Even as California's overall economy has sputtered in recent years, its green economy has continued to grow, and the Sacramento area has played a significant role.

Those were some of the conclusions of a comprehensive study released Wednesday at California State University, Sacramento.

The study, titled "Many Shades of Green: Diversity and Distribution of California's Green Jobs," was released by Palo Alto-based nonprofit Next 10 and Collaborative Economics Inc., the Mountain View-based research and consulting organization.

The study used the most recent available data to evaluate green companies, jobs, locations and growth in every region of California.

Officials said the study's findings indicate that future solutions to the state's economic and jobless woes might lie in nurturing its green business infrastructure.

"Data show that green sector businesses are taking root across every region of California, generating jobs across a wide spectrum of skill levels and earnings potential," said F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10, which focuses on environmental and economic issues in California.

From January 1995 through January 2008, the number of green businesses statewide increased 45 percent and jobs in those businesses grew by 36 percent, the study found.

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