A recent presentation at Fountain Street Church, part of the monthly
West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum (WMSBF) meeting, revealed the
work of a summer initiative to use "design thinking" when exploring
potential business and community opportunities.
The findings, focused on urban agriculture and local food systems, were
part of a "test run" of
GRCC's Keller Futures Center, an open source
community learning platform in it's early stages of development. A
long-term goal is becoming a community resource for creating solutions
for large-scale regional issues.
Citing the lively discussions over urban agriculture and the potential
role of the Keller Futures Center to engage individuals and businesses
in new, solution-oriented ways, WMSBF President Gayle DeBruyn felt this
meeting was a great example of the role that the WMSBF plays in the
community.
Going beyond hosting speakers series and facilitating discussions
centered around diverse topics, DeBruyn feels that it is the engagement
of members and the promotion of critical and deep thinking into the
issues of creating sustainable business models and innovation that
ultimately makes in a difference in building a stronger community.
"Our organization is one of the first business forums created in the
region and it has served as a model throughout the state," DeBruyn says.
In this particular case, both members of the WMSBF and the team from
GRCC came away many ideas on how the Futures Center could be integrated
into the community to help organizations of all sizes create innovative
solutions to 21st century problems.
The WMSBF is open to businesses and individuals and meets on a monthly
basis. For information on how to become involved, you can visit their
website.
Source: Gayle DeBruyn, WMSBF
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs Editor
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