Green building will support 7.9 million U.S. jobs and pump $554 billion into the American economy—including $396 billion in wages—from 2009 to 2013, according to a new study from the U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C., and Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Va. The study also determined that green construction spending currently supports more than 2 million American jobs and generates more than $100 billion in gross domestic product and wages. The economic impact of the total green construction market from 2000 to 2008 contributed $178 billion to U.S. gross domestic product; created or saved 2.4 million direct, indirect and induced jobs; and generated $123 billion in wages. The study considered the total employment value of green buildings in recognition of how extensive the impact of green building is. The results range from the architects who design the buildings to the construction laborers who pour their foundations to the truck drivers who deliver the materials.
“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,” says Gary Rahl, officer, 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, where one also can find other research, resources, tools and information about green building and its role in the economic recoveries of professionals, businesses and the nation.