Green building ‘to support 8 million American jobs’

The sustainable construction sector is expected to provide close on 8 million jobs and contribute over $550bn per year to the economy of the USA over the next four years.


These are the headline results of an extensive report published by the US Green Building Council this Wednesday, November 11.

Projections aside, the industry already supports more than 2 million jobs and generates more than $100bn per year.

The estimates for future years are based on hopes that the construction sector as a whole will gradually grow greener.

“Our goal is for the phrase ‘green building’ to become obsolete, by making all building and retrofits green – and transforming every job in our industry into a green job,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president and founding chairman of USGBC.

The study was conducted by consultants Booz Allen Hamilton.

It considered the total value of green buildings and the results include workers from the architects who design them to the construction laborers who pour their foundations to the truck drivers who deliver the materials, in recognition of the how extensive the impact of green building is.

“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,” said Gary Rahl, officer for global government market, Booz Allen Hamilton.

“In many ways, green construction is becoming the standard for development. As a result, it is expected to support nearly 8 million jobs over the next five years, a number four times higher than the previous five years.”

The full report can be downloaded at www.usgbc.org/greeneconomy

Sam Bond

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