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Big Apple goes green with new jobs

New York City plans to create 13,000 so-called green jobs over the next decade. Alisa Roth reports on what the Big Apple is planning to do.

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Bill Radke: This week, New York City announced plans to create 13,000 so-called green jobs
over the next decade. Marketplace’s Alisa Roth explains what the Big (green) Apple is planning to do. And what other cities can learn.


Alisa Roth: New York’s plan includes projects that will do everything from cleaning up old industrial sites to making buildings more energy efficient. It’s supposed to bring more green businesses to the city. And train people for green jobs.

Mark Izeman directs the New York Urban Program for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He says New York’s expertise in financial markets will help with things like carbon trading.

Mark Izeman: Wall Street will need to play a leading role in that field. So it’s natural, with Wall Street located in New York that we work to make sure that we’re the leaders in that.

The city is putting up some of its own money. But hopes to attract funds from other sources.

Seth Pinsky is president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Seth Pinsky: So the $7.5 million that we’re using in city funding is going to, we believe, spur investing on a much greater scale.

The city has started several similar initiatives lately, including business incubators for food and fashion. The mayor is up for re-election next month.

In New York I’m Alisa Roth for Marketplace.