The Road to Recovery: 2009-2010 Forum Materials and Guidelines Now Available
November 3 , 2009. Each year, Southern Growth Policies Board starts a conversation in the South on a particular issue related to economic development. We do this by holding community forums, or moderated discussions, in communities large and small across the region. In 2009, more than 2,300 Southerners participated in community forums, state policy dialogues and an online survey to share their thoughts and opinions on how communities could best take advantage of the economic opportunities associated with energy. Read more about this year's Community Forum topic of economic recovery and join us in organizing a forum in your community!

Abernathy Speaks to University of South Carolina Students at the Moore School of Business
October 22, 2009.  Technology, environmentalism, urbanization and globalization trends are nothing new, said Ted Abernathy, executive director of the Southern Growth Policies Board, to an audience of business students October 20. Communications technology has evolved over centuries, he suggested. Early examples of globalization include the evolution of the Silk Road and the creation of the East India Trading Company. Environmentalism has been a movement in the United States for more than a hundred years.

The choices we make and the paths we follow – the “tangents,” as he described them –in response to these issues are the key to progress and economic development. [for the complete article]

The Challenges of Southern Growth Policies Board topic of Radio Talk Show.
July 2, 2009.  Ted Abernathy, Executive Director of Southern Growth Policies Board, spoke with Donna London, Director of the Jim Self Center on the Future at Clemson University about the challenges of Southern Growth Policies Board and the challenges and issues facing the south. Audio can be accessed by selecting the July 2, 2009 broadcast of Your Day at here or by downloading the audio MP3 file .

Southern Growth Holds First Webinar
2009 Report on the Future of the South discussed along with an Introduction to new Online Forums
Southern Growth Policies Board held its first webinar, in what is hoped to be many, on September 22. The topic, A Conversation on Southern Energy, included a discussion of the 2009 Report on the Future of the South contents, along with an overview of Southern Growth, information about the SAFER Alliance and the Southern Bioenergy Roadmap, and an introduction to another new feature — Online Forums. 140 people registered for this event. For those of you who were unable to join or who want to review the webinar, materials are available for download below.