No one is more excited about the sustainability movement than the workforce development community. When was the last time the public conversation about jobs was this hopeful, this positive? For the first time in recent memory, we feel that the asset that is the skills development system (community colleges, job training programs, community organizations, one-stop career centers) is being recognized as an ally in the effort to develop communities and create wealth, while improving air and water quality and optimizing power, water and materials. Certainly the funding for green jobs training is a welcome change after a decade of disinvestment in skills development.

In the two years since we released the original background report on sustainable economic development, the field has rapidly evolved and we have been engaged in a number of projects that have refined and enhanced our approach.