waste management can make a big difference. Every contribution towards sustainability counts. Rethink. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Teaching Change Shout-outs

For more information on topics discussed during the show, see the list below.

Valencia College’s Sustainability Department

Talking Trash with Resham Shirsat: Take the Pledge for a Mini Desktop Bin

Building Energy and Water Efficiency Strategy - City of Orlando

Energy Management Controls Technology Program