Under the Patronage of H.E. Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, U.A.E. Minister of Public Works, the 3rd Annual EmiratesGBC Congress will be held on 20 – 21 October 2014 at the Grosvenor House, Dubai. This year, the theme for the Congress is “Sustainable Cities for the Future” which will bring together government bodies like Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Ras Al Khaimah Environment Protection and Development Authority, among others as well as renowned International specialists from UNEP, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and the City of Los Angeles, thereby inspiring interactive discussions and creating a platform for learning, networking & capacity building.

We invite you to be a strategic supporter of the 3rd Annual EmiratesGBC Congress through different categories of sponsorship. Should you be interested to come on board as a sponsor, please contact Lora or Hussam in the EmiratesGBC Office at info@emiratesgbc.org or +971 (0)4-3468244.

We look forward to sharing more with you on the Congress program as it further develops! Keep following the Congress website to stay up to date on the program and confirmed speakers. Registration is open and Early Bird Discounts apply if you register now!

Green Apple Day of service is celebrated every year in the month of September, which provides a unique opportunity to the teachers, students, community, local companies and organizations to transform schools into healthy and livable spaces. EmiratesGBC will be celebrating the Green Apple Day of Service on the 28th September in a unique way. We are compiling an essential and user friendly list of “Green Tips for Schools” and will circulate and share it among various schools in the region. If you have some green ideas and important tips which can be used by schools to help them operate more sustainably, kindly share them with us at events@emiratesgbc.org. We would love to hear from you and get your input, helping make this campaign a great success thereby marking a small step towards a more sustainable future.

Last month’s technical workshop received an impressive turnout of professionals eager to understand the newly implemented ESCO mechanism. Stay tuned for a repeat session to accommodate the overwhelming demand for this important topic.

This month however, EmiratesGBC will host UK CARES whose presenters are flying in from London to lead discussions on how the building industry can sustainably source its construction materials. The workshop will also look at the benefit of certification of these materials using steel as a case example. Due to limited seating arrangements, mark your agenda to attend the session on Tuesday 9 September at 4pm and register by emailing Tara at technicalworkshops@emiratesgbc.org no later than 7 September. We look forward to your participation!  Please note participation is exclusive for EGBC members and partners.

Work towards the EmiratesGBC Technical Guidelines has gained significant momentum recently and the project is nearing completion with the help of several peer reviewers onboard to draft, edit and/or check vital sections that comprise the Guidelines. To maintain technical accuracy and content precision, we welcome further input from EGBC Members and Partners who would be interested in joining the exercise. Chapters that require expert review pertain to energy and water efficiency, air quality, materials and waste management. All contributors will be recognized in the final publication. If you are interested, please contact office@emiratesgbc.org mentioning the chapters in which you are interested to contribute.

World Green Building Week started in 2009 to create a more connected, more interactive, and more public conversation around the role buildings play in creating our sustainable future. This year’s theme is ‘Get Up, Green Up’ and the event will be celebrated during the 3rd week of September with multiple activities taking place across the U.A.E. The below activities are currently being planned, and we welcome your support and attendance:

21st September: Photography Competition for University Students in partnership with Canon

EmiratesGBC in partnership with Canon will host a Photography competition for all the University students in U.A.E. The theme for the competition is “Get up Green Up” and the last date of submission is 15th September 2014. Some very exciting prizes sponsored by Canon are in store for the winners of the competition which are listed below:

• First Prize – EOS 700D + Lens 18-55
• Honorable Mention Prizes – Legria Mini
• Top 3 entries will receive a complimentary pass to the Annual EGBC Congress on
  20-21 October and will have the opportunity to participate in a Photography Course led by Canon, date and time for which will be announced later.
• The top 10 photo submissions will be on exhibit during the Annual EGBC Congress on 20 October at Grosvenor House Dubai.

All the entries must be submitted at events@emiratesgbc.org. To get more details on the competition, kindly click here.

22nd September: Cultural Heritage Tour with support from Al Serkaal Foundation Group

EmiratesGBC in partnership will host a Cultural Heritage Walk followed by a discussion on “Importance of Heritage Conservation” at Bastakiyaan. The event is open to EGBC Members only with no cost involved and the seats are limited to 50. So hurry up and register your seat at events@emiratesgbc.org.

23rd September: Building Tour with Masdar

EmiratesGBC welcomes all its Members for a building tour at Masdar City. With sustainability at its best, this tour will provide efficient and innovative technologies adopted at the Masdar City to make it as one of the most renowned city across the globe. Kindly send your registration at events@emiratesgbc.org.

24th September: MovieScreenin

To bring the community within the region together to celebrate the Sustainability movement, EmiratesGBC in partnership with EWS-WWF will host a movie screening at Vox Cinemas on 24th September at 8:00pm, titled “Turtle – The Incredible Journey”. The seating capacity is restricted to 200 people so the entry will be on first come first serve basis. Do not wait any longer and register your seats with your family quickly!! We look forward to welcome you all on 24th September at Vox Cinemas, Mall of Emirates, Dubai.

As the National Operator of the Green Key program in the UAE, a global eco label for hotels and accommodations, EmiratesGBC is accepting applications from its corporate members who wish to serve as Green Key Auditors.

In order for a hotel to receive the Green Key certification, it must meet a series of sustainability criteria and successfully complete an audit process.  EmiratesGBC is providing its corporate members the opportunity to register their experienced auditors with the Green Key program.

To register with the EGBC Green Key Audit Team, members must submit their interest, company profile, and auditor CV stating audit experience and qualifications to greenkey@emiratesgbc.org.  Please the Green Key webpage for more information or contact the EGBC office for any clarifications.

With numerous exhibitions and conferences taking place in the region, EmiratesGBC is supporting several events making their mark in the field of sustainability. Such exhibitions provide a common platform for organizations and professionals in the field of energy, waste, water and environmental management to share their ideas and discuss the latest technologies in the field.

In September, EmiratesGBC is endorsing Cityscape Global which will be held from 21st to 23rd September at Dubai World Trade Centre. It is one of the leading real estate exhibitions in the Middle East which has been supporting the growth of companies from the past 13 years. In recent years, it has shown a dedication to promoting sustainable developments. To know more about Cityscape Global, click here.

In November, from 17th to 20th, The Big 5 will take place in Dubai as the largest construction exhibition in the Middle East, serving as a networking platform for construction product suppliers and buyers since 1979. Be sure to look for the EmiratesGBC stand in the exhibition! To know more, click here.

In December, under the Patronage of the Dubai Municipality and the Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL), the Quality Assurance for Sustainable Construction Materials Conference will be held from the 11th-12th December 2014 at the Palace Hotel, Downtown Dubai. The two-day event will highlight the Dubai Municipality’s approach to testing and quality control, as well as specifications requirements to further improve the sustainability and safety standards in the buildings and roads sector. To get more details, kindly click here.

Representatives from EmiratesGBC will be participating as speakers in the Middle East Summit Awards (14-17 September 2014), Hotel Show (28-30 September 2014) and 2nd Global Corporate Real Estate Leaders Summit (27-29 October 2014). Do not forget to register should you be interested to attend any of these important talks focusing on Sustainability and Green Buildings in the region.

We encourage members to volunteer and represent EmiratesGBC at our exhibition stands. Don’t forget volunteer hours with EmiratesGBC can also count towards LEED Maintenance Credits! Should you be available to volunteer, please email events@emiratesgbc.org and provide us with the day and time that suits your schedule to volunteer for any of the above mentioned exhibitions.