Green buildings and more efficient building practices and materials have taken the construction sector in the U.S. by storm and a new study shows that a third of the U.S. construction market could be green by 2018.

The growth of green in construction is a huge boon to the U.S. economy and to workers. The report from the US Green Building Council (USGBC) found that green construction has generated $167 billion in the U.S. over the last three years and will account for an estimated 2.3 million American jobs this year.

By 2018, the study finds that green construction will account for more than 3.3 million U.S. jobs, which is more than a third of the entire U.S. construction sector. It will also generate $190.3 billion in labor earnings. In Texas alone, almost 1.26 million jobs in the green building sector are projected between 2015 and 2018.

“Our research shows that green building has created millions of jobs and contributed hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy, with the construction of LEED-certified buildings accounting for about 40 percent of green construction’s overall contribution to GDP in 2015,” said David Erne, a Senior Associate at Booz Allen, the group that conducted the study on behalf of USGBC.

By 2018, the study finds that green construction will account for more than 3.3 million U.S. jobs, which is more than a third of the entire U.S. construction sector.

While the economic news is great, the big byproduct of greener buildings is that making our buildings more energy and water efficient is vital to tackling climate change. Since buildings account for 39 percent of carbon emission in the U.S., there’s certainly no shortage of opportunity to improve our building stock, while growing good jobs for workers around the country.

Green design, techniques and products are a growing part of our construction sector. And, as efforts to tackle climate change continue here in America and the around the world, it looks like the future will only get brighter for our economy and environment.