Update (2017): Green building jobs surge to 31,700 in B.C.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VANCOUVER — The Pembina Institute’s newest interactive map quantifies the number of jobs in B.C.’s green-building sector and pinpoints where energy-efficient homes and buildings are located in the province.
Released today to coincide with Buildings Day at the United Nations climate-change conference in Paris, the B.C. Green Buildings Map shows that this growing sector already employs tens of thousands of British Columbians. These jobs are found in both our biggest cities and our most remote communities.
The innovative companies in the green-building sector are literally the building blocks of the clean economy in the province, turning the climate challenge into an economic opportunity. B.C.’s government has taken steps to support this sector, but must take further and faster action to meet its greenhouse-gas emissions targets and accelerate the growth of the clean economy.
Homes and buildings use nearly a quarter of the electricity consumed in B.C. They also generate over 10 per cent of our province’s carbon emissions.
Last week, over 80 companies, organizations and cities threw their support behind the Call for Action on Energy and Climate in the Building Sector. The joint declaration urges the province to take bold measures to reduce emissions from homes and buildings.
B.C.’s Climate Leadership Team has recommended that the province accelerate improvements in the building code’s energy-efficiency requirements over the next decade, and commit to all new public-sector buildings being super energy-efficient starting in 2016.
The release of the B.C. Green Buildings Map follows the success of Pembina’s B.C. Clean Electricity Jobs Map. That map highlights the 14,100 jobs created by hydro, biomass, wind and solar-electricity companies in the province.
Green Jobs BC, the North Growth Foundation, and the Pembina Foundation provided funding for this project.
Quick facts
- B.C.’s green-building sector employs 23,200 people (directly and indirectly).
- 8,900 green homes and 1,105 large green buildings are located in the province.
- 34 manufacturer and suppliers are part of this growing sector.
Quotes
“We wanted to paint a picture of the economic opportunity that green buildings represent. Our map makes it clear that we can build our way to a clean economy, one where we reduce energy use and carbon pollution and create jobs.”
— Karen Tam Wu, Program Director for Buildings and Urban Solutions, Pembina Institute
“Policies that encourage further uptake of energy-efficient homes and buildings across the province would create the opportunity for the building industry to play a significant role — and provide thousands of jobs — in the transition to a clean economy and a healthy planet.”
— Anne McMullin, President and CEO, Urban Development Institute Pacific Region
“We need to build for the future and stop doing things as we have in the past. This map shows that green buildings create good jobs in communities across the province. Green buildings benefit both the environment and the economy.”
— Darryl Walker, Co-chair, Green Jobs BC
“The province is working to upgrade and renew its climate plan for the province; we’ve been providing solutions for upgrading and renovating buildings to be more energy efficient across the province for years, resulting in hundreds of local jobs that result in a global sustainable future. Strong climate policy that encourages more building and homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes will be good for the environment and good for the economy.”
— Anton Van Dyk, Business Development and Product Leader, Centra Construction Group
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Visit the Pembina Institute’s website to view the B.C. Green Buildings Map.
Download photos for publication on Flickr.
Join the conversation on Twitter: #BCJobsMap.
Contact
Stephen Hui
Communications Lead, Pembina Institute
778-987-7654
stephenh@pembina.org
Background
Report: Evolution of Energy Efficiency Requirements in the B.C. Building Code
Report: The Path to “Net-Zero Energy” Buildings in B.C.
Blog: Getting to Ultra Energy-Efficient Buildings in B.C. by 2030