{"id":173976,"date":"2026-07-15T14:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T20:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=173976"},"modified":"2026-07-17T14:48:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T20:48:41","slug":"ecoemprende-small-businesses-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/education-and-humanism\/ecoemprende-small-businesses-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"EcoEmprende: How Can Small Businesses Prepare for the Challenges of Climate Change?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 2024, a water crisis<\/a> in Mexico City affected small businesses, including restaurants, laundromats, car washes, and other establishments. Many had to invest additional resources to purchase water deliveries by tanker truck to keep operating, while others reduced or suspended their services altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation highlighted that many micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises<\/a> (MSMEs) are not prepared to respond to the impacts that climate change-related events can have on their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to these challenges, researchers at Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey and the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) developed EcoEmprende<\/a>, a project designed to strengthen the sustainability and resilience of MSMEs through a digital platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also offer a course to help entrepreneurs identify risks, develop solutions, and prepare for the impacts of the climate crisis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Building Capacity to Manage Climate Risks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe goal is not to tell a business exactly what to do in the face of climate change, but rather to build its capacity to identify its own risks, develop solutions, and adapt to those scenarios,\u201d explains Leonardo Glasserman<\/a>, a researcher at the Institute for the Future of Education<\/a> (IFE) and the project lead at Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project emerged from a call for proposals launched by Mexico City\u2019s Secretariat of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (SECTEI), through which researchers from Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey and the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) designed an initiative that uses educational innovation and training to address these challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EcoEmprende was one of 11 initiatives selected through the call to receive funding<\/strong> and be implemented in Mexico\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leonardo Glasserman, a researcher at the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE). (Photo: Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Five-Stage Course for Tackling Real-World Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The team brought its proposal to life by developing a self-guided digital platform where owners, entrepreneurs, and employees of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) can register, complete a course at their own pace, submit assignments, and earn a digital badge<\/strong> upon finishing the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The platform also enables instructors to track users\u2019 progress, store supporting evidence of their work, and issue certificates. As a result, it serves not just as a content repository but as a comprehensive learning environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The course takes approximately 10 hours to complete and was designed to fit the schedules of people who already own or work for a business<\/strong>. Its methodology incorporates microlearning principles, organizing content into short learning modules while integrating personalization and self-regulated learning strategies that allow participants to progress at their own pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The course is organized into five stages designed to address a real-world challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n