Most sessions of Wilmington City Council are sparsely attended. Not so Thursday night when council members passed legislation creating the first-in-the-nation Green Enterprise Zone.

The impetus for the measure stems from an effort started in fall 2008 by two local young men, Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert, who wanted to address the looming loss of thousands of jobs at the DHL Air Park in Wilmington. A Green Enterprise Zone, in part, is meant to aid economic development by fostering the growth of jobs related to alternative energy.

Rembert and Stuckert, who co-founded the non-profit Energize Clinton County, have been assisted in the Green Enterprise Zone initiative by Clinton County Regional Planning Commission Director Chris Schock, city government officials and Pure Blue Energy, a North Carolina company.

After the council meeting, Schock said the action taken Thursday shows Wilmington is trying to be progressive and is taking steps to address deteriorating economic circumstances. On Wednesday, ABX Air said it is laying off 1,034 more employees by the end of August.

“In a time when most municipalities are contracting and holding their budgets close to their chest, Wilmington is taking the future seriously and investing in it by creating a pool of funds precisely for the future of technology. And that’s very progressive,” said Schock.

Both new and existing businesses within the city limits can apply for Green Enterprise Zone funds. The dollars can be invested into such things as workforce programs, the companies’ properties and energy efficiencies, Schock said.

The first uses of these funds are anticipated for 2010.

Schock’s forecast for one year from now: “I think we’ll have tangible projects that have been financed from this fund and tangible multipliers that have paid off within the economy, meaning that people will have made an investment and it would have improved property values, improve development, improve energy efficiency and improve the view of Wilmington.”

Stuckert said declaring the city a Green Enterprise Zone is “a continued demonstration” of the leadership that local people have taken to the loss of DHL, and an illustration of “being creative and innovative” in light of a monumental loss of jobs.