Want to see the blue economy in action in North Carolina?
There’s a map for that.
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The University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has launched an interactive map pinpointing key blue economy businesses, startups, assets and resources in an effort to boost economic activities in the state that are related to oceans and waterways.
“The goal is to create a comprehensive database that supports entrepreneurs, fosters collaboration, and inspires North Carolinians to engage with and expand their efforts in the Blue Economy,” according to a university news release. “This tool provides a visual snapshot of NC’s potential to become a national leader in sustainable, ocean-focused innovation.”
The university has cited the World Bank’s definition of the blue economy as “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem.”
The map is part of the center’s All Blue program and covers 10 individual sectors ranging from offshore wind to aquaculture. Resources including NC Sea Grant office locations and ongoing offshore wind projects with various electrical partners are also noted on the map.
The UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, or CIE, collaborated with the university’s Cameron School of Business, CIE’s Alliance for the Blue Economy, and FactSet to develop the UNCW Blue Economy Index.
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The index is the first of its kind to measures economic activities in the world’s ocean and waterways, with a focus on environmental impact.
The index fell by 4.55% in October, underperforming its closest benchmarks following what had been a gain of 7.17% the month prior.
During October, the index slightly decreased in its MSCI All World Index benchmark by -1.60%, S&P 500 by -0.06%, and S&P 500 Industrials by -1.38%, according to a university release.
Index performance was heavily boosted by the consumer discretionary sector, which was driven primarily by the cruise line industry where top performers Norwegian, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean saw gains exceeding 20%.
Industrials, on the other hand, saw a decline of 7.34% for the month.
