GreenN.O.
Greater New Orleans Poised to Become “the Netherlands of the U.S.”
GreenN.O. Establishes Region as Hub of Sustainable Industry – up to 90,000 Jobs Could be Created
GreenN.O. is a collaborative effort to establish Greater New Orleans as the nation’s center for sustainable and environmentally friendly businesses.
“Greater New Orleans has a unique opportunity to become a world-leader in green and sustainable industries,” said Michael Hecht, President & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “With our specific experience, dynamic topography and global brand, Greater New Orleans is the ideal location for sectors including water management, sustainable building, renewable energy, coastal restoration and disaster management/recovery.“
Leveraging the most lucrative incentives in the country, a growing interest in sustainable business and a robust pipeline of new building activity, New Orleans is poised to be a leader in the new green economy. GreenN.O. will contribute to New Orleans’ green economic development by attracting new investment, new businesses, and new jobs to the region. In fact, a recent study by consultancy McKinsey & Co. determined that up to 90,000 jobs could be created in Louisiana over the next 20 years in sustainable industries; the majority are likely to be in the Greater New Orleans region.
Analogous to the highly successful Digital Media Alliance, GreenN.O. will be a consortium of interested business, community and government leaders. It will focus on four areas:
- Marketing – Peer-to-Peer positioning of the region’s growing green sector to attract new projects and drive business development
- Policy – Supporting legislation and incentives that will foster the growth of sustainable industries
- Workforce – Collaboration with 2 and 4-year universities to ensure an adequate, skilled workforce
- Research – Identifying intersections of green economic opportunities and local competitive advantages
“The importance of GreenN.O. is that, if we are successful, we will be able to simultaneously diversify our economy while sustaining our environment,” said Hecht. “The Gulf oil spill has made perfectly clear the importance of us achieving both of these goals in tandem.”
GreenN.O. will focus on a number of key sub-sectors, that will have different relevance in different parts of the region. These include:
- Water management / hydrology
- Sustainable building
- Coastal restoration
- Energy efficiency
- Disaster mitigation
“Simply put,” Hecht stated, “GreenN.O. is about rebuilding our economy as much as it is about rebuilding the coast: it is a great economic development opportunity.”
Growing a Green Workforce
The first major initiative under GreenN.O. will be “Growing a Green Workforce,” executed under a partnership between Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU), the Northshore Community Foundation, and GNO, Inc. The collaboration will take into account green, high-growth industries and the need for a strong workforce to support them. The product of “Growing a Green Workforce” will be a “green curriculum” and “green diploma” for graduates, who will remerge ready for jobs in new sustainable industries.
GNO, Inc. Resources:
Thomas Rush, Program Manager, GreenN.O.
