The 52-page
“Green Jobs Study,” produced by the USGBC and the consulting firm Booz
Allen Hamilton (BAH), was released recently at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, held November 11 to 13 in Phoenix, . About $554 billion will be spent between 2009
and 2013 on construction of buildings that have multiple sustainable
features or are LEED-certified. It will take 7.9 million jobs to create
these buildings, according to the report.
“The
study demonstrates that investing in green buildings contributes
significantly to our nation’s wealth while creating jobs in a range of
occupations, from carpenters to cost estimators,” claims Gary Rahl,
senior vice president of BAH. The report can be downloaded at www.usgbc.org/greeneconomy.
From
2000 to 2008, development of “green” buildings contributed $178 billion
to the economy and accounted for 2.4 million U.S. jobs, says the
report. The study defines “green buildings” as those built to LEED or
equivalent standards or those that incorporate numerous green-building
elements across multiple categories, such as energy, water and resource
efficiency, responsible site management and improved indoor air
quality. A project with just a few features, such as waterless urinals,
would not be included.
