New economies thriving in recession

The recession might be affecting the greenback, but the green economy is thriving. Observers point out that, worldwide, the green economy is creating jobs at a healthy pace. For example sources say that jobs in Britain’s “renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainability and corporate social responsibility sectors” were up 58% over the last 12 months. In Canada, the employment rate in the environmental sector is growing more than twice as fast as the overall Canadian work force. President Obama has made it clear that an important part of his economic stimulus package will focus on retooling American manufacturing (including auto) to conform to and advance responsible ecological practices. We’re hearing similar news out of Europe, the Middle East and Asia.  All over the world, many existing occupations are being “upgraded” to meet the requirements of a new emphasis on “green” society, but the green economy is also creating completely new career and consumer categories.

In fact, the worldwide economy is changing in a number of ways, some having to do with the recession and others not so much. At Active, we’re of course aware of the mainstreaming of corporate trade. Other changes include the rise of what some have called “the creator economy”: defined by interactivity, the creator economy’s “central economic actor is someone who both produces and consumes in the same act.” Think Google, YouTube, and Facebook. Think of marketing that is rooted not in mass media but in an individual’s social graph—the intimate network of friends, acquaintances, coworkers and followers that define our place in the connected world.

The common thread? A sense of connection, and the importance of exchange. A sense that we need to explore new avenues of commerce. A sense that the personal is now, in fact, not only the political but the economic as well.