Fostering Sustainability through Experiential Green Social Entrepreneurship: A Conceptual Approach Using Kolb’s Learning Theory

This conceptual paper explores the intersection of sustainability education and social entrepreneurship through an experiential learning lens. While environmental challenges continue to escalate globally, there remains a significant gap in pedagogical approaches that effectively integrate hands-on sustainability education with entrepreneurial thinking, especially among younger learners. This study addresses this gap by proposing a framework grounded in Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, focusing on how immersive, community-based environmental activities can cultivate sustainable values, social responsibility, and entrepreneurial skills among youth. The framework is modeled on a structured one-day environmental engagement program involving real-world activities aligned with four stages of Kolb’s learning cycle: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The program design is further mapped to relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The paper finds that such experiential interventions have strong potential in shaping responsible, action-oriented learners and offers a replicable model for integrating green social entrepreneurship into sustainability education. The proposed framework contributes to the growing body of literature by offering a structured pedagogical model that blends environmental stewardship, community engagement, and entrepreneurial learning for youth development.