Net Impact Microfinance Speaker this Monday at 5:00 p.m.

Happy Holidays Net Impacters!

We know a lot of people in our program are interested in Microfinance. Well, we've got a speaker on Monday that can tell you all about it. The first in our Speaker series will be this Monday, November 28th, at 5 p.m. in Room 534. We'll have some goodies and plenty of time for Q & A. Read on:

Kumar Durgesh is a doctoral student in the College of Social Work at the University of South Carolina. He is a collaborating researcher at the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service, LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT Austin. He has five years experience of working in the development sector in the emerging markets.

He earned a master’s degree in social work at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai as well as a master’s degree in economics at SUNY-Buffalo. He was recipient of the 2007 International Young Entrepreneur Award by YSEI, Malaysia.

A Night Out on the Town

Want to Win the Next No Single-Use Plastic Challenge? Stay at home!

Last night, despite the surprising drop in temperature, a bunch of Columbia residents and IMBA students alike, attended Vista Lights, a night when area stores open their doors and folks can congregate and share drinks on the street. It is a great event, and it was a great night.

However, as a participant in the No Single-Use Plastic Challenge, it was also an extremely difficult night. Single-use plastic was everywhere. Want a drink? Here is a pint in a plastic cup. Want to try this delicious looking steak? Here use this plastic skewer. Red-Bull sample? Here is another plastic cup! It was everywhere.

Luckily, I was able to find a vendor selling cans of beer - which also came with reusable coozies to keep the hands warm. Even still, at the end of the night I broke down and did use a plastic cup. It was just too convenient, too accessible, and too cheap for me to turn down. Minus one point for me, but it makes you wonder what the average score of the typical attendee was?

Today is the last day of our challenge, but hopefully everyone who has participated, or witnessed someone participating, has at the very least learned to question what they consume. Thanks everyone and good luck on the final day!

-Nt

NSUP Shared Links

Yesterday we got a lot of interesting links on our Facebook wall relating to the No Single-Use Plastic Challenge, like the one below. Check more out by clicking here. Please do not hesitate to join our group, USC Graduate Net Impact, as all are more than welcome. You can also follow us on twitter, @scnetimpact

Have an excellent day!

-The Net Impact Team

Bagel Day Joins the NSUP Challenge!

I know what you are thinking, big deal right? But here at the Darla Moore School of Business, Bagel Day has become a tradition for the graduate community. Trust me. We would like to thank Scott Ranges for voluntarily making today's bagel day disposable cup free! Also we would like to thank him and Keep America Beautiful of the Midlands for the reusable bags we have been able to hand out to challenge participants. We reused, reusable bags. Pretty sweet. Have a great Bagel Day everyone! 

Gift Ideas for a No Single-Use Holiday Season!

Our friend Julia Kramer is currently working in Rwanda. Here is a message from her along with some gifts that could help folks reduce their single-use plastic consumption this holiday season!

Julia:

Hey guys! If anyone is looking for holiday gifts, I am working with a cooperative in Rwanda that helps women get training, education, and counseling. I'll post a few pictures of items they have along with prices. If you are interested, email me at jhkramer@gmail.com. I'll be in Columbia, SC around the 11th of December.

Re-usable grocery bag- to go along with the no- single use plastic challenge. In heart or butterfly shape, these open up into reusable bags. $5 each.

 Weekend Bag ~ $15

 Ipad Case - $10

Thinking About the No Single-Use Plastic Challenge

Jessica Jordan

Jessica Jordan - 2nd Year IMBA

The burritos were spicy, and the conversation was jolly at a local Mexican joint on Saturday night. As friends and I began to discuss our strategies for getting through the upcoming no one-use plastic week, I looked at the table and realized we were in for a rough week. The hot sauce was in one-use containers, along with our waters and the carry-out containers I would have used if I hadn't gorged myself on that delicious bean burrito. Plastic has seeped into every nook and cranny in our lives. It's even more humbling to realize that every piece of plastic created remains on Earth. There's no getting around it, plastic is non biodegradable. And there's tons of it swirling around in the North Pacific Ocean right now! Check out the giant Pacific Garbage Patch. What are you going to do about it? Armed with my coffee mug and tupperware, I'm hoping to get through this week by using the least plastic EVER!

No Single-Use Plastic Challenge Goes Live

Our No Single-Use Plastic Challenge goes live at midnight and runs from November 14th to the 18th. Our goal is go an entire week without using any single-use plastics. Every participant starts out with 15 points. Each time a participant uses a single-use plastic during the week they will deduct a point. The participant with the most points at the end of the week will win a sustainable gift basket! Click on our Plastics Challenge tab for more details.

Feel free to comment or play at home! In fact, we encourage you to comment and play at home. The more the merrier. Here is a look at some of our brave combatants.

Participants:

Liz Buncher

Points Remaining:     15

Mark Gregory

Points Remaining:     15

Noah Thomas

Points Remaining:     15

Cooper Swanson

Points Remaining:     15

Travis Bjorklund

Points Remaining:     15

Nicole Griffin

Points Remaining:     15

Jessica Jordan

Points Remaining:     15

Abhinav Sharma

Points Remaining:     15

James Fryar

Points Remaining:     15

Lavinia Hurley

Points Remaining:     15

Peace Corps Panel this Monday Nov 14 at 6 p.m.

Continuing an annual tradition, we look forward to partnering up with the South Carolina Undergraduate Net Impact chapter to hold a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Panel. The agenda for the panel is to discuss the continuing education through Masters International, four presentations by returned Peace Corps volunteers who served in Africa, South America and Pacific Islands, then opening the floor for Q&A. This year we have a pleasure of hearing from representatives of every level of the IMBA program. They will discuss what lead them to consider to dedicate two years of their lives to serving in developing countries, the projects they worked on and what affect this experience has on their future choices. We look forward to get a discussion going, socializing and possibly lifting some mystery that surrounds the Peace Corps.

Starbucks LEED-Certified Factory Tour

November 4th, Net Impact and the Operations Club had the pleasure of touring the LEED-certified Starbucks Roasting Plant in Gaston, SC. The tour was amazing, informative, and impressive. A special thanks to our engineer guides who took us through the plant, of which they knew every inch. Even more impressive they knew how to make every drink Starbucks offers! We were all very grateful for the samples, and beard nets.

In the tasting room. Yep, there is a spitoon!

Click here to learn more about the LEED certified plant.

Thanks again to everyone who participated, and especially Theresa Olson at Starbucks for coordinating with us!

-The Net Impact Team

2011 Net Impact Conference

This year SC Net Impact had eight members make the trek out to the left coast for the 2011 Net Impact conference in Portland, Oregon. The weekend was filled with inspiring messages, sessions with high-level corporate responsibility advocates, and meeting with like-minded business school peers from around the world -- all working together to make the world a better place through business. Next year's conference is in Baltimore, Maryland, and with the new net-zero Moore School under construction it is more important than ever for us to make a strong showing!

Future Sustainable Business Leaders

 Coming soon, perspectives of the conference from our attendees.