The First Green Enterprise Zone

Wilmington GEZOver the last twelve months we have witnessed a dramatic shift in the national and local economies. In the face of these economic challenges, the green economy is now poised to spur development across the country and create jobs for hundreds of thousands of Americans. The groundwork for this development was laid by the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which committed more than $60 billion to green development projects. In concert with this federal investment, the state of Ohio has instituted a competitive incentive structure for green investments and has begun implementing the Ohio Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard which will drive green development in Ohio through 2025.

The flood of new policies, incentives, technologies, and businesses within the green economy require new technical, policy, and community development expertise to effectively facilitate development. To meet these new demands, communities like Wilmington must take innovative steps to build capacities essential to attracting green businesses and stimulus dollars.

To address this need, the Wilmington Green Enterprise Zone (GEZ) seeks to spur local green investment by bringing about a convergence of local capacity building and targeted financial incentives. The Wilmington GEZ—the first of its kind in the country—is a landmark in local development efforts, and stands to thrust Wilmington and Clinton County to the forefront of green economic development in the state of Ohio.

The Wilmington Green Enterprise Zone provides public support and facilitation to green economic development efforts by:

  • Developing an inventory of local assets as they relate to the green economy
  • Incentivizing investments in energy efficiency retrofits, advanced energy technologies, and green collar job retraining
  • Making use of local policy tools to stimulate green investments while providing support to efforts seeking to obtain state and federal incentives
  • Identifying opportunities for workforce retraining that meet the needs of green businesses
  • Establishing a local knowledge base for green building and advanced energy development
  • Attracting green businesses that create sustainable employment opportunitie for Wilmington’s workforce

Read the GEZ legislation and learn more about its history.

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13 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Julie Krabacher  |  November 20, 2008 at 12:56 pm

    This is a fabulous idea. You are absolutely right–Wilmington would be the perfect pioneer community for the development of Ohio’s new green economy. The time is right (at last). I applaud your efforts and your vision. Although I am not a Clinton County resident, as a teacher here I am very concerned about the future of this area. As a science teacher, I advocate environmental responsibility. If I can contribute to the success of your initiative in some way, please let me know.

  • 2. Debbie Rinehart  |  November 20, 2008 at 1:41 pm

    It’s nice to see the youth of our community want to take initiative and the project you describe here is right on track with the needs of the future. As a member of the community and a person who will be directly impacted by the DHL announcement I am always glad to hear positive approaches concerning the outlook for Clinton County. Although I have to question your ability to follow through and dedicate the time involved in this project due to the fact that both of you will be leaving the community in the very near future. What is your contingency plan and who will be pushing this iniative forward in your absence? I would like to see more on your current status and see how I could possibly assist you in your project. Go Green.

  • 3. energizecc  |  November 20, 2008 at 3:13 pm

    Debbie, we appreciate the positive response. We too have recognized this future obstacle. However, it is our belief that we should focus on what we can do today and when we near this time we will consider where we stand, what contribution we can make, and the impact of our decision.

  • 4. Welcome to Energize Clinton County « ENERGIZE Clinton County  |  November 20, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    [...] Ohio’s First Green Enterprise Zone [...]

  • 5. joy brubaker  |  November 22, 2008 at 8:02 am

    This is very exciting. Let me know what I, as an educator, community member, can do to help. I can help with grant writing, visits to politicians/lobbying, brainstorming, foot soldiering, many things. plug me in!

  • 6. joy brubaker  |  November 22, 2008 at 8:04 am

    I would change the resources available to include all of clinton county schools as I see them all as an asset. Clearly the air park drew on more than just Wilmington City Schools.

  • 7. energizecc  |  November 22, 2008 at 12:12 pm

    We appreciate the comments Joy. As for ‘resources available,’ could you clarify? – If you are meaning the PDF titled ‘Wilmington & DHL’ we listed all the county schools in the section on Clinton County. Let us know if it something else.

  • 8. joy brubaker  |  November 23, 2008 at 8:04 am

    under LARGE SKILLED WORKFORCE you only listed wilmington city schools.

  • 9. Josephine Ngo  |  November 24, 2008 at 12:45 pm

    i stumbled over here to see what this site was about, and i have to admit, this is truly inspiring. you guys have an excellent idea on the ground and the perfect backgrounds to match. congratulations for caring so much and actually doing something positive for your community; i had heard from another news source about the possibility of DHL leaving leading to green initiatives in Ohio, and had no idea it was connected to what you were doing (small world). i wish you all the best.

    PS- on another note, i never thought a community-wide economic crisis could lead to the type of brainstorming that would create something incredibly positive. this would be great if it became a ‘copycat trend’ for other young people in other struggling communities to begin their own initiatives if need be. if you start the blueprint, maybe one day you could help other people do the same.

  • 10. Liz Anderson  |  March 3, 2009 at 8:26 am

    Great job, and great idea! I heard your story on NPR this morning. Way to be a leader and not a sheep. Sustainability is the key, and I’m glad you’re bringing answers to your community. I’ll try to chart your progress and spread the word.

  • 11. Wilmington listed in LEED Public Policies database « ENERGIZE Clinton County  |  October 1, 2009 at 8:53 am

    [...] The First Green Enterprise Zone [...]

  • 13. GEZDC Set to Release Grant Application « ENERGIZE Clinton County  |  January 20, 2010 at 5:13 pm

    [...] The First Green Enterprise Zone [...]

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