The BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of labor and environmental groups aimed at creating green jobs, today announced it will add the plumbers and pipefitters union to its membership rolls.

The United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, Sprinkler Fitters and Service Technicians (UA) becomes the 11th union to join the association, which also includes the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife Federation and Union of Concerned Scientists.

"The UA and its 340,000 members have a deep commitment to sustainability in our built environment because our members are trained to design, install and maintain energy efficient systems in the home and workplace, and because our members -- many of them hunters and fishermen and women themselves -- are committed to environmental protection," UA President William Hite said in a statement announcing the partnership.

"The BlueGreen Alliance embodies this commitment and we look forward to working with our partners in the labor and environmental movements to advance job creation through solutions that make our economy stronger and our environment cleaner," he added.

The union's members include plumbers, pipefitters, sprinkler fitters, steamfitters and heating, ventilation and air conditioning service technicians.

"About 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from the nation's buildings, and that energy usage is a huge element in addressing climate change," Sierra Club Chairman Carl Pope said in a statement. "UA recognizes the immense economic potential of solving our nation's environmental challenge and represents workers who are working each day to make our economy more efficient while cleaning up our environment."

The BlueGreen Alliance was founded in 2006 by the Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers. Earlier this year the alliance merged with the San Francisco-based Apollo Alliance, which included a network of state and local labor organizations.