It can be argued that one of the most significant industries to adopt the green mantra has been the construction/building industry because it is literally the foundation of nearly every other industry, providing our space to work and live.

Greening the construction and building industry means using recycled products for insulation, concrete and steel frames and other building materials, reducing electricity and water use, and increasing a structure’s aesthetic and environmental benefits with plants.

Because so much can be done to better a structure’s impact on the environment, and because those many options also provide a better bottom line, the green building sector of the construction and building industry is maturing at incredible rates, as if we watered it with Miracle Grow.

In 2005, the green building sector fared well at $10 billion. Today, earnings have more than doubled, ranging from $36 and $49 billion according to a report by McGraw-Hill Construction. By 2013, earnings are estimated to double again reaching between $96 and $140 billion (McGraw-Hill Construction).

The U. S. Green Building Council, operator of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the environmentally-focused ranking system that measures the construction and operation performance of green buildings, estimates that even given the vagaries of the current financial market, green builders are managing rather well.

Green buildings save money, offering a bit of stability in the face of the uncertain future of fossil fuel-based energy. Therefore, builders and home owners are willing to pay more upfront to defray long-term costs and sometimes to receive the immediate tax benefits.

As governmental policy at local and national levels increases tax incentives and begins to mandate environmentally-conscious construction and operation of buildings, reaching estimated of earnings of $100 billion is likely.

The next sensible progression is to move policy toward requiring existing and out-dated buildings to upgrade to green standards. Similarly, policy and tax incentives and green building product rebates should further open the market up to home owners who want to remodel in a green way.

The green building sector can be the pillar of the New, Green Deal that gets America to reinvest in the commercial and residential real estate markets and spurs values to rebound.