Flier for the opening the Red Bike Shed

The goal is to open the Red Bike Shed with a certain level of functionality at the beginning of May, and work on the many other things that need to be organized after that.

Exploitative Microfinance

The NYT put out a story today that talks about the entrance of big banking institutions into Microfinance, and the outrageous interest rates; some over 100% annually that they are charging. I think this raises a larger question for the world of social entrepreneurship. When a socially entrepreneurial model for creating a sustained business is proven, what is there to stop traditional business from expanding into that niche with profit as their primary goal not social good?

New York Times Article: Big Banks Draw Profits From Microloans to Poor

Photos From Red Bike Shed Site Visit

Front of the Shed. Sandbagged from the flooding last week.



Warren opening the Shop Container.

Project 2: The Red Bike Shed

I am working with the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council(WRWC) for DESE project number 2. The Red Bike shed is a community based bike shop started through the WRWC last year. Our goal is to make the Red Bike Shed a bike shop with a social entrepreneurial model that will repair bikes for kids in the Olneyville neighborhood, provide them with bikes classes and try to increase bike use on The Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Greenway. My goal is to work with them to design the infrastructure and systems that allow them to develop a sustainable social entrepreneurial venture that has a portion of its funding coming from a self-sustaining revenue stream. Below is the mind map of the basic planning and design elements of this project.