About this course: Welcome to the course where you learn to launch a new business in the energy, finance, real estate, design, engineering, or environmental sectors, while also helping you create positive environmental and human health impacts around the world. We will integrate tools, trends, and tips from the field of entrepreneurship as a career path for making a difference and generating wealth in the renewable energy and green building sectors. This is not a course about theory. Instead, we focus on real world application, step-by-step advice, and case studies. After completing this course, students will be able to: - Define key business opportunities, challenges, and potential solutions in the renewable energy and green building sectors. - Analyze a successful business in renewable energy or green building. - Identify 2 to 3 problems you might solve with either renewable energy or green building products or services. - Plan for engaging with investors who might finance a new business. - Take real world first steps towards launching a new business or corporate initiative, by applying the 1-page business idea summary template and the Business Model Canvas to generating and refining your own new business ideas.
Who is this class for: This course is accessible to the general public. There are no prerequisites. It is designed for early- and mid-career professionals, plus university students, in the fields of energy, real estate, design, construction, engineering, business, marketing, environmental science, and similar fields. Some students may use this course to launch a new startup. Other students will be “intrapreneurs” who keep their job at an existing for-profit, non-profit, or government organization, but plan to create innovative new products, services, or initiatives from within.
Taught by: Chris Wedding, Faculty
Nicholas School of the Environment. Founder and Managing Partner, IronOak Energy
| Level | Beginner |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
- Video: Introduction
- Reading: Welcome to the Course!
- Reading: Lesson feedback forms
- Reading: Welcome to Week 1 of the “Renewable Energy and Green Building Entrepreneurship”
- Reading: The Importance of Entrepreneurial Thinking for the Green Building Industry
- Video: Intrapreneurship: Innovation from Within
- Reading: The Rise of The Intrapreneur
- Video: Opportunities in Green Building Design
- Reading: [References]: Green Building Global Status Report and World Green Building Trends 2016
- Video: Financial Opportunities in Renewable Engery
- Reading: [References] Renewable 2016: Global Status Report
- Video: Green Building Case Study: Cherokee Investment Partners
- Video: Renewable Energy Case Study: Strata Solar
- Video: Green Building Case Study: Nicholas School of the Envrionment
- Reading: Green Features Tour: Duke University Environment Hall
- Reading: Lesson 1 feedback
- Reading: Welcome to Week 2 of the “Renewable Energy and Green Building Entrepreneurship”
- Reading: [References] The Business Cases for Green Building
- Video: The Logic Behind Renewable Energy
- Reading: Additional Resources of Logic Behind Renewable Energy
- Video: Inside Entrepreneurship: Benefits and Examples of Entrepreneurship
- Reading: Entrepreneurship: A Working Definition and More
- Video: Inside Entrepreneurship: Criticisms of Green Building
- Video: Inside Entrepreneurship: Criticisms of Renewable Energy
- Video: Inside Entrepreneurship: Challenges in Entrepreneurship
- Reading: The Top 10 Challenges Faced By Entrepreneurs Today: Solved
- Reading: Lesson 2 feedback
- Reading: Welcome to Week 3 of the “Renewable Energy and Green Building Entrepreneurship”
- Video: Generating Ideas for a Startup
- Reading: 23 Ways to Generate Startup Ideas
- Video: Refining Your Vision
- Reading: The Startup Framework to Validate Your Idea Before You Spend $1
- Reading: How to Conduct Market Reserach
- Video: Using the Business Model Canvas
- Reading: The 20 Minute Business Model Plan: Business Model Canvas Made Easy
- Video: Building a Great Team
- Reading: How to Build a Better Startup Team
- Video: Financing Your Buisness
- Reading: How to Pitch to a Venture Capitalist
- Reading: 20 Things All Entrepreneurs Should Know About Angel Investors
- Video: Launching Your Business
- Reading: Lesson 3 feedback
- Discussion Prompt: What are the next stepts?
- Reading: 60 Great Tools and Resources for Entrepreneurs and Startups
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
great course
A highly inspiring experience..Saved a lot of time by learning a lot in quick pace. Well done!
A quick course that provides a great overview of the renewable and green building industries while introducing you to the main topics related to beginning a startup in the field. Please understand that this is not meant to be and in depth course and thus does not provide technical details in the fields of energy and green building. For its purpose the course content is excellent and the lectures well organized with amazing content by professor Chris.
great course