New stories about green building frequently read like flashy press releases from environmental non-profits.
Wow: “Entourage” star Adrian Grenier‘s new pad will have wall insulation made of recycled denim! No kidding: Johnny Depp’s Bahamas island home runs on solar hydrogen technology!
Locally speaking, Mayor Adrian Fenty launched GreenDC Agenda to a whole lot of hoopla and excitement, and it’s all just, well, showy.
So I’m heartened to read an actual report about green building. Today, The Pew Charitable Trusts released its study about jobs created by the clean energy economy.
“Jobs in the District of Columbia’s clean energy economy grew by 18.8 percent while overall job growth fell by 7.1 percent between 1998 and 2007, according to study. A lot of these jobs are within the development sector: construction workers, engineers, and plumbers.
A few other interesting thoughts from the press release:
- In 2007, there were more than 5,300 jobs in the District of Columbia’s clean energy economy – about the same as the number of employees at the Smithsonian Institution.
- D.C. has set renewable energy and emissions standards and has attracted $90 million in venture capital in just the past three years-almost all of it for clean energy generation.
- The 2006 Green Building Act increased demand in these fields through a requirement that all new commercial buildings be LEED certified. The District also has renewable portfolio standards and meets California vehicle emission standards.