August 2010

The Gulf Coast: The New PR & GR Poster Child for the Green Economy

If you read the title of this post and assumed it was another commentary on the gulf oil spill, I wouldn’t blame you. Many have pointed to the BP oil spill as an inevitable turning point in the debate around energy policy and the eventual harbinger of a national renewable energy standard, a greenhouse gas cap and/or tax, and a number of other measures aimed to push us away from fossil fuels. But anyone expecting an overnight change in the foundation of our country’s energy production probably underestimates what an overnight transformation would do to the economy of states that rely on oil, natural gas and coal production for employment.

But there is a compelling narrative starting to develop in the gulf region which could be exactly what cleantech and green advocates need to make a stronger case for a national renewable energy and energy efficiency policy. It is not a new argument, but a tangible example of how one of the country’s most politically conservative regions is becoming a poster child for the green economy and what it could mean to US economic recovery.

This past week the State of Mississippi announced that Soladigm (transparency alert: Soladigm is a Schwartz client), a manufacturer of electrochromatic windows that improve energy efficiency in buildings, would open its initial production facility in Olive Branch. The plant will bring badly needed jobs to a region that isn’t yet widely known for its green manufacturing prowess, but could be challenging the conventional wisdom that green collar jobs are the sole domain of states like California, Massachusetts, Colorado and Texas.

Soladigm joins Enerkem, a waste-to-energy and chemicals company based in Canada, and Twin Creeks Technologies, a solar manufacturer based in San Jose, as recent cleantech concerns that have selected Mississippi as a site for pilot or full-scale manufacturing. This doesn’t mean that the citizens and state government of Mississippi will become national torch bearers for renewable and energy efficiency policy, but it does become an interesting anecdote for dispelling the notion that the industry is not creating jobs outside a few states. It also will help other parts of the country realize that they have a vested interest in the growth of that industry, even if it comes at the long-term expense of other industries. Bottom line: clean technology can be the mother of all economic stimuli if states are smart and keep cleantech manufacturing in the US.

This is a positive step for the movement toward a better US energy future and the recovery of the gulf coast in general. Economic diversification will help the region better withstand future disasters of the natural, environmental and economic varieties. Relying on fishing, tourism and oil production leaves this region horribly exposed to coastal disasters, and a new and growing sector could provide more stability from which to fund a general recovery.

Mississippi should be congratulated for taking its first few steps toward providing its populace with a more solid and diversified economic future. Supporters of clean energy and energy efficiency should point not to California and Massachusetts, but Mississippi as a shining example of Green Collar jobs.

Posted by Jason Morris on August 4, 2010 at 5:55 PM
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