Green entrepreneurship; A research on green city entrepreneurs in context of environmental changes, cultural dynamics and capital forms

Today, environmental problems, especially global warming and climate change, make green transformation inevitable. In this transformation, awareness of the environment, sensitive and responsible behavior, and sustainability come to the fore. Economic activities are at the root of environmental problems and environmental problems affect all human activities necessitating protecting the environment and controlling the negative effects on the environment. At this point, green entrepreneurs come to the forefront, taking into account social goals while realizing economic goals by engaging in environmentally sensitive economic activities. In this process, certain cities of the world draw attention to their green economy and green management. The aim of this study, in which research on entrepreneurs of green cities is made; is to examine how green entrepreneurship is shaped in the context of environmental changes, cultural dynamics, and forms of capital and the impact of these factors on entrepreneurs operating in a city with the title of the green city (European Green Capital Award). In the study, in which the qualitative research method was used, data were obtained through in-depth interviews and observations from green entrepreneurs in Essen, Germany, which were selected as green city, using typical case sampling, criterion sampling, and snowball sampling methods. The obtained data were analyzed with the qualitative analysis program MAXQDA 2022. As a result of the study, It has been determined that the green city is influential for entrepreneurs to be green entrepreneurs, and the environmental sensitivity adopted by these entrepreneurs is an important factor. It has been concluded that green entrepreneurs are aware of environmental changes, adopt the cultural sustainability of the city they live in, and certain forms of capital contribute to their business life.