Date: 16 – 18 April, 2024

Venue: ADNEC, Abu Dhabi

World leading business event for future energy and sustainability

Hosted by Masdar, the Summit is regarded as the foremost event of its kind. An accelerator for the global transition to clean energy, this is where the industry comes together. A convention of leaders, policy makers, investment incubators, corporate partners and world-class start-ups, all working towards a greener tomorrow. Bringing together sectors from across the renewable energy & sustainability landscape, (Solar, Clean Energy, EcoWaste, Water, Climate & Environment, Smart Cities) World Future Energy Summit tackling some of the world’s most critical issues. works closely with both public and private sector entities and leading experts to ensure the exhibitions and conferences are not only relevant for today, but also enabling a more sustainable future for our planet. Carefully selected, the summit segments showcase the latest technologies, products, solutions & insights providing value for all our attendees.

Behold the growing heart of sustainability within the EmiratesGBC office – our SMART NATURAL GREEN WALL, graciously provided by Skytech Engineering. This living masterpiece not only captivates with its lush greenery but stands as a testament to our shared commitment to a greener future. A heartfelt thank you to Skytech Engineering for contributing to the transformation of our workspace into a living, breathing ode to sustainability.

For enhancing the safety of our workspace  ActivTek, our trusted Industry Partner, bringing us cutting-edge air purification technology. This innovative technology works seamlessly in the presence of people, making it a powerful supportive in our ongoing efforts to create a healthy and safe workspace. Thanks to ActivTek for helping us breathe cleaner air and enjoy a safer environment at the EmiratesGBC office!

On February 5th, we are thrilled to host a workshop at the EmiratesGBC office to commemorate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The workshop, titled “Understanding the Importance of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in the Built Environment,” , presented by Rima Boudaba Alabas, will shed light on the significance of EPDs and their impact on businesses . Join us for this insightful event!

All are welcome to attend the workshop, whether you’re a member or not. Members have received an email for complimentary registration

Join us for a special gathering at the Emirates Green Building Council office on February 16th. We extend an invitation to all members to participate in an interactive networking session with the newly appointed Management Committee. This event provides a distinctive chance to connect with fellow members and gain valuable insights into our upcoming plans. Uncover the exciting prospects ahead and explore ways to actively contribute to the realization of impactful initiatives. The doors are open, and we’re eager to cultivate meaningful connections within our vibrant community.

EmiratesGBC 2st Technical Workshop for members by members will be on COP28 Insights -Energy Transition for the Built Environment   By Farnek Exclusive to EmiratesGBC members, the workshop will be in online format, on the 20th of February, at 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. We will be sending out the invites soon!

Empowering and uniting the voices of the Women’s Network at EmiratesGBC, our recent workshop, skilfully facilitated by Dr. Beatrix Henkel, was a dynamic exploration of expectations and aspirations. Commencing with a vibrant networking session and an engaging icebreaker, participants dived into a creative Human Bingo activity, fostering connections. The workshop featured insightful Fireside Chat discussions on the network’s purpose and future vision, led by Farah Yassine (Chairwoman of the Women Network) and Ms. Habiba Al Marashi (2nd Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Co-Founder of EmiratesGBC). The event concluded with representatives presenting their group’s ideas, followed by an open floor discussion

On the 12th of January, Skytech Engineering conducted the EmiratesGBC 1st  technical workshop for 2024, on “Breathing Green: the Evolution of Living Walls for Energy and Air Quality Solution”, you can watch the workshop through this link 

EmiratesGBC 2nd Technical Workshop for members by members will be on COP28 Insights -Energy Transition for the Built Environment   By Farnek Exclusive to EmiratesGBC members, the workshop will be in online format , on the 20th of February, at 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. We will be sending out the invites soon!

The Green Key programme is a leading standard of excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. It is operated internationally under the management of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) with Head Offices in Copenhagen, Denmark. FEE has national member organisations in more than 70 countries worldwide where Emirates Green Building Council is the national operator in the United Arab Emirates.

There is no rest for sustainable operations within hotels in the UAE. We are pleased to mention that we have 36 newly certified hotels:

• Address Beach Resort
• Address Sky View
• Aloft Dubai Airport
• Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre
• Aloft Al Mina Dubai
• ibis Styles Dubai Deira
• Aparthotel Adagio Dubai Deira
• Novotel World Trade Centre Dubai
• ibis World Trade Centre Dubai
• Ibis One Central
• Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach
• St Regis Dubai the Palm
• Aloft Al Ain
• Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah
• The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina
• Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Waterpark
• W Dubai Mina Seyahi
• W Dubai The Palm
• Grand Mercure Hotel Dubai Airport
• Ibis Styles Dubai Airport
• Novotel Al Bustan
• Adagio Al Bustan
• Radisson Dubai Damac Hills
• The Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal
• Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf
• Mariott Executive Apartment Dubai Creek
• 25 Hours Hotel
• Aloft Meaisim Dubai
• Novotel Abu Dhabi Gate
• Ibis Abu Dhabi Gate
• Courtyard by Marriott Abu Dhabi
• Marriott Abu Dhabi Downtown
• Aloft Dubai South
• Pearl Rotana Capital Centre
• Adagio Premium the Palm
• Park Rotana Abu Dhabi

Zea Gove

Global Brand Strategist & Marketing Manager

Propelair

A ‘small’ Propelair toilet, saving an astronomical 1.5billion litres of water

Propelair has made a substantial impact on global water conservation, saving over 1.5 billion litres of water through our innovative toilets that focuses on transforming public and commercial washrooms, which accounts for up to 90% of public water consumption.

