The Emirates Green Building Council’s ‘Green Building Week’ will have a series of community outreach initiatives planned to strengthen awareness on sustainable living and seminars, building tours and workshops for students among array of activities across the UAE
Dubai, UAE - Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, is celebrating the successful strides achieved by the UAE in green building and sustainability by organising a nation-wide ‘Green Building Week’ from September 15 to 19, 2013, also coinciding with the World Green Building Week.
EmiratesGBC’s ‘Green Building Week’ will be primarily marked by a variety of community outreach initiatives to further underline the importance of developing sustainable built environments and integrating energy-efficiency and eco-friendly practices into the daily lifestyle. A number of activities have been planned through the week including a green building tour in Dubai, workshops for professionals, seminars for students and specialised lectures focused on diverse aspects of sustainability.
Adnan Sharafi, Chairman of EmiratesGBC and Board Member of the World Green Building Council, said: “In a short span of time, the UAE has set an example for the region and the world by demonstrating its unwavering commitment to sustainable development. Over the past few years, the nation has witnessed a tremendous leap in the awareness and implementation of sustainability measures, further underlined by the ‘a green economy for sustainable development’ announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
“As the rest of the world marks the Green Building Week, we are now in a strong position to celebrate our achievements too, while further reinforcing our commitment to a greener lifestyle. The EmiratesGBC Green Building Week is therefore a salute to the nation and its people for the importance placed on green living, as well as a call to action for all stakeholders to be active participants in conserving our environment by adopting sustainable practices.”
The various activities as part of the EmiratesGBC Green Building Week will kick off with a community activity to raise awareness on sustainable built environments in Ras Al Khaimah on Sept. 15. The event is organised in partnership with the Ras Al Khaimah Environment Protection & Development Authority and will be attended by representatives of different industries as well as students from schools and universities.
EmiratesGBC will deliver a seminar to staff and students at DPS Sharjah on Sept. 16, presenting the results of an energy audit that was carried out by volunteers of EmiratesGBC. DPS Sharjah had won an inter-school model making competition last year at the EmiratesGBC Annual Congress, which earned them a free school audit by the Council. The event builds on the tradition of EmiratesGBC to continuously engage with the student community and encourage them to be active partners in the sustainability initiatives.
On Sept. 17, a workshop will be held in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council focusing on the Pearl Operating System that rates green building standards.
On Sept. 18, EmiratesGBC will host a ‘green building tour’ in Dubai covering the sustainable building of the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority in Al Quoz. It is the first sustainable government building in the UAE, and the largest government building in the world with a Platinum rating for green buildings from Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), the US Green Building Council institute. LEED has set of rating criteria for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings, in the world, with the DEWA building achieving 98 out of 110 points. The best practices that helped DEWA win the certification will be highlighted through the tour.
A presentation on water and energy conservation will be held on Sept. 19 by EmiratesGBC, Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) and The Change Initiative in Dubai to provide an educational approach on solutions for businesses to tackle climate change, reduce the ecological footprint and energy and water savings in the office environment. This will be followed by a tour of The Change Initiative, the highest rated LEED building in the world.
Those who are interested to take part in the activities of the EmiratesGBC Green Building Week can contact: events@emiratesgbc.org.
EmiratesGBC regularly hosts and participates in multinational events, conferences and forums. The EmiratesGBC has also developed a suite of activities, inclusive of networking events, technical workshops, focus days and facilitated training based around specific issues related to the built-environment that meet the needs of its members, of the UAE community, and the wider Middle East.
About Emirates Green Building Council:
The Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) was founded in June 2006, and became the 8th full member of the World Green Building Council in September 2006. EmiratesGBC is an organization that promotes and educates on green issues in the built environment and is the official body for the UAE endorsed by the World Green Building Council. EmiratesGBC currently has around 260 members in the UAE which represents 1000s of individuals interested and involved in Green Building in the UAE and the region. In addition, EmiratesGBC members receive discounts on a number of programmes such as those related to conferences, seminars, training and green building events.
For further information, please contact:
Kelly Home / Mohammed Al Tawil
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller; +9714 4507600
kelly.home@bm.com / mohammed.altawil@bm.com
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