EarthWalk – Green Learning Technologies
EarthWalk is a learning technologies company that focuses on developing and delivering high-efficiency, cost-effective learning technologies to classrooms, government and businesses globally to enhance learning environments in a cost and energy efficient way. The company was started by founder and acting CEO Evan T. McConnell who “saw a real need to improve computer and Internet use in the classroom” (EarthWalk, Inc., 2011). The company now delivers energy efficient products including their main line of wireless mobile computer labs to schools, companies and government agencies in both the USA and internationally.
McConnell’s boasts an extensive history of entrepreneurial experience opening his first business, a school store, as a highschool student. He continued down the entrepreneural path starting a professional disc jockey company in the 70’s in which he managed and trained and employed over 50 djs. Other successful ventures headed by McConnell included Bogart’s, a dance and dinner night club in Fairfax, Virginia and Best Weddings, a bridal magazine that published for eight years selling “…over 500,000 issues annually, and was distributed on over 4,000 newsstands nationwide” (EarthWalk Inc, 2011). In 1995 McConnell say the digitalization of media and developed an interactive website for the magazine. Evan created EarthWalk in 1997 seeing a greater need for schools to use technology more effectively in the classroom. His background in both computer programming and business start-up and management provided McConnell with both the business sense and the technical experience in design and programming needed to not only to start but continue this company in it’s success.
EarthWalk’s vision statement, “to bring emerging wireless computer lab technologies and solutions to our customers enabling them to communicate, educate, and train people more effectively” (EarthWalk, 2011) is met through products such as their wireless mobile computer labs and high energy-efficiency laptop charging systems and contribute to their marketing campaign of a socially responsible company providing sustainable solutions through longer lasting, energy-saving products”
EarthWalk’s leardership team, while small always brings valuable business and tech experience to the table. Margaret McConnell, Co-founder, COO and spouse of Evan McConnell also has a strong background in business venture and entrepeneurship, having started several of her own businesses. Robert Vanderlip, Executive Vice President and General Manager has over twenty five years experience in consumer electronics and computer industry and his expertise in sales force development, motivational and product training, conceptual product design, product development and vendor negotiations only strengthen the teams already impressive background.
This is clearly a for-profit company and attempting to help schools, business and organizations use learning technologies more effectively and efficiently. This company first caught my attention with it’s pitch on sustanability and “going green” as I consider myself an environmentally-conscience consumer and am generally interested in any company that strives for sound environmental policies and sustanability. However after further research into the company I question their sincereties in being “green” and see it as an effective marketing strategy as the society shifts towards sustainability and corporate social responsibility. However these are often just labels that have been taken out if their original contexts and used by corporations as to effectively market themselves. This does not negate the fact that energy efficient technologies are in fact better for the environment and more sustainable but rather that this is a secondary target for this company and sustainable technologies are pushed due to their profibility with environmentalism as a bonus.
For more information on EarthWalk and their team below is a video of their products and services and a link to the team’s biographies:
http://www.earthwalk.com/about/leadership/
References:
EarthWalk Inc. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.earthwalk.com/about/leadership/ on September 30, 2011.
Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
David William Price 7:39 pm on September 30, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
When it comes to labs of computers, energy efficiency is a big deal – electricity costs not only to run the lab but also the air conditioning to deal with all the heat. But reviewing the website, I see your point.
Interesting collection of cabinets for lab and tech equipment. Not a space I knew existed. Thanks for sharing it.
So what are your personal reflections?
khenry 5:43 am on October 1, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Jay,
Thanks for the link. My arts college is relatively small. We have one main computer lab for the general campus and another, mostly reserved for the Visual Arts students. I have advocated for the use of a mobile lab but my IT department did not really bite on the suggestion. I believe that I will go back to them with this link.
Of interest to me in your post, as in my research and a few others read, is the wealth of experience, whether in venture leadership and/or computer science and/or education, that these CEO and founders take to the table. How do you see or position yourself/your success/needs as an entrepreneur in this milieu?
Kerry-Ann
mcquaid 2:59 pm on October 1, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi, Jay.
I recently was given a set of ten laptops in a cart for my class. I’m curious to see how well they will work (once the computers actually arrive). The power-saving slant def. got me thinking… I was already starting to write some kind of test project proposal in my head… to get a cart of tablets or something for our school to use in place of the lab… see how much we could actually save or save & benefit… something to think about. Thanks!