By Yudha, a GNFI contributor

What do you think about cow dung bringing you a winning of US$ 25,000?

The Global Social Venture Competition is an annual global competition held at UC Berkeley, California that brings together some of the most dynamic aspiring social entrepreneurs in the world. It is also the largest and the oldest student-led business plan competition providing mentoring, exposure, and prizes for social ventures.

The mission of the GSVC is to catalyze the creation of social ventures, educate future leaders and build awareness of social enterprises. The competition supports the creation of real businesses that bring about positive social change in a sustainable manner.

For ten years this competition has been held, there were no team outside the US that was successful in winning the first champion, except this year.

Brick production

Beating 150 teams from 30 top business school world wide, the EcoFaeBrick team from Prasetya Mulya Business School is entitled to the US$ 25,000 award.

EcoFaeBrick, in conjunction with Faerumnesia, produces high quality and low price bricks by utilizing the abundant cow dung in Godean and Sayegan, Jogjakarta. The utilization of the cow dung will not only solve the hygiene problem but also reduce the exploitation of the nonrenewable clay. The replacement of firewood with the cow dung methane bio gas in the combustion process brings a lower production cost with a more environmental friendly process. EcoFaeBrick also empowers rural people through close partnership with local communities.

Using a business model which involves the housing developers, NGOs, and local communities, EcoFaeBrick builds a sustainable market demand to ensure an interesting financial return to the investors. The EcoFaeBrick’s identified 22 potential areas scattered all around Indonesia to be the next project expansion. Those areas are the rapid developing areas. There are also 22 other areas around the world which have the similar situation and offer opportunities to replicate the business.

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