Topics « Southern Growth Policies Board

Green Economy Webinar

The Role of Chambers of Commerce

Thursday, March 11, 2010
1:30 – 2:30pm ET

Chambers of Commerce across the South have initiated new programs and initiatives to promote and support green business and sustainability initiatives. This webinar will explore what chamber leaders are seeing across the region as well as learn about specific initiatives such as St. Louis’ Climate Prosperity Project and Chapel Hill’s Green Plus program. The webinar speakers are:

Mick Fleming — President, American Chamber of Commerce Executives
Eric Schneider — Sr. Director, Energy and Environment at the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association
Aaron Nelson — President & CEO, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce

The webinar is free, but pre-registration required. Register for the webinar here.

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Technology & Innovation

New ideas represented in new products, processes, services and industries, are the only sources of sustained, significant profits. Prosperity ultimately comes from selling things that people want at the highest possible prices. Innovation is the most assured way to do this. Technology industries often grow twice as fast as that for other manufactured goods. The people who work in these industries have higher than normal wages. Furthermore, the rate of financial return on basic science investment is many times compared to other investments. No wonder that the Milken Institute has said that “that high tech was the biggest single factor in explaining why some communities recorded exceptional growth.”[1]

[1] North America’s High Tech Economy: The Geography of Knowledge-based Industries,
the Milken Institute, http://www.milkeninstitute.org/pdf/NAHTweb.pdf.

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The Green Economy

The green economy encompasses the creation, distribution, and consumption of products and services that reduce carbon emissions and diversify the region’s energy sources. This economy includes the scientist who engineers a better biofuel, the entrepreneur who invests in a clean product, the manufacturer who builds wind turbines, the technician who installs energy efficient heating and cooling systems, and the individual who purchases LED light bulbs. Engaging in these new markets can lead to new jobs, new services, and a larger tax base for cities and towns across the South.

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Numbers — Southern Data & Trends

Numbers is a repository of economic and social data of interest to Southern policy makers. Numbers allows for a quick understanding of how Southern states compare to one another and to the U.S. as a whole.

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Places

Forces of globalization and urbanization are creating economic winners and losers spread unevenly across the landscape. How a community responds to these changing trends can shape its economic prosperity. The goal of Places is to draw attention to these forces and help communities, both urban and rural, better position themselves to take advantage of opportunities in the emerging new economy.

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2009 Report on the Future of the South

2009 Future of the South Cover

A Conversation on Southern Energy—The 2009 Report on the Future of the South— PDF Available
by Scott Doron, Charity Pennock, Linda Hoke, Stephen Whitlow, and Ted Abernathy

Copyright © 2009, Southern Growth Policies Board

Focusing on the current and future role of energy in Southern economic development, A Conversation on Southern Energy is full of regional and individual state data about existing and alternative energy sources. The report also includes regional recommendations necessary for the South to participate in the future energy economy. Southern Growth, in conjunction with its Southeast Agriculture and Forestry Energy Resources Alliance, will continue to work on implementation of the recommendations. For more information, contact Scott Doron at sdoron@southern.org.

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Leadership Databank: West Virginia

Click the headings below for a list of community-based leadership programs that have been identified in the state, including links where available. If you know of others that should be included, please email the program names and corresponding links to lhoke@southern.org.

↔Community Leadership Programs

↔Youth/Student Leadership Programs

↔Other Leadership Programs

↔Citizen Engagement Programs

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Leadership Databank: Virginia

Click on the headings below for a list of community-based leadership programs that have been identified in the state, including links where available. If you know of others that should be included, please email the program names and corresponding links to lhoke@southern.org.

↔Community Leadership Programs