FEATURE STORY Houston Green Building


Nationwide the ‘green’ movement has received lots of media and public attention, and is having a significant impact on the economy. Last year alone, sales of green homes nationwide accounted for 16 percent of the $100 billion homebuilding industry, up from 2 percent in 2006, according to information-services provider McGraw-Hill Construction in New York.


By MAGGIE YANCEY, GHBA Government Affairs and Communications Specialist


You Have a Voice with GAC!


If you have questions about this article or would like to get involved on the Government Affairs Committee, call (281) 970-8970, ext. 142 or email Maggie at myancey@ghba.org.


The City of Houston and Gulf Coast region have fared the economic downturn much better than the rest of the country, improving its positioning in the green market. Houston’s slower emersion into the green trend has enabled the evolution of the industry standard. The work over the last decade has paved a strong foundation for the green movement to have economic and future growth possibilities for our industry for years to come.


Houstonians were not surprised to learn then that a new report by the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program ranked Houston 9th among the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas “Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment.” Houston’s clean economy was profiled in some of the following areas:


„ 9th among the 100 largest metro areas „ Nearly 40,000, or 1.6% of all jobs in the region


„ Job growth exceeding 5% annually between 2003 and 2010


„ Each job produces nearly $17,000 in exports


„ Estimated median wage of $42,779 a year, com- pared to $38,608 for all jobs in Houston


The economic downturn has also heightened interest in green homes, as many of those features provide a new home with a competitive edge over resale. As cities continue to move towards stricter energy codes for construction, it becomes more necessary to be building above the standard.


The GHBA understands there are a lot of options in the market right now, and it’s essential that you have a credible green program to back up your product or home. Last year in June, the GHBA launched the much-anticipated Green Built Gulf Coast (GBGC) program. The program is an optional adopting entity of the National Green Building StandardTM


ICC 700-2008. The program scores


the level of the project (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Emerald) on the six core performance factors: Lot Design, Preparation and Development; Resource Efficiency; Energy Efficiency; Water Efficiency; Indoor Environmental Quality and Operation; Maintenance and Building Owner Education.


The Clean Economy in the Houston, TX Metropolitan Area


Why the Clean Economy Matters The "clean" or "green" economy is an important element of America's emerging next economy. It will define our nation's low carbon future while providing opportunity for workers at all levels of the income and skills distributions. In this report, the clean economy is divided into 39 distinct segments, reflecting the economic activity involved in producing a broad spectrum of clean products, from goods such as wind turbines and solar photovoltaics to services such as mass transit and regulation.


Houston's Clean Economy Profile CLEAN JOBS


39,986 1.6%


INTENSITY GROWTH +12,131 EXPORTS PER JOB


$16,926 On average each clean economy job in Houston produces ANNUAL WAGE


$16,926 in exports, which ranks it 42nd on this measure $42,779 8


The estimated median wage in Houston's clean economy is $42,779. This compares to $38,608 for all jobs in Houston


Houston's


"green collar" share of clean economy jobs


100 metro average "green collar" share of clean economy jobs


U.S. blue collar share of all jobs


Note: Within the clean economy, occupations paying mid-level wages are referred to as "green collar" occupations and include jobs in the following occupational categories: production, transportation, installation, construction, office administration and support, protective services, and social services. The green collar designation is specific to the clean economy; when looking at the overall economy (clean or otherwise), these occupations are typically referred to as "blue collar."


Clean Economy Job Growth, 2003–2010 Houston


U.S.


100 120 140 160


In terms of its overall size the clean economy in the Houston metropolitan area ranks 9th among the 100 largest metro areas


Houston's 39,986 clean economy jobs make up 1.6 percent of all jobs in the region. On this measure of concentration its clean economy ranks 71st


Between 2003 and 2010 Houston added 12,131 clean jobs to see the sector grow by 5.3 percent annually. Those readings placed the region 9th and 31st


2003 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 2010


Note: Changes in employment do not include jobs lost from establishment closings. Some establishments in the database exhibited extreme employment changes, possibly exaggerating a place's growth curve (see report website for a listing of these cases).


Share of Clean Jobs Offering Good Pay for Modest Education, 2010


63.1% 67.7% 42.9%


AUGUST 2011 | HOUSTON BUILDER | GREATER HOUSTON BUILDERS ASSOCIATION – BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE


Jobs index (2003=100)


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