Green Buildings Are Great For Your Health – And They Create Cool Jobs Too !
Imagine – you work in an office in a large city. You are surrounded by vehicles, noise and smog. Yet when you take a lunch break, you can easily stroll among beautiful flowers, watch butterflies flying around and hear birds chirping.
This is what happens at a green building in San Francisco – it houses the California Academy of Sciences. It has over 2 acres (1 hectare) of living roof where almost 2 million plants, insects and birds flourish.
This green building has solar panels for energy, while water flowing through pipes in the bathrooms also generates power. Automatic skylights open and close to help regulate the temperature inside the building, and natural sunlight is used to light up the inside as possible.
Does that sound good? It’s happening all over the world.
Here’s what’s even better:- people are healthier living in green homes and working in green buildings.
And there’s more good news – building new eco-friendly buildings is expected to generate more than 6.5 million jobs by 2030, according to predictions by the International Labor Organization.
Next to energy, green buildings will be the second-fastest growing sector for green jobs in the coming decades.
Why Do We Need Green Buildings?
If we are to have any hope of slowing the horrific effects of climate change, we need to design green buildings that use as little energy and water as possible. This needs some quite sophisticated technology – as well as people with the skills to make it happen.
Buildings currently generate around 38% of energy-related global greenhouse gas emissions. It means we won’t meet the 2°C of warming target unless all of our buildings become greener in terms of the way they are constructed and operated.
All over the world, the number of certified green buildings has increased dramatically – there are more than 65,000 in the US – and it is a trend that is expected to continue.
What Skills Do Green Buildings Need?
We need
- engineers who know how to deal with renewable energy systems,
- architects who can produce beautiful designs that use recycled materials and produce zero emissions
- urban planners who can connect public transport in efficient ways so we don’t need cars
- finance experts who know how to deal with green buildings.
Certain occupations are likely to be more in demand than others too. The US Bureau of Labour Statistics expects there to be a 105% growth in jobs for solar panel installers by 2026, creating more than 11,800 jobs in the US alone.
How Are Countries Generating Green Buildings?
Many countries are implementing regulations on new buildings. For example, in China the government requires 50% of all new urban buildings to be green certified.
In the UK, around 20 skilled jobs will be created for every $1 million invested in existing infrastructure, while in China it will be around 200, and 160 in Brazil.
Water shortages around the world will also create jobs – Argentina’s 15-year national water plan will result in 200,000 jobs.
Engineering companies such as Arup and many architectural companies say they are struggling to recruit enough skilled people to meet the growing demand for green buildings.
Some Interesting Work In Green Buildings
Here are some skills that are growing in demand:
- Eco-designers to design products to be more efficient
- Energy efficiency specialists (especially in China and India, where construction is booming)
- Emissions consultants to assess the carbon impact of products in a building and help drive them down
- Specialist gardeners to care for green walls and living roofs
- IT specialists to set up and maintain the energy and mechanical venting systems and other computer controlled technology.
And see this post for even more job growth areas.
Will It Work?
The nay-sayers who claim that going green will cost them jobs may be right – if they don’t adapt. It’s time to change, and embrace a new way of thinking. A way of thinking that respects the Earth, and recognises that the planet is not just there for us to plunder.
We CAN create a greener future, without fossil fuels, pollution and destruction.
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Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to download your free green living handbook “Live Well, Live Green” here.
Related:
- See some more great green jobs here! (You can work to save the world!).
- Get rid of all the toxic products in your life (you’ll be shocked at where they hide!). It’s easy – see how here!
