In many conversations I have with fellow university students, one feeling comes up repeatedly: hesitation. It is not a lack of ideas or creativity that holds young people back from entrepreneurship; it is uncertainty. We often lack confidence that the current economy can sustain a new venture. With businesses struggling and jobs limited, entrepreneurship can feel like a high-risk decision rather than an exciting opportunity.
This hesitation becomes even stronger when we talk about the green economy. For many people, it sounds technical, capital-intensive, and out of reach, something for large corporations. As a student myself, I used to view it that way too.
However, my exposure to entrepreneurship and innovation spaces has shifted that perspective. I have come to understand that the green economy is not only about large infrastructure projects or global climate conversations. It is also about everyday challenges we see around us: waste in our neighbourhoods, rising food prices, energy costs, access to water, and environmental degradation. These are real problems affecting real communities, and they present opportunities for youth-led solutions.
Entrepreneurship in the green space does not have to begin with a large investment or a perfectly developed idea. It can start small, by identifying a local need, testing a solution, and improving it over time. The risk of failure is always present, but so is the potential to build something meaningful and sustainable.
As young people, we often speak passionately about climate action and social impact. Green entrepreneurship provides a way to turn talk into action. Although the economic climate may seem uncertain, the need for sustainable solutions is undeniable. This reality alone shows that the green economy is not a “distant space”; it is an emerging sector, and there is space for youth within it.
