Shining a green light on growth

By Thomas Content of the Journal Sentinel

For more and more businesses, going green has gone from being viewed as an extra to a critical path to staying competitive.

That's the view coming from Waukesha County's business community, where the county's Economic Development Corp. believes use of sustainability and green business practices could help the region set itself apart over the long term.

Bill Mitchell runs the economic development corporation for Waukesha County, where the county is basing its business-growth strategy on greening its business community through a new initiative called Partnerships for Sustainability.

The initiative seeks to train companies with fewer than 250 workers on steps they can take to become more sustainable and save on their operating costs.

"This is about jobs," Mitchell said. "The job growth over the next decades in green jobs, that's what got our attention, with companies adapting their products and processes related to green." More here.