As a result of the cooperation between the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a comprehensive study on the “State of Play of Sustainable Building in MENA” is being conducted to support the Global Initiative for Resource Efficient Cities (GI-REC) that was launched by UNEP in 2012. The objective of this study is to provide a regional review and baseline for policy makers in the region.

In support of this study, Emirates Green Building Council has compiled research to demonstrate the state of green buildings and cities in  the UAE.  The State of Play of Sustainable Building in MENA will be launched during a regional workshop organized by CEDARE at the beginning of December, where EmiratesGBC will present the UAE report.

Early in November, EmiratesGBC submitted its pledge to the WorldGBC as part of its #betterbuildgreen campaign which focuses on the UN climate change negotiations – COP21 in Paris. The campaign highlights WorldGBC’s global collective commitment for COP21 and national commitments from Green Building Councils, which will be unveiled at Buildings Day.

EmiratesGBC launched its own campaign to encourage its members to submit their own pledges to support the UAE government strategies and goals for national development within the UAE vision 2021, the ‘Green Growth Strategy’ and the UAE Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) submission to COP21 to increase the clean energy to 24% of the total energy mix by 2021.

It’s not too late to submit your pledge!

The EmiratesGBC Energy Efficiency Program (EEP) has officially launched its online database. The EEP is a market and capacity building program created to facilitate reduction of the UAE’s carbon footprint through energy efficiency retrofits of existing buildings in the UAE and region.

The program offers extensive seminars, networking events, and training programs on energy efficiency, and EmiratesGBC is proud to present the program’s latest component: the EEP database, which is a publicly available directory featuring reputable ESCOs, Suppliers, Consultants and FMCs serving the retrofit market in the UAE.

EmiratesGBC encourages its Corporate Members to avail the opportunity for market visibility, access to competitive pricing, and priority market requests by registering for the Program and submitting their company qualifications.

Last month, participants at the EmiratesGBC Technical Workshop discussed standards and methodology prevalent in the industry that help achieve good Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) –  participants discussed the most common defects in air systems and the common mechanical systems that mitigate the problems. An actual CO2 and VOC testing of the EmiratesGBC office was conducted and demonstrated how hidden pollutants often and unnoticeably impact air quality.

This month’s Technical Workshop will be held at EmiratesGBC on December 15^th from 8:30am to 10:30am. The topic will discuss the integration and use of technology for ESCO and energy management processes. To register, please email technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org.

Technical Workshops are open to EmiratesGBC members and partners only and subject to limited seating. Please be sure to register your participation early.

Following the seminar on Sustainable Affordable Housing at The Big 5 on 23 November, EmiratesGBC hosted the WorldGBC MENA Network meeting, which offered an opportunity for the MENA GBC Network to meet and discuss the latest updates and plans for 2016.

The MENA GBC Network represents 15 GBCs within the World Green Building Council regionally and ensures shared knowledge on programs, projects, and policies and aims to capture the diversity of challenges and solutions while taking into account the uniqueness of climatic or cultural conditions.

Congratulations to our members for their achievements and awards at The Climate Control Awards 2015:

• Trane Middle East: Total of four awards, Rental Cooling Firm of the Year, O&M Company of the year (DISTRICT COOLING), Manufacturer of the year (CHILLERS), Manufacturer of the year (STANDALONE DX, INCLUDING VRF).
• Trox Middle East L.L.C: Total of two awards, Manufacturer of the year (CONTROLS), Manufacturer of the year (AIR MOVEMENT).
• Hempel Paints (EMIRATES) L.L.C.: Awarded the Building Envelope of the year (CONTRIBUTING MANUFACTURER).
• Carrier Middle East LTD.: Awarded the Manufacturer of the year (SUPERMARKET REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT AND FURNISHINGS).
• Saeed Al Abbar, EmiratesGBC Chairman was awarded the Editors Choice Award.

On November 4^th, EmiratesGBC had the chance to attend the UTC Sustainability Series Lecture in Abu Dhabi. During the lecture, Joseph Allen, Assistant Professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health  shared the outcomes of new research focused on the positive effects of green buildings on the cognitive functions of their occupants and health performance indicators. It’s no surprise: working in a green building environment can double performances.

Joseph G. Allen, Piers MacNaughton, Usha Satish, Suresh Santanam, Jose Vallarino, and John D. Spengler, Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments, Environmental Health Perspective, October 2015.

To learn more and share infographics, follow #thecogfxstudy via Twitter.

On November 1^st, our team met with the Environmental Centre for Arab Towns (ECAT), new Associate Member of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in the UAE and Amine Ahlafi, Member of the FEE Board of Directors. The discussions allowed to inform one another of the presence and progresses of Green Key,  Blue Flag and all other FEE programs in the country, and to envision ways to cooperate to green the UAE environment further.

The 2016 Green Key re-certification process has now started, and we invite all UAE hotel properties to contact greenkey@emiratesgbc.org should they want to receive more information on how to get certified and the criteria to comply with.

It is always with great pleasure that we support the hospitality industry and local authorities to green such a prominent sector for the UAE economy. This month, our team has met with the Ajman Tourism Development Department and participated in a stakeholder engagement workshop with Dubai Tourism to identify priorities to design 2016 strategies and roadmaps. Our Hospitality Program is progressing well thanks to the input and feedback from our Members: the first training modules have been designed, and in the coming days we will test the first version of our new benchmarking dashboard.  Special thanks to Corporate Member Taka Solutions for their technical support in the process!

If you would like your hotel property to join our free benchmarking and reporting program, please contact info@emiratesgbc.org.

EmiratesGBC offers a series of professional training programs in partnership with British University in Dubai (BUiD). The following courses are scheduled to take place in Dubai during the first months of 2016.

Based on the growing demand for qualified professionals, the Certified Energy Auditor (CEA) and Certified Energy Auditor in Training (CEAIT) certifications were developed and added to the broad portfolio of professional certifications offered by the Association of Energy Engineers now offered through EmiratesGBC-BUiD training program. The first three day Certified Energy Auditor course will be held on January 12-14.

Also on the calendar is the Certified Energy Manager (CEM) training, which will be held February 21-24.  The CEM qualification is aimed toward engineers and architects working in the areas of energy engineering or energy management. For more information and to register your intent for upcoming courses, please contact our education partner BUiD.

EmiratesGBC is pleased to serve as an official supporter for the Future Interiors UAE 2016, which provides the ideal meeting place for project owners, project managers, design professionals, contractors and consultants to stay up to date on industry trends and lucrative business opportunities. It is also an excellent opportunity for industry practitioners to exchange ideas and best practice, whilst also providing a focused platform for manufacturers, materials suppliers and solution providers to showcase their expertise, products and services.

Featuring an impressive speaker panel, advisory board and supporting partners from across the UAE’s hospitality, architecture, interior design, fit-out and furniture manufacturing industries, this event will serve as an important platform for the Interiors community to discuss the very latest trends and developments both in the region and those unique to the UAE. EmiratesGBC members are offered a 20% discount on passes. Click here for registration.

EmiratesGBC is also happy to support The World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in January. Visit the EmiratesGBC booth at the WFES. We will share with you more details in our January newsletter. Click here to learn more and to register.

• The November Seminar on Innovation and Affordable Green Housing was highlighted in Gulf News.
• Our energy efficiency program (EEP) received noticeable media coverage including Construction week online, Emirates 24/7, zawya, Al Bayan and many more.