This week I had the pleasure of presenting and participating in a truly inspiring dialogue around cleantech as a vehicle for regional economic development.  The meeting brought together regional economic development executives, business leaders, investors, and government agencies all centered around a city in the Midwest (for client confidentiality, I will leave out specifics, but it is a state/city hard hit by the recession).

I heard a roomful of hopeful leaders who saw an opportunity to leverage the region’s technology strengths to stimulate growth.  I talked about the tremendous impact that cleantech has had on investment and job growth in California and how cities such as Philadelphia (recently awarded DOE financing to develop itself into a hub of building energy efficiency innovation) are using clean energy as an anchor for development.  It is a key reason why anti-growth and anti-innovation measures such as Prop 23 are so insidious and so potentially destructive (Californians - please vote No on 23)!.

As someone who spends most of my time on the coasts, I am not always aware how genuinely difficult things have gotten in the rest of this country.  Traveling out to the Midwest this week gave me a real sense of how certain regions are really struggling with unemployment and with migration of their best and brightest to other regions.  I can see how voters in these states have become disenchanted and angry.  I can see how they turn to those who offer what seem like quick fixes.

I can only hope that they will turn away from the politicians offering just slogans and anger and false promises and will turn to the types of people that I met this week.  People who really believe that innovation is they key to the future.  People who see brighter days ahead for these regions if they focus on the talent of their people, on education, on becoming part of an intellectually and creatively driven renaissance. 

I fear that there is far too much blaming happening now and not enough thinking about solutions.  Sitting in a room of solution-minded leaders really gave me hope this week.