The link between environment and economic competitiveness is driving a transformation in the global ecomomy, and Pacific North America is blessed with abundant resources to shape a sustainable and prosperous future for the region's citizens.

With a combined population of 52 million and a GDP of $2.5 trillion, the five jurisdictions of Pacific North America from Alaska to California are poised to emerge as a mega-region and global economic powerhouse driven by innovation, energy, geographic location and sustainable resource management, attracting new jobs and investment while enhancing an already unparalleled quality of life.

Regional Best Practices:

• Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon are members of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER), a regional U.S.-Canadian forum dedicated to encouraging global economic competitiveness and preserving our world-class natural environment.

• In the 2009 Speech from the Throne, the British Columbia government announced proposed legislation that will require wood as the primary building material in all new publicly-owned and provincially-funded buildings, invigorating the province’s depressed forestry industry by creating a “wood first” culture that can create new demand for B.C. wood - the world's most environmentally-sustainable building material.

• In November 2008, the citizens of California voted in favour of Proposition 1A to build a state-wide high-speed rail system.  Funded through public-private partnership, the 220-mile-per-hour electric high-speed train system will reduce the state’s dependence on foreign oil by more than 12 million barrels per year and reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming by 12.7 billion pounds annually.  The high-speed train project will draw upon and expand California’s skilled workforce, creating nearly 160,000 construction-related jobs to plan, design and build the system. An additional 450,000 permanent jobs are expected to be created by 2035 as a result of the economic growth the train system will bring to California.

•  Oregonians who build a sustainable commercial building are eligible for a tax credit from the Oregon Department of Energy. The building must meet an established standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council´s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) or be rated by a comparable program approved by the Oregon Department of Energy. For more information go to: http://www.oregon.gov/energy/cons/bus/tax/sustain.shtml.

•  In Washington, Governor Chris Gregoire’s proposed Green Jobs and Climate Action package will create jobs, stimulate the economy and reduce climate-changing greenhouse gas pollution, strengthening Washington’s position in the global race to seize the opportunities of the green economy, and leading the way to skilled, good-paying green jobs of the future.