Page 28 - enLIGHTenment January 2016

housing forecast

RED HOT
Green Is

Sustainability in new construction and home goods continues

to increase in importance each year.

G

reen construction is the largest U.S. economy — and LEED is considered to be a
sector of the fast-growing green pivotal contributor to this total impact.

economy, generating 38 percent of
JOBS
all green jobs, according to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In 2015, green construction’s total impact on em-

According to the 2015 Green Building Economic ployment in 2015 equaled more than 2.3 million
Impact Study prepared by Booz Allen Hamilton for U.S. jobs, contributing $134.3 billion in labor earn-

the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), green ings for working Americans.

building and LEED construction are increasing By 2018, employment and revenue are pro-
incrementally faster than general construction — jected to continue to grow rapidly, with the total

and it shows no signs of slowing, with an estimated impact of green construction reaching more than
growth of 15.1 percent each year through 2018.
3.3 million U.S. jobs and $190.3 billion in labor

The 2015 study predicts the green building earnings. It is expected that green building will

sector of the U.S. construction industry is slated be responsible for more than one-third of all U.S.
for expansive growth. The research revealed that construction jobs, with LEED responsible for con-

green building has created millions of jobs and tributing to 1.1 million (roughly one-third) green
contributed hundreds of billions of dollars to the
construction jobs.

26 enLIGHTenment Magazine | January 2016
www.enlightenmentmag.com