Green Building Law Blog

I went to an EPA conference on greening the building codes.  One of the most fascinating things to me about the conference was the sharp lack of diversity--racial, of course, but also gender.

Although construction related jobs account for as much as 66% of all jobs in the U.S.,  in the building trades, women account for less than 3% of the workforce.  If the conference was any indication, the gender barrier is also reflected in less hands on aspects of the construction industry. Code officials, construction and related law, architecture and so forth all seem to reflect a distinct gender differential. Although there are no good statistics on the number of women in the construction law industry, among the 31 leaders of the ABA Forum Committee on the Construction Industry, only 5 are women, or 16%.  In the Environment, Energy and Resources Section, out of 100 leaders, only 26 are women, or 26%.  

Why do people rob banks? Because that's where the money is.  Today, so much attention and resources are being devoted to the "green economy".  From alternative energy to drafting green regulations, this is where the jobs are and where innovative people are putting their efforts. 

Read the remainder of this article at Greenerbuildings.com.