Greening of industry network noticeboard

Over the past decade, a strong trend toward regional environmental management has emerged in the United States with the recognition that population and economic centres have grown up around abundant water and other natural resources. Policy-makers and regulators gain certain economies of scale through this approach. A powerful analytical perspective can also be obtained by tracing policy development, and predicting the effectiveness of future implementation vehicles in addressing risks and costs, and maximising benefits. Given the importance of regional economies to the level of national economic strength, it is important to assess the effects of environmental management strategies on competitiveness. The Great Lakes region, the manufacturing heartland of North America, can serve as a model for this analysis. This region has a wealth of natural resources, including a system of five large lakes with 20% of world's surface freshwater. Its economy represents about 60% of US auto production, 70% of steel, and a vast supplier network. Over the past two decades, the region has stripped out about 20% of its manufacturing jobs through vigorous restructuring. A slow economic recovery is underway, encouraged by productivity gains, new partnerships, and an infusion of capital into R & D, technologies and equipment. The region has been called an 'experimental model' for environmental management, and in the US, there has been a strong movement by regulators toward extending Great Lakes-specific strategies to other regions. However, it i s important to recognise that while some 'experiments' have succeeded, many others have sparked controversy.