自然電力グループ

Shizen Energy Inc. (Shizen Energy), the originator of the practical business school and audition “Green Business Producers,” will begin accepting applications for its second year from June 20, 2023.

Green Business Producers website: https://gbplab.net/ (Japanese only)

■What is practical business school and audition “Green Business Producers”?
Green Business Producers is a practical business school & audition that cultivates glocal leaders who take on local environmental issues to realize a sustainable society on a global level.

Today, social issues are complex and intertwined, and no single solution can solve them. Environmental issues should be viewed from a larger perspective, and people need to confront events that are happening right in front of their eyes by proactively engaging with the community. There is a high demand for talented people who can solve problems which have no clear answers.

Global problems can only be solved from the local level. On the other hand, there is an overwhelming lack of human resources who understand both global and local issues, and who can deliver concrete proposals and implement projects in a way that is also in tune with the scale and circumstances of the local community. This school will gather motivated people to train such glocal leaders who will open up the future for communities and the Earth.

■Features of the School
In order to deal with complex regional, social, and environmental issues, participants need not only knowledge and information, but also various skills unique to glocal leaders in order to get others involved and follow through. Through online lectures by experts in “community development,” “environment,” and “business,” as well as fieldwork workshops in which participants actually visit local communities to discover local issues and individual initiatives, participants in this school will develop the ability to create mechanisms to transform local issues and local potential into new businesses.

Live sessions with emphasis on “dialogue” and “questions”, not one-way input

As a practical business school, the program emphasizes dialogue and community fieldwork. Students will visit local communities to conduct fieldwork and learn from companies and local governments as well as from glocal leaders who are active in the community, learning through their philosophies and practical examples to enable them to envision their goals. This program will identify local issues and examine frameworks for converting them into value.

Lectures that lead to “local business methods,” “knowledge and team building for practical use,” and ” networking with experts and peers.”

Leading experts and entrepreneurs from various fields will provide step-by-step lectures on the mindset required for glocal leaders, basic knowledge of green business, facilitation for team building, and practical business model building. The program will also cultivate relationships with experts and peers who will support the participants as they become active in the community.

Support for entrepreneurship and positions for those who pass the final selection

The program will provide an environment in which those who pass the final selection can work on business creation at GBP Laboratories’ project sites. As a staff member of GBP Laboratories, they will be provided a base location to realize their business ideas and start up local businesses in the community. Comprehensive support, including financial assistance, will be provided to help the participants achieve their independence.

■Final day of program is called “Starting Ceremony”
Unlike conventional business schools, the final day of the program is called the “Starting Ceremony,” which becomes the platform where students can continue to teach and learn from each other as alumni after completion of the program. Furthermore, as a partner of GBP Laboratories, Shizen Energy will continue to provide support for the school so that it can play an active role in the community and link its activities toward the realization of a sustainable society.

■Green Business Producers first year participants
The first year of the GBP program,  held from November 2022 to March 2023, was attended by 40 men and women in their 20s to 50s, spanning from Hokkaido to Kyushu. After attending a 3-month program that included online lectures and workshops in Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture, Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture, and Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, participants were divided into teams and made presentations of their business ideas on the theme of solving issues in the cities where the workshops were held. After the completion of the first year of the program, offers were made to five participants who passed the selection process, and they have started working as glocal leaders in Miyagi, Chiba, Nagano, and Saga Prefectures.

Photos from first year※Green Business Producer introduction video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUCCwr2D5HM

【Program Overview 】

 *The curriculum is subject to change without notice. For the latest information, please visit the Green Business Producers website.

【About Shizen Energy Inc.】
Founded in June, 2011. With the company purpose of “We take action for the blue planet,” the company’s business includes development, financing, and asset management of renewable energy power plants using solar power, wind power, small-scale hydroelectric power, and biomass. Since 2016, the company has also been focusing on its international operations, expanding its development and power generation projects in areas such as Southeast Asia and Brazil. In 2019, the company also entered the energy tech business, offering micro-grid and VPP construction, smart charging and discharging services for EVs, and other services through its self-developed EMS (energy management system). Shizen Energy Group has been involved in more than 1 GW of renewable energy generation internationally.

・Headquarters: Fukuoka Ohori Bldg. 1-1-6 Arato, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka
・Representative Directors: Ken Isono, Kenji Kawado, Masaya Hasegawa
・URL: https://www.shizenenergy.net/en/

<For inquiries regarding this press release>
Shizen Energy Inc., Public Relations Department
E-mail: se-comm@shizenenergy.net