an sbn partnership

 

Business United for Conservation (BUC) is an Industry Partnership of companies that provide conservation and pollution mitigation services in the Philadelphia region. Together BUC businesses identify and address barriers to industry growth, workforce needs, business-to-business procurement opportunities, industry best practices, and technology trends. Broadly, environmental conservation and pollution mitigation includes: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution, and conserving water and other natural resources.

BUC is also committed to facilitating the ongoing alignment of local green companies with job training service providers, building a talent pipeline through the public workforce system, optimizing public investments to best serve the workforce needs of regional businesses, and securing employment commitments and advancement opportunities for qualified workers. Further, BUC serves as a green business advisory group to inform future workforce, policy, and economic development agendas around environmental conservation and curriculum development in emerging industries.

SBN and the Green Economy Task Force released the fourth chapter of the Emerging Industries Project, “Gray to Green: Jumpstarting Private Investment in Green Stormwater Infrastructure” in March 2010. One of Gray to Green’s recommendations was to establish an industry partnership to ensure that emerging companies have easy access to resources and a strong network to address barriers and advance the industry. In response, Business United for Conservation Industry Partnership (BUC) was formed.

BUC businesses conducted an in-depth needs assessment in early 2010 for members of the partnership and for the broader green infrastructure industry, “Capturing the Storm: Profits, Jobs, and Training in Philadelphia’s Stormwater Industry”. This report provides rich insights into barriers that regional companies providing stormwater management services face and will be used to determine how Industry Partnership funding will be allocated to grow the industry.