CNN chimes in on Wal-Mart's Sustainability Ambitions, a subject you'll be hearing more about here at Worldchanging over the next couple days.

Just listen to Scott. "To me," he says, "there can't be anything good about putting all these chemicals in the air. There can't be anything good about the smog you see in cities. There can't be anything good about putting chemicals in these rivers in Third World countries so that somebody can buy an item for less money in a developed country. Those things are just inherently wrong, whether you are an environmentalist or not."

Wal-Mart says it will invest $500 million in sustainability projects, and the company has done a lot more than draw up targets. It has quickly become, for instance, the biggest seller of organic milk and the biggest buyer of organic cotton in the world. It is working with suppliers to figure out ways to cut down on packaging and energy costs. It has opened two "green" supercenters.

There has been a tidal wave of excitement regarding social enterprise in recent years. Magazines sing the praises of social entrepreneurs. Amazon is crammed with the latest missives on how to save the planet. It seems that almost everywhere you look, people want to be changing the world.

However, admittedly, when I graduated from business school seven years ago, my first priority was to be sure that I could make the payments on my massive student loans. After several years at a start-up company, I eventually did enter the world of social entrepreneurship. But what if you could create a program that might encourage top graduates to tap their newly minted skills and pursue their passion for creating social good through non-profit and perhaps even for-profit business endeavors?

Consider organizations such as the Peace Corps, the Corporation for National Service, and Teach for America (TFA). These groups leverage some of the most capable young people in the United States and deploy them to perform a range of noble activities, such as building homes, providing social services and teaching young people in some of the most neglected classrooms in our country. In turn for this commitment, the participants receive support through financial instruments like college loan relief, low-interest loans, and stipends.

No one joins TFA to get rich. Far from it. But the non-profit program offers a transformative opportunity for personal growth and community investment. Interestingly, even in a very hot job market, students respond to this challenge. TFA has become highly selective to the point that, due to the overwhelming demand, last year, 80% of applicants were turned down. Some TFA graduates continue to teach as a long-term profession, others go on to launch charter schools, and most pursue other careers beyond education. Regardless, for those two years, these young people and their peers in other organizations such as Americorps and the Peace Corps strengthen our civil society and create long-term promise for America at home and around the world.

So why not a Social Enterprise Corps (SEC)?