Building Green Skills: The New Economic Stimulus Package

Friday, September 25, 2009

Registration, Networking & Refreshments, 1:30pm

Panel Discussion, 2:00pm

With the Obama Administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we’re watching an unprecedented opportunity here in Massachusetts for change, with 42 communities throughout the Commonwealth receiving $42 million in grants for greening the state.  The new economic stimulus package is paving the way for smarter national infrastructure, which will inevitably create jobs and drive innovation to build a greener world.

The shape of our workforce, our businesses, and our entire economy will change. We can navigate this change to our advantage by developing those skills and technologies that will most help us in the coming green economy.  In the future, jobs that do not help achieve the goals of improving environmental stewardship will simply be less productive and less competitive.  Within the next two years, stimulus spending is expected to create or save 79,000 jobs in Massachusetts, and estimates say that thousands of additional green jobs will be created in Massachusetts by stimulus-related initiatives.

Green career opportunities span across the business ecosystem. They encompass a wide range of possibilities, from environmental consulting and green product design to clean technology such as solar and wind energy. Further, traditional associated industries are also transitioning into this arena through green investing, environmental law, and an outgrowth of “green” or social entrepreneurs. However, green jobs require green skills, and green skills require training and education. How does one develop a sustainable business?  What types of change will be needed within an organization to keep competitive? Come meet and participate in discussions with leaders of organizations that have developed their green skills or re-vamped their business in response to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

On September 25th, Brandeis International Business School’s Asper Center for Global Entrepreneurship, Executive Minds for Social Innovation, and TiE Boston, invite you to a stimulating discussion on building the skills needed to meet the new opportunities presented by the Obama administration’s new economic stimulus package.  The event will start with registration and a chance to meet others across academia, industry, government, and community organizations, followed by an engaging and interactive panel discussion with the region’s thought-leaders on green skills. 

Panelists

• Robert Bry, Academic Initiative, IBM
• Efrain Viscarolasaga, Reporter on Green issues, Mass High Tech
• Dr. Matthew Laudon, President, Clean Technology & Sustainable Industries Organization
• Merybeth Campbell, Director Workforce Development, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
• Brian Kuhn, Founder, Aeronautica Windpower LLC

Moderated by: Michael M. Appell, M.A. ’79, Adjunct Professor, Brandeis International Business School