envirothink
San Jose’s (California) Green Initiative has taken being green to an amazing level.
Striving to be America’s clean tech capital, they’re aggressively recruiting a green collar work force. In August, Underwriters Labs opened their solar certification and testing facility in San Jose. They’ve since announced expansion plans to expand.
In September, Tesla Motors moved their headquarters there, agreeing to also develop a new manufacturing facility.
Since 2007, the number of clean tech jobs has doubled – from 1,500 to over 3,000, not including Tesla’s, which adds another 1,000 jobs.
San Jose currently has 40 clean tech companies employing 2,500 people. With leading clean tech companies like SunPower, Stion, Solopower, Nanosolar and Phillips Lumileds, San Jose companies landed $419 million dollars in Venture Capital financing 3rdquarter of 2008.
This astounding growth is a direct result of San Jose’s leadership and commitment to actively pursuing sustainability via their Green Initiative. For more of San Jose’s progressive innovations, see Part 4.
Filed under: Making a Difference | Tagged: green, green collar, innovation, solar, sustainability, Tesla
