Green jobs continue to grow in the U.S., offering solutions to help mitigate both economic and environmental challenges

Green jobs aren’t just a phase prompted by the American Recovery and Reinvestment act: their numbers have grown steadily since 2003 and have already surpassed the total number of fossil-fuel-related jobs in the United States. According to a recent study jointly conducted by The Brookings Institute and Battelle entitled Sizing the Clean Economy, green jobs make up a significant part of the American economy and comprise a wide range of industries and sectors. Fully 2.7 million jobs are considered green by this report, and include such sectors as energy-saving building materials, recycling and reuse , and green building materials.

Just as importantly, the report’s findings are optimistic about the future. Not only is job creation on the rise, but the green jobs that are building America’s green economy are jobs that can help to mitigate many of our economic and environmental challenges. For example:

• The green economy is manufacturing and export intensive.
• Green jobs offer better pay for low- and middle-skilled workers than the national economy as a whole.
• The growth of green jobs and their financial impact has been observed nationwide.

 In closing, the report cites a number of ways to help keep the momentum of green job growth going, most critically by supporting businesses that create those jobs.

To read the full article, click here.

For a copy of Sizing the Clean Economy, click here.