Our ethos of “big change with little effort” secured us four prestigious awards in 2023 and set the stage for a promising 2024.

The year commenced with a joint gold award with Redefine Group in the “Technologies Implementation” category, leading to a silver accolade at the Global Facilities Management Awards for integrating technology into infrastructure, reducing costs, and minimizing environmental impact.

Winning the “Best Sanitation Technology Solution Company in 2023” at SME News’ British Made awards and concluding the year with the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association’s “Excellence in Impact 2023” award in the Environmental Impact Category communicates our commitment to water neutrality and environmental responsibility.

Propelair toilets utilize a flush that only uses 1.5lt of water, a drastic reduction compared to traditional toilets. Since 2017, installations in the UK, UAE, and South Africa have cumulatively saved an astounding 1.68 billion litres of clean water, equivalent to 673 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The reduced water and wastewater processing associated with Propelair toilets have also mitigated 694,065 kilograms of carbon emissions, comparable to removing over a million cars’ fuel emissions for a year or planting 115,659 trees.

Together with Propelair’s triple hygiene approach, significant water and cost saving, we are truly committed to setting a new standard for sustainability in washroom facilities, worldwide, and save the planet, one flush at a time!

We want to feature your success stories. Please share with us your accomplishments in relation to the green building industry and allow us to feature you in our newsletter. For more information, please contact reema.aburuqaa@emiratesgbc.org.

Georgina Bonney

• Beyond your professional role, tell us a bit about yourself. What drives and inspires you personally? Whether it’s hobbies, interests, or values, we’d love to learn more about the person behind the professional achievements. 

My first hands-on experience with sustainability was in Egypt, where I worked closely with a waste management NGO that sold materials to industry and invested the money into education for local girls and teaching local women upcycling skills. I found the impact inspiring; bringing together the pillars of sustainable development (society, environment, economy). I then went on to complete a BSc and MSc in Sustainability with a focus on consultancy, strategy, project management and governance. Moving from Leeds to London, I took a Graduate Project Management role with Turner & Townsend, supporting internally with sustainability strategy alongside client work. However, I quickly realised I wanted to pursue sustainability consultancy full time, moving to JLL to build my consultancy experience and embed project management within sustainability projects.  One of my proudest projects was with the Crown Estate, implementing their National Sustainability and Net Zero transformation, whilst also forming their internal sustainability capabilities and governance structure. It was invaluable being able to advice on asset level interventions with key stakeholders, as well as build and implement their internal sustainability strategy and roadmap with their senior management. Since moving to Dubai, and returning to Turner & Townsend, I am proud to support the growth of our Sustainability services to the region and contribute to the Middle East’s journey towards a sustainable future. The UAE has continued to fascinate me with its success in pushing the boundaries through innovation, experience and technology, and I think that presents an incredible opportunity for our industry as well as our personal career development. I’m also a very inquisitive person, always interested in understanding how things work from the physical construction of the Burj Khalifa and operation of the London Underground, to the psychology of how people work and what makes us who we are as individuals

• • • As a woman in the sustainability sector, have you faced any specific challenges, and how did you overcome them? On the flip side, what triumphs or successes have been particularly meaningful in your career? 

As a young woman building my professional career in the construction sector, there are so many traditions instilled in how the industry operates. As an emotional individual with a strong passion for sustainability and personal career development, I often struggled to establish the traditional emotional boundaries in the workplace. I have frequently scrutinised myself for tears during the mistakes and ‘child-like’ excitement during the wins, holding back my personality to fit the traditional ‘professionalism’.  However, with time I’ve realised that there is so much more value in bringing your whole self to work. Energy, personality, passion, conversation, emotion – they all help to build relationships with those around you, motivate teams, build trust, and ultimately make the working days more enjoyable. It has been great to see the increasing uptake of this through mechanisms such as ‘dress for your day’, ‘flexible working’ and wellbeing campaigns. But in terms of our roles in the sustainability sector, it would be great to see personality and passion be used more as our gateway to evoke interest, captivate our audiences, catalyse innovation, and drive change.

• How do you see your role contributing to the broader goals of sustainability? Additionally, what advice would you offer to other women aspiring to make a difference in the field of sustainability?

As a sustainability consultant, I am able to use my experiences, knowledge and passion to guide clients towards achieving optimal efficiency and sustainable outcomes, whether that be within their assets, their supply chain, corporate strategy, or capability building. With COP28 having recently finished, and the UAE targeting net zero for 2050, there is significant need to upskill our communities and change our operations. This will require significant collaboration, not only as an industry, but also amongst our immediate networks. As a traditional industry, driving a sustainable future we will continue to face battles towards changing mindsets… As women in the industry, this can come with additional challenges of finding your environment to thrive, where we feel comfortable using our voices, feel heard and included within decision making. So my advice is find your people, and this is twofold – an organisation that holds your values and supports your development, but also a network of people that make the challenges faced less lonely, whilst providing you a positive, and motivational voice of reason. As individual women our drive, persistence and passion is invaluable towards creating action, but together we are force for change.

Members of the Emirates Green Building Council can join any of our technical programs linked here, to advance their knowledge on the program’s relevant topics, contribute to its growth, and sponsor its events. We are working on several ideas related to our programs: Coalition for Green Schools, Better Places for People, Net Zero Center of Excellence, Energy Efficiency, Green Key and Benchmarking Program. Please send us an email to office@emiratesgbc.org to inquire about any of the mentioned technical programs.

If you are interested in using EmiratesGBC office space for a workshop or meeting, please get in touch with us at 04-3468244 or send us an email to office@emiratesgbc.org. The room is fully equipped with AV and provides a nice environment for focused meetings or training workshops.