Thursday, July 1, marks the start of the "Clear the Air Challenge, " a month long competition issued by Governor Gary Herbert, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon. The Challenge gives us a fun opportunity to reduce our vehicle emissions by choosing alternatives to driving using TravelWise strategies. Consider the impact: If all drivers living along the Wasatch Front were to park their cars just one day per week, vehicle emissions would be reduced by 6,500 tons per year.

The challenge is open to all travelers excited about smarter alternatives to driving alone. The goal is to eliminate 300,000 single-occupant vehicle trips, saving 2 million miles, and reduce 3.4 million pounds of emissions. EDCUtah has chosen to participate in the Challenge as a corporate team. If you haven't done so, we hope you will also consider accepting the Challenge, either personally or as a corporate team. Click here to register.

On another subject, we just published the summer edition of the Utah Site Selection newsletter. This issue highlights one of the big reasons why Utah is a top choice for companies. The laws we have on the books and the ones that continue to be framed by our legislature make doing business in Utah profitable and business friendly. I invite you to read this issue and learn about the latest legislation effecting economic development in Utah including: energy, property taxes, workforce services, health care and education. Click here to open the online edition.

Today's Economic Review also includes links to many of the ED-related news stories from the past week. As always, if you have comments, suggestions or topics you'd like to see in the Economic Review, please contact us by clicking the "Comments" link on the bottom of this page. Enjoy!

Jeff Edwards
President and CEO

What percentage of Utah's workforce is green? And what industrial or occupational sectors have the highest number of green jobs?

That's what the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) would like to know, and more, about green jobs in Utah. You can help. Not long ago the department mailed a Green Jobs Survey to about 13,000 Utah establishments. Nate Talley, a labor market economist for the DWS, says data from the survey will be studied to identify how the Utah economy is changing with respect to the emergence of green jobs.

The Green Jobs Survey was produced with support from the U.S. Department of Labor to research Utah's "green" business activities. Data from the survey will be used to measure the emerging needs of "green" employers in the state of Utah, and identify opportunities for workforce training programs.

Talley says some states report that two to five percent of their workforces are involved in green jobs, but such figures vary widely, depending on the methodologies used to survey the workforce. The DWS doesn't have any figures on the number of actual green jobs in Utah, so survey participants will be providing a valuable service that will help the state remain competitive in the emerging economy.

"Changes in the economy affect everyone. Having access to green jobs data will be useful to employers, workforce programs, academia, and policymakers," he explains.

Don't think you employ any "green" workers? "We want to know that, too," says Talley. Take a look at how the survey defines an employee as "green" to find how many of your employees are included in the classification. For example, green jobs include:

• Employees who are involved in the production, use, or distribution of renewable energy and alternative fuels
• Employees who produce, manufacture, or install, energy efficient products
• Employees that work on new efficient building or building retrofitting
• Employees involved in environmental education, regulation, training, or energy trading

If you received a survey by mail, you can easily complete the survey by clicking here, or it can be filled out and faxed to (801) 526-9238. If you did NOT receive a survey by mail, you can still participate. Simply call Sara McKinney at, (801)526-9464 or email her at smckinney@utah.gov. The DWS will be collecting data through the end of July.

For questions and assistance with the survey, please contact Sara McKinney at smckinney@utah.gov, or call (801) 526-9464.