Last Friday, over 150 Hudson Valley citizens attended a standing room only event to explore “Education and Workforce Development for the 21st Century Economy.” Organized by Simon Gruber and Tom Bregman of S3 Consulting and presented by the Hudson Valley Regional Council, the event featured local experts presenting on a range of important topics — including solar energy, sustainable agriculture, workforce development, and green building — that hold great promise for the future of the Hudson Valley. The program was sponsored by the Environmental Finance Center and the Syracuse Center of Excellence, and by several businesses based in the Hudson Valley.

A noteworthy aspect of the day was the convergence of economic development and environmental protection, two domains that are often perceived as incompatible with one another. Yet, here was the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, one of the nation’s most respected centers for ecological research, hosting discussions on manufacturing, construction, and labor — albeit with a decidedly green hue.

“We believe the Hudson Valley is the most fitting for companies that are going to design and manufacture solar electric cells, modules and appliances,” said Vincent Cozzolino, CEO of The Solar Energy Consortium (TSEC). “The reason we’re so well positioned for that is because our heritage here has been built on the backs of companies like IBM, where we know technology and we know how to get it to market. Nobody else owns this space yet, not in the United States in any case. And there isn’t yet a ’solar valley’ like a ’silicon valley’. This is our opportunity to do it.”

This vision of the Hudson Valley becoming a center for green technology innovation reflects national priorities, including the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes more than $80 billion in clean energy investments. Yet, while the national dialogue is shifting in this direction and last Friday’s conference hints at a regional green technology emergence, a consistent sentiment expressed during the conference is that the Valley needs more leadership and organization to make this a reality.

“Kingston has recently passed a Climate Smart Communities Pledge. And they’re at the point in that platform that is about creating jobs,” said Melissa Everett, Executive Director of nonprofit group Sustainable Hudson Valley. “There is a huge area in the middle of Kingston with building supply companies, a lighting supply company, and an appliance company. And there is also a radical need for building renovation, historic preservation, and weatherization . . . but there is not enough coordination between the providers and the markets.”

This need for increased coordination is a gap that last week’s conference seeks to fill. “We have such a unique combination of a large city like New York, connected by the Hudson River to one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes,” said Gruber. “We have a knowledge base, we have universities, and we have a critical mass of the right kind of people and organizations thinking about the future of the Valley . . . so we have a chance to do something really exciting.”

For related information, check out the following links:
http://www.hvregionalcouncil.org/
http://efc.syracusecoe.org/