Micro Enterprise Solar Harvest

California Prisons & Entrepreneurial Training

Can entrepreneurship reduce California's prison population, crime in the community, and prevent young people from engaging in criminal activity?   First lets look at the statistics.

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Budget:	$8.75 billion (2006-2007 Budget Act)
Avg. yearly cost:	per inmate, $35,587; per parolee, $4,338
Staff:	57,641 currently employed including 48,769 in Institutions, 3,338 in Parole, and 5,534 in Administration (32,772 sworn peace officers)
Total offenders under CDCR jurisdiction:	323,203; One year change: +10,932 (3.5%)

These numbers indicate that reducing the prison population by even 5% can produce significant savings to the state of California.

With almost 1/3 of the prison population from Los Angeles county it would seem that this is a good place to start working on the problem. Reducing the prison population by preventing young people from entering a life of crime and providing  work for those leaving the prisons, is a viable solution through entrepreneurial training.  One of the major problems released prisoners face is the fact that few employers will trust a parolee. Regardless of how much job training they receive in prison if they cannot find a job when they get out then they are most likely to return to a life of crime and wind up back in the system.

Many of those who are in prison have already shown entrepreneurial skills. They are risk takers, they may have sold drugs or stolen property in the past and they understand basic entrepreneurial principles; customer service, supply and demand, sales volume, discounting, reinvesting in the business to increase sales, the importance of location, the list goes on. These individuals are also less likely to make good employees. They have had the experience of being the boss, and taking orders is often more difficult for them.

Micro Enterprise & California's Economy

Small business works for California
Most California businesses are small... very small

California is home to more than 2.1 million full-time businesses; one for every 14 men, women and children in the state.
Nearly two-thirds (64 %) of these businesses are operated by sole-proprietors, working without any paid employees.
Virtually all of the remaining businesses are small. Among these "employer firms" (businesses providing full-time jobs to people other than the owners): Ninety-nine out of 100 have fewer than 500 employees.
More than three-quarters (78 %) have fewer than 10 employees.
Most (60 %) have fewer than five employees.
Small Business is California's Biggest Employer and Greatest Job Generator
In addition to providing a livelihood for their own families, California's small-business owners provide more than half of all wage-and-salary jobs in the state's private sector.
From 1991 to 1995, the only size-category of firms to add jobs was firms with fewer than 20 employees.
While their larger competitors were trimming their workforces, small California firms (those with fewer than 100 employees) increased their job roles during the '91-'95 period in the three major sectors of the state's economy.
Small service firms expanded job roles by 4.3 % (v. a 1.1 percent decrease by larger service firms).
Small wholesalers and retailers increased jobs by 1.9 % (v. a 1.6 percent drop among larger members of the wholesale and retail trades).
Small manufacturers grew by a healthy 7.8% (v. a 4.9 percent cut in jobs among larger manufacturers).

Eco-Entrepreneurship a way out of poverty...

Eco-Entrepreneurship
a way out of poverty...
an opportunity to heal California's environment

Poverty in California
California, with 36,000,000 residents has no less than 5,760,000  living in poverty. Los Angeles county alone, has 1,346,000 living below the federal poverty level of $19,000.00 a year for a family of 4. Most are working full time, some even working at 2 or 3 jobs, but cannot afford the most basic necessities.

Pollution in California
With more cars on the road than any other state, and 6 of the top 10 most polluted cities in the nation, California must do more to clear the air and protect her environment. Los Angeles is the # 1 most polluted city in the nation.

Using solar power and other alternative fuels we are helping the working poor to start eco-friendly small businesses. We provide micro loans to finance these enterprises, and solar powered internet technology to help reach a growing global market. We create a means to address both poverty and pollution, improving the lives of the poor and helping our environment, while enhancing the lives of all Californians in many ways.

Benefits to the poor;
Lower utility costs and increased quality of life
A cleaner environment
Greater control of their economic futures
An opportunity to run their own businesses and become the American dream.
Financial independence and freedom from welfare

Benefits to all Californians;
Reduced state taxes as California's poor are better able to care for themselves.
Increased tax revenues as their businesses grow and thrive 
Cleaner air, and cleaner cities, cleaner rural areas
More eco friendly products available locally
A return to rural communities, reducing the burden on urban cities
Reduced crime as troubled teens turn to entrepreneurship as a way out of poverty
Reducing the use of plastic packaging & other waste to reduce landfills

call 562-804-0394

Micro Enterprise Solar Harvest

The Mission
Micro Enterprise Solar Harvest
·Inform the general public about green solutions to poverty
·Provide low cost solar products to low income families to help them reduce their energy bills
·Provide the means for working poor to become eco-business owners.
·Provide sustainable energy to meet the energy needs of these small businesses.
·Provide information & education about self employment & alternative energy to the poor

At MESH we do not dwell on the tragedy of life and poverty, but on the miracle of technology and how wonderful it is for both the rich and the poor. Solar energy can empower the poor in so many ways, and the wonder of the internet allows rural entrepreneurs to remain in their hometowns while reaching the global market and thousands of potential customers! It is so amazing! 20 years ago it would have been nothing more than a dream... today it is a reality.  Help us spread  prosperity to even the poorest of the poor while we work to make a better environment for all of us!

Spread prosperity
mg@meshinc.org