It’s interesting to see how fast Green Infrastructure has moved in to be front and center in the national agenda.  A Wikipedia entry for it is still considered ’start class’ –meaning it is ‘an article that is developing, but which is quite incomplete and, most notably, lacks adequate reliable sources.’

Of the 787.2 billion Economic Stimulus package, $71 billion  is targeted at energy and environmental initiatives; $20 billion is for green tax incentives. Which explains the surge of interest in these areas:

• The EPA has listed a ‘catalog of training opportunities‘
• IBM is getting into the infrastructure sandbox, intending to offer services to include water, traffic and power grids even health care and finance.
• NPR reported that every $1 billion the federal government commits to roads, bridges etc helps to support some 35,000 jobs.
• NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is holding a 3-day course in June to teach students how to apply GIS tools, methodologies, and analyses  using a Green Infrastructure’ approach
• AT&T is partnering with SmartSync, to provide smart metering
• The Department of Energy’s web site has a section devoted to Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. It lists financial opportunities for business, industry, and universities, inventors, states and tribes…

Whether you call it green infrastructure or clean tech there is plenty of design and planning at stake. Before any solar, hydo-thermal or transportation system is put into place, cities and counties need expertise to plan and manage these projects. We’ve got plenty of it here at ASU and the Decision Theater.