Several Western states are looking at a way of improving their environment and building a new economy as part of the process.
"Restoration Economy," is the “development of economic activities, such as jobs and increased tourist revenue, stemming directly from activities and projects that restore damaged resources. Restoration ranges from repairing abandoned mine lands and brownfields to improving the health of degraded forests, rangelands and waterways. The restoration economy highlights the ability of environmental conservation and restoration to create good jobs and increased revenue, thereby bringing together two interests, jobs and the environment, sometimes portrayed as being at odds," according to a new report put together by the Progressive States Network and Western Progress, a group working for Progressive policies in the Rocky Mountain states.
Montana won the gold star for its "holistic approach to restoration in building the underlying foundation for creating a new economy, including improving infrastructure and promoting job development alongside the environmental benefits of restoration."
The practices outlined in the report show that profits can be earned from practices that not only protect the environment, but help it thrive.
It all depends upon whether you see the glass as half empty, therefore leaving more for you to take, or choosing to fill it to the brim.
- Jim Grinstead
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