New Report Finds Clear Evidence of US Jobs Boom from Green Building

There are new jobs to be had from America's "green" building boom, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) confirms, and lots of them.

In a new report conducted with consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, the USGBC says green construction is on track to support nearly 8 million new jobs by 2013 — a 400 percent leap over the previous five years.

The report is one of the first to focus exclusively on the employment opportunities from green building.

The authors found that efforts to make buildings more energy efficient already supports more than 2 million jobs and contributes $100 billion in gross domestic product and U.S. wages.

"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 of global government market at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Between 2009 and 2013, green construction will pour an additional $554 billion into the U.S. economy. That's "despite an expected decline in the overall construction market," the report's authors said.

The figures are more evidence that green building is the ultimate no-brainer climate and economic solution.

Buildings account for nearly 75 percent of America's annual electricity consumption and spew almost half of the country's global warming emissions.

Greening up the building sector will save $6 billion in energy costs over the next four years. That adds up to 45 million metric tons of planet-warming emissions averted — the carbon equivalent of removing 8 million cars from the road and avoiding 10 new coal plants.

The report was released as part of last week's annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo.

Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore, the conference keynote speaker, said in his 40-minute remarks that green buildings are "one of the key ways that we're going to solve the climate crisis."

But there's a catch: financing.

For the full benefits of green building to be realized, "we need to help homeowners pay for the up-front investments that these technologies require," Gore said.

He called for "tax incentives and financing instruments that build in the costs of the extra measures," which are going to "more than pay for themselves over a few years."

To accomplish that, "we need national legislation," Gore said.

Eyes on Congress

Experts agree that a national climate law could be a cornerstone of a green building boom — but not necessarily the version being considered right now in the Senate. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee earlier this year approved the American Clean Energy Leadership Act, which provides a blueprint for increasing energy efficiency in buildings. Its language likely will be worked into the larger Senate climate bill.

Ed Mazria, the founder of Architecture 2030, says the climate bill passed the U.S. House in June, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, is a better bet for the nation for one reason: Section 201 of that bill includes vital building energy code updates and timelines.