In 2013, UTGI organized Knoxville’s first community forum on growing the area’s green economy, bringing together nearly 100 stakeholders from diverse economic sectors, such as agriculture, construction, government, research and development, transportation, workforce development, and more. The event included keynote speaker Joel Rogers, Director of COWS, a think-and-do tank on high-road development, as well as 13 focus group discussions where we asked participants about their role in the green economy and what was needed to support it. Following this event, we wrote a report presenting several “bridges and barriers” to growth, including the need for strong government and UT leadership, coordination of goals among sectors, community empowerment, and workforce development.
A special thank you to the event’s sponsors: UT’s Provost’s Office, the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, UT’s Office of Research, UT’s Institute of Agriculture, the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, the College of Business Administration, the City of Knoxville, and the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce.