Green Grad Advice: An Ecopreneur Promotes Detours at High School Alma Matter Commencement

Lisa Kivirist — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:35:59 +0000

That once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that both warms one’s heart and instills a swarm of nervous stomach butterflies came about for me last week: giving a commencement address at my old high school, Glenbrook South in Glenview, Illinois.

While it ranked an honor to receive the distinguished alum award, the five-minute speech proffering advice for the 2009 graduating class proved to be a unique challenge for me, requiring me to think about and process the “Lisa Kivirist” from 1985 when I graduated, when the only “green” I knew was the one in the padded paychecks I aspired to earn, to the green rolling hills of our Wisconsin farm and B&B today, Inn Serendipity and helping others launch green businesses through my book, ECOpreneuring.

Detours with a dose of serendipity quickly arose as the theme song for my last twenty years, a refrain that I wanted to leave with the graduating class. Life may take unexpected turns, but remember, as I learned, to keep connected to the core values, your earth mission, figuring out ways to craft a life and livelihood based on your passions.

Here are some excerpts from my speech:

Green Options » commencement

Green Grad Advice: An Ecopreneur Promotes Detours at High School Alma Matter Commencement