Green Economy Grows in VT

Burlington, Vermont was in the news this week, recognized for being one of the top 10 locations for jobs in the green economy.  SustainableBusiness.Com hosts the "Green Dream Jobs" employment search site, where employers can post green job openings, as noted on the site.   The top city was Washington, D.C., and the others were described as having "aggressive green business incentives and policies": the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Portland Ore. and Burlington.  Also this week, the green economy was discussed on my favorite news show, Morning Joe on MSNBC. On October 13 in a panel discussion with hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, Christia Freeland of The Financial Times and Donny Deutsch, the group discussed where true growth in the U.S. economy could come from.  The participants agreed that the U.S. remains the worldwide leader in technology fields and that the challenge is to extend that leadership out of Silicon Valley and across the country.  Ms. Freeland noted that  business leaders are most excited about green technology as the greatest opportunity area for U.S. companies.  The group noted the importance of legislative efforts to promote green technology initiatives and cited U.S. stimulus funds devoted to this objective, particularly to promote job creation in green industries.  All of this suggests that Vermont's focus on the green economy is brilliant and that Vermont is well placed to participate at the forefront of future U.S. economic growth.  It also highlights how the green economy can attract younger professionals from around the country and the world seeking cutting-edge technology jobs to come to Vermont for green jobs.  Attracting younger professionals to Vermont is critical to offset the current trend of the Vermont population toward an older demographic.  This all indicates that Vermont is on the right track and poised for success.