b'OPPORTUNITY LIVES HEREtheir dreams. Since its inception, they have placed over $355,000 directly intoDelaware Sea Grant (DESG) Green Infrastructure Internship Program the hands of alumni entrepreneurs in the form of prize money, loans, and(Wilmington, Delaware)grants (including $10,000 in emergency COVID-19 grants). The state couldStudents from Delaware Technical Community College are learning firsthand similarly fund, train, and support entrepreneurs. about how to implement, design, construct, and maintain green infrastructure 2.3Advance Clean Energy Initiatives for Sustainable Jobs and Resources forprojects, as well as gain an understanding of environmental resilience the Region challenges in Delaware, as part of the Delaware Sea Grant (DESG) Green Emerge Program (New Jersey)Infrastructure Internship Program. Led by Emma Ruggiero, DESGs workforce development coordinator and a doctoral student in the University of New Jerseys Emerge Program, created under the Economic Recovery ActDelawares Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, the program teaches interns (ERA) of 2020, encourages economic development in priority sectors and inin a virtual classroom setting, then takes students around the state to look at targeted communities across the state. The program provides per-job taxexamples of green infrastructure sites. Students are compensated for their credits to projects that invest private capital into the state and create new (orwork and travel. retain existing) good-paying jobs. To be eligible, a project must create or retainGreen infrastructure is meant to not only improve the environment, but also at least 35 new full-time jobs. If the company is considered a small businessmitigate impacts related to coastal hazards, which are especially important (with less than 100 full-time equivalent employees), then the company mustfor the state to start to manage. While there is an opportunity for Delaware achieve 25 percent growth of their workforce within the eligibility period.to utilize green infrastructure, theres not yet the workforce to perform the One of the targeted sectors of this program is clean industry, including R&D,design, the installation or the management. Scaling this existing program could commercialization, manufacturing of products implementation of technologiescreate the labor pool to make the District an attractive location for sustainable that support renewables, grid modernization, zero-carbon development, anddevelopment.transportation electrification. An incentive program like this could help the District better target specific industries that are most beneficial to the long- 2.4Support Investment in Charging Station Infrastructureterm growth and vitality of the District. St. Louis Makes (St. Louis, Missouri) Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute (San Antonio, Texas)St. Louis Makes, a nonprofit 501c3, was a community peer group that served The University of Texas at San Antonio created the Texas Sustainable Energyemerging and mid-size regional manufacturers to help them drive sales Research Institute to partner with the community and contribute to a newexpansion through product innovation and identification of new market energy future that builds on a diverse resource base to position San Antonioopportunities. Organization membership offers factory tours, boot camps as a significant contributor to the 21st century global energy economy. Thewhere members can learn from other manufactures, and direct access to Institute integrates scientific discovery, engineering innovation and policyeducational opportunities through informative and topical webinars. St. deliberations with pragmatic implementation and a commitment to localLouis Makes provide innovating and practical learning opportunities, proving multicultural traditions with the goal of becoming a global energy leader.members with on-the-ground research conducted by Saint Louis Universitys The Insititute provides systems solutions that pursue novel opportunities forUrban Planning and Development Program. While the program is no longer technology insertion to reduce costs, improve reliability and assure responsibleactive, lessons learned from St. Louis Makes could inform a comprehensive environmental stewardship to drive San Antonios economic future, coalesceapproach to encouraging local manufacturing in the District.intellectual capital, and serve as a magnet for thought leaders from aroundREDI Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio) the globe. The state could similarly marshal its intellectual power, research capabilities, and physical infrastructure to prioritize sustainable energy andThe Cincinnati region offers one of the best ecosystems for manufacturers to become a hub for innovation in this space. thrive and grow. Regional growth in manufacturing has more than doubled the Delaware Three Rivers Area Economic Development Master Plan 159'