Clean technology is a strength to this city and an opportunity to catalyze job growth. In 2011, a Brookings Institution study found Atlanta is home not only to the most diverse clean metropolitan economy, but is also positioned to become a global leader in the technology.
We cannot have prosperity without sustainability efforts that preserve our environment. The Metro Atlanta Chamber’s Clean Tech Council works with regional partners and business leaders to cultivate a clean-tech economy and attract and grow jobs by promoting best practices among businesses. The council comprises Atlanta’s top clean-tech executives and public policy and higher education leaders.
Clean tech incorporates high-wage job opportunities that require innovative and advanced technological skills. More than 275,000 students are enrolled in 66 institutions learning skills for tomorrow’s jobs.
At Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, students gain hands-on experience at the National Electric Energy Testing Center. The center conducts research to improve the reliability and efficiency of the nation’s electric transmission and distribution system. It is supported by 40 equipment manufacturers and utility companies that serve more than 60 percent of U.S. customers.
Tech is also home to the Strategic Energy Institute. It connects faculty and external partners who execute interdisciplinary research initiatives that increase sustainability, affordability and reliability within the energy cycle.
Students who graduate with the skills acquired by these programs have a plethora of opportunities. Since 2010, metro Atlanta has recruited 34 clean-tech companies, including the GE Smart Grid Center of Excellence, Round 2, Comverge, Newell Recycling and others that have created more than 2,057 jobs. Energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact remain key components in clean-tech business practices.
At TOTO USA, we care for people, the planet and our water system by implementing advanced environmental initiatives. We recycle post-industrial gray water to reduce potable water consumption, power our facility with green electricity from Georgia Power, encourage employees to bring recyclables to TOTO plants if their municipalities do not offer such services, and facilitate additional clean-tech measures.
Higher education institutions and policy and business leaders will continue to work together to spawn Atlanta’s job growth from clean technologies. We are at the forefront of the clean-tech industry, dedicated to making Atlanta the global hub for such activities.
Bill Strang, president of operations, Americas, for TOTO USA , is chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s Clean Tech Leadership Council.
