Imperial Valley News

Sacramento, California - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined with business and environmental leaders to unveil the Environmental Defense Fund's (EDF) inaugural "Innovations Review: Making Green the New Business as Usual" report, which is the result of a nationwide review of products and practices that increase environmental efficiency and provide savings to businesses.

"The Environmental Defense Fund recognized that ‘business as usual' is changing, so they created a new way to assess environmental innovation," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "More than a third of the companies showcased are based here. I love it when California is number one and it is a big thrill to see businesses in our state leading the way.

"The one thing these companies have in common is leadership. And leadership is exactly what we need to tackle the enormous challenges of climate change while protecting economic growth."

EDF's inaugural review underscores that California businesses are leading the way in defining greener business practices. The report assessed hundreds of business products, practices and technologies, selecting more than 20 innovations and 31 companies from around the country to highlight in its report. Of those recognized, eleven companies are based in California.

California companies are producing a growing share of green technology patents-44 percent of all U.S. patents in solar and 37 percent in wind-and numerous energy efficient products and services. According to Next 10's "California Green Innovation Index," California represents almost half of all green-tech investment in the U.S., and all signs point to continued growth. In fact, venture capitalists last year invested $1.78 billion in California green technology companies. Since 1990, the green business establishments in the state have grown by 84 percent and employment has doubled.