Green-collar jobs this week in the media

It's been a good week in the media. I've been in the paper three times regarding a presentation I gave last Tuesday on green-collar jobs at NWACC.The event was well advertised, and afterwards the media wrote potent articles highlighting the potential for regional collaboration. Here's an excerpt from today's NWA Times (reprinted from the Benton County Daily Record):

2009 has been declared the "year of efficiency" by a local entrepreneur and energy advocate who also happens to sit on the Fayetteville City Council.
Fayetteville Alderman Matthew Petty said 2009 will be the year of efficiency because of the increased focus on efficiency at all levels of government and society.
...
The job of developing a green economy doesn't stop with efficiency nor does it stop at the end of 2009.
Petty spoke about what needs to be done in 2010 and beyond once "we get solid efficiency under our belts."
More efforts need to go into developing and using renewable energy sources such as wind, geothermal, advanced biofuels and solar energy, he said. There also needs to be more emphasis on local food sources and on developing a mass transit and freight rail system, Petty said.
As he concluded his ideas, Petty said it's important for people to voice their opinions to state and local officials. It's also important for the ideas to be adopted throughout the region, not by just one city.
"We all have to buy into it," he said.

This was the third article about the event. There was even a front page article on the Gazette's Business section last Wednesday by Stacey Roberts.
This makes me very optimistic about the future of green-collar jobs in Northwest Arkansas. We're on the verge of a comprehensive program, and we're much closer to a regional approach than most people realize.