Green business culture is thriving in smaller cities across the US. Leon Kaye offers insights from Milwaukee and Columbus.
Local governments that are not afraid to experiment and reach out to businesses such as green builders or clean energy startups are also a boost towards the development of a sustainable business culture. Ample low-cost factory space left behind by manufacturing companies that closed operations, or moved offshore, can also lead to new opportunities. Two cities in America’s midwest offer examples of where businesses committed to sustainability are taking off.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a leading example of a city that has transformed in recent years. Once a large manufacturing hub, Milwaukee has seen its manufacturing sector, and its beloved brewing industry, decline. But even during its industrial heyday, the city had developed sustainable practices.
Columbus may be in the middle of America’s rust belt but the change underway in Ohio’s capital ranks it at least a greenbelt on the sustainability index. The city has worked with businesses to build new green developments on old industrial sites. In a state that is still highly reliant on coal energy, entrepreneurs have opportunities to retrofit both government and privately-owned buildings to make them more energy efficient.
Source: The Guardian
By Leon Kaye