Fayetteville-Center of Environmental Sustainability

[Mith242]

I think it's a bit ironic that despite Fayetteville trying to really branch out into 'green jobs' that other areas of the state have been picking them up. I hadn't realized until recently how the state has attracted a number of wind turbine companies. Granted things have scaled back because of the economy. There's one wind turbine factory in Little Rock, but they recently laid off some workers. Then there's plans for another wind turbine factory in central Arkansas planned at some point and one in Jonesboro as well.

That also reminds me, the other week I heard a brief mention that Green Valley has won some prestigious award for their work not just in NWA but in Arkansas as well. But the newscast never revealed any info and I never heard anyone else pick up on the story.

[Mith242]

Not really news for NWA but I noticed news about a new wind turbine facility being built down in Ft Smith. I believe it's a $100 Mil Mitsubishi plant that will employ 400. I keep wondering why NWA doesn't seem able to land any of these wind turbine plants that keep getting announced. They seem to be popping up all over the state. With Fayetteville putting so much emphasis on green jobs, guess I'd just figure they'd be more in the running for these factories. Granted the state has had a lot of emphasis on manufacturing jobs and they probably have people around looking for more manufacturing jobs. In the past NWA had a pretty low unemployment rate that hurt us because these companies would rather locate in another area of the state where there were more people to fill the jobs. But surely you'd think with the way the economy has been that there would be people to fill those type of jobs up here as well. Are we not doing something these other locations are to land these wind turbine manufacturing jobs?

[Mith242]

Had a nice section in the newspaper today talking about the green initiative in the area. But I get the impression the Ark Dem-Gaz only put it in the NWA section though. Too bad since the Green Valley group have been really pushing the concept in the whole state and neighboring states as well. But that's always been one of my problems with the Ark Dem-Gaz. Had all of this taken place in central Arkansas, they would have made sure every single one of their newspapers carried the story. But because it's NWA I'm guessing it was dropped for the other state newspapers.

[aerotive]

Had a nice section in the newspaper today talking about the green initiative in the area. But I get the impression the Ark Dem-Gaz only put it in the NWA section though. Too bad since the Green Valley group have been really pushing the concept in the whole state and neighboring states as well. But that's always been one of my problems with the Ark Dem-Gaz. Had all of this taken place in central Arkansas, they would have made sure every single one of their newspapers carried the story. But because it's NWA I'm guessing it was dropped for the other state newspapers.