In the next few weeks, Alexandra “Alex” Kukoff, a 14-year-old entrepreneur from California, will begin reviewing designs submitted by engineers to create a special pair of closed-captioning glasses for hearing-impaired moviegoers. It is a story of how a new entrepreneur with little technological expertise can use the Internet to make the necessary high-tech connections to turn an idea into a prototype [an early sample or model built to test a product or concept].

Lens of Opportunity: Alex Kukoff’s Incredible Virtual Community Connection

As Earth Day approaches on April 22, KWHS calls on guest writer Rebecca Unger, a high school senior from Massachusetts, to explore the environmental justice movement. Says Unger: “Environmental justice is significant for adolescents, educators and aspiring businesspeople alike. A good entrepreneur needs to consider the practical implications of how systemized inequality affects the market; a good citizen needs to consider the moral implications of failing to challenge that inequality.”

Breaking Down Community Barriers: The Fight for Environmental Justice

The business of sustainability – meeting the needs of the present without compromising resources for future generations -- is growing among companies with a social conscience. Guayakí, which makes and sells Yerba Mate beverages, is an example of a company that has built its entire business model on practices that drive environmental and social change. Its main goal: to get you, as the consumer, to support sustainability with your dollars.

Restoring the Rainforest: Guayakí Brews Environmental and Social Change

No Facebook or Twitter? No access to the Internet? If it sounds too radical to believe, then consider this: It is the reality in North Korea. What’s more, young professionals in North Korea, which is under restrictive communist rule, know very little about basic business concepts like entrepreneurship and private equity. Geoffrey See, founder of Choson Exchange, is helping to bring business knowledge to the country, where young people are excited by new ideas and the potential for change.

Entrepreneurship in North Korea? Bringing Business Concepts to a Communist Nation