Wisconsin: A Story of Restoration and Renewal

Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko, WAPL's Thursday luncheon speakers, were delightful, and shared a lot of great information.

They have launched their own business, Inn Serendipity, a bed and breakfast outside of Monroe, WI. It is completely powered by wind and sun, and breakfasts feature foods mostly from the farm's gardens, or other local "fair trade, sustainable and/or organic items."

They also write books, such as

• ECOpreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet Before Profits
• Rural Renaissance: Renewing the Quest for the Good Life
• Edible Earth: Savoring the Good Life with Vegetarian Recipes from Inn Serendipity
• Renewing the Countryside: Wisconsin
• To Be a Kid, To Be an Artist, and 4 other children's "photobooks"
  

And that's not all they do in their passion and quest "to leave this planet a better place."

They spoke to us about many things, but much focused on the ECOpreneurism movement, one of supporting the start of new (read "small") businesses that not only make money, but do good, for others, and for the planet.

Tips for Being an Ecopreneur:

• Go Green
• Be Fossil-fuel Free
• Tap into "Multiple Economies of Ecopreneurship"
• Mind Your Own Business
• Keep it Local
  
• Rethink Retirement
• Practice Healthcare and Homecare
• Fail Fast and Intelligently
• Travel and Garner Experiences
• Define "The Good Life" on Your Terms
  

And guess what? They love libraries! They offered many suggestions for library programs catering to entrepreneurs and ecopreneurs, providing meeting space for them, working with them to help you convince municipalities of the need for increased funding because the library supports small businesses and helps them thrive, and more!

For more info, visit Lisa and John at:

• Inn Serendipity
• ECOpreneuring
• Rural Renaissance
  
• their blogs:
  
• John's blog
• Lisa's blog