The Development of Environmental Entrepreneurship with Emphasis on the Role of Rural Small and Micro Enterprises

In response to problems with environmental degradation, environmental entrepreneurship is one of the strategies that has been introduced to convert traditional economic to green one, in recent years. This kind of entrepreneurship connotes the idea of developing an enterprise while at the same time demonstrating a concern for ecological and social needs of present and future generations. In developing countries, in particular, small and micro enterprises, account for the vast majority of enterprises and they account for the large contributions of pollution and resources consumption, too. Therefore, noticing them and harness the initiative of local entrepreneurs to consider environmental concerns and responsibilities in small-scale entrepreneurial activities can promote the development of eco-innovatons and the emergence of green industries. The present paper uses a library-documentary research to first consider the concept and the nature of environmental entrepreneurship and environmental entrepreneurs; then, rural small and micro enterprises, and the relationship between enviropreneurs and these kinds of enterprises are studied. After that, the barriers and opportunities of environmental entrepreneurship and the experiences of some successful countries to promote it are discussed.