In support of the Global Coalition for Green School’s Green Apple Day of Service, EmiratesGBC recently hosted a group of 20 young environmentalists from Green Hope UAE. The group visited EmiratesGBC and participated in an interactive 3 hour workshop on Sustainable Urban Development. The students were first taught the principles of sustainable urban planning and were then assigned to one of four stakeholder groups to tour the Al Quoz neighborhood. The groups were then re-shuffled and the students held multi-stakeholder charrettes to agree on the development plan for an empty plot of land across the street from the EmiratesGBC office. The results were excellent, with each group designing a unique land use plan.

On Wednesday September 16^th, EmiratesGBC and MEFMA will team up once again to host a 2-hour Networking Event under the topic, The Retrofit Revolution: Is the FM Industry Adequately Equipped? The session will be held at the Radisson Blu in Media City and is open to members and non-members alike. Please contact us to register.  This event offers an ideal sponsorship opportunity for an organization to position itself as a supporter of the energy efficiency movement in the UAE.  Please contact us to learn more.

World Green Building Week was started in 2009 to create a more connected, more interactive, more public conversation around the role buildings play in creating our sustainable future.  This year, World Green Building Week is being held this year from 21-27 of September under the theme, Powering Positive Change. Our board of directors and office team will be taking a tour of The Sustainable City, a new development by our corporate member, Diamond Developers. Stay tuned for photos and technical summary of the project.

On Wednesday September 30^th EmiratesGBC will facilitate its second Hospitality Seminar of the year at The Hotel Show’s Vision Conference from 10:30am-11:45am.  A panel of experts will discuss the needs for capacity building and action plan in their respective fields and departments for a property to achieve the highest green performance while managing internal resources and maintaining services excellence.  The seminar is planned to be interactive and we would like to invite and engage everyone to share their best practices.  The session will be held at the Dubai World Trade Center, Hall 2. Attendance is free of cost with advanced registration. Please register through The Vision Conference website.

EmiratesGBC is pleased to announce that the 4th Annual EGBC Congress, to be held on 20-21 October is supported by HE Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Public Works. The two day congress will explore the theme, How do Green Buildings Scale up? Bridging the Gap between Green Buildings & Sustainable Cities. Check out the program and register on the Congress website today.  

To learn more about financial sponsorship opportunities for the 2015 EGBC Congress, please contact us.

After a two-month summer hiatus, the EmiratesGBC Technical Workshops are back in full swing. This month, participants will discuss the different methodologies and tools in the industry which enable optimization of building HVAC systems. In the UAE, air-conditioning can take a share of up to 60-70% of a building’s energy consumption rate, therefore it is critical to implement energy efficiency strategies which can harness the excess usage. The Workshop will also look at innovations in HVAC technology and how to best integrate technology with preventive maintenance.  Registration opened last week and we are already fully booked. Please email us to be placed on the waiting list and we will notify you if a seat opens.  Technical Workshops are open to EmiratesGBC members and partners only and subject to limited seating.

The Low Carbon City Development Program (LCCDP) Guidebook, a systems approach to low carbon development in cities, was developed by the World Bank and DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability. This Guidebook was developed to provide cities and urban practitioners with a roadmap for designing and implementing an LCCDP that complies with the LCCDP Assessment Protocol which is based on existing, internationally recognized standards for systems design and Greenhouse Gases (GHG) accounting. The Guidebook covers comprehensive yet adaptable guidance to cover the key phases of systems design namely Initiation, Planning, Execution and Assessment/Evaluation.

The Energy Efficiency Program is an educational, market-building and capacity-building platform created by the EmiratesGBC to facilitate reduction of the UAE’s carbon footprint. The EEP stimulates the market for energy efficiency retrofits of existing buildings in the country and region, and offers capacity-building programs through seminars and trainings on energy efficiency.  The Program also provides an online database of qualified and reputable companies that are a strong component of the UAE retrofit market.  Participation in the EEP database is free to EmiratesGBC Corporate Members.  The online database is targeted for launch within the month. Stay tuned for further announcements!

As Green Key National Operator, EmiratesGBC gives the floor each month to a Green Key certified hotel and shares their best practices and success stories.

As one of the Rezidor Business Responsible initiatives, the Radisson Royal Hotel Dubai has looked at different ways to reduce its water and electricity consumption. In June this year, old water dispensers in the employee cafeteria were replaced by a bottle-free filtration system which delivers fresh and great tasting water. The new system, which is Energy Star rated, has helped  reduce waste associated with plastic consumption by 74%, as well as electricity consumption by up to 45%.

This initiative, in line with the Responsible Business’ first pillar, Think Planet, whose objective is to reduce the hotel’s negative impacts on the environment, has been extremely well received by employees and the property’s management. Not only did the new system contribute to reducing costs associated to the purchase of drinking water, it also contributes to a learning environment allowing staff to identify and effectively implement green measures.

Thank you to Marife Gime, Responsible Business Coordinator, for sharing your hotel’s best practices!

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 in the second half of 2015.

On September 4-5 and again on November 13-14, the two-day LEED Green Associate course will equip participants with an up-to-date understanding of the most current green building principles and practices.  On October 2-3, the two-day LEED Accredited Professional (Building Design + Construction) course will prepare professionals for the design and construction phases of green buildings in the commercial, residential, education and healthcare sectors. Also on the calendar during the last quarter of the year is the Certified Energy Manager training, which will be held from  November 8-11.  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.

The industry events calendar will heat up again come September, and EmiratesGBC is looking forward to supporting Cityscape Global, GulfSol and Sustainable Utilities Middle East. Our Board of Directors Secretary, Sarfraz Dairkee will be speaking at the Cityscape Facilities Management conference, Waste Management Middle East and Ecocity World Summit.

• Cityscape Global 2015 is the largest and most influential real estate investment and development event for emerging markets globally. Bringing together investors, developers, government officials and real estate professionals, there is no better place to find investment opportunities and new business partners. Cityscape Global is taking place on 8 – 10 September at World Trade Centre, Dubai. To find out how you can get involved please contact the Cityscape Global team or click here for further
• GulfSol is taking place on 14-16 September at Dubai World Trade Center. GulfSol is a key event in the Middle East dedicated to the solar industry, showcasing the very latest solar thermal & photovoltaic technologies available in the region. This will be the 2^nd edition of GulfSol in Dubai which is organized by dmg Events Middle East and Asia, producers of The Big 5 & Adipec.  Click here to register and to obtain further information.
• The 6th Annual Waste Management Middle East forum being held on 5 – 6 October at Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre will extend a platform for updating the regional waste and environment professionals on various new technologies and system specifications adopted in different countries and gulf regions, thus empowering them to meet the various environmental challenges existing locally and globally.  EmiratesGBC members can avail 10% discount by using the promo code: EGBC10 while registering here.
• Green Concrete UAE 2015(October 12-13) will gather government representatives, developers, builders, engineering consultants, main contractors, admixture and ready-mix companies, precast concrete companies, cement suppliers and other industry stakeholders to discuss regulatory updates, cement pricing and mechanisms, green concrete properties, implementation challenges, eco-friendly solutions and the latest technology advancements to ensure the successful implementation of eco-friendly concrete in Dubai and across the UAE. EmiratesGBC members can avail a 10% registration discount using the promotional code GCUM15 when registering.
• Building the smart cities of tomorrow requires a sustainable measured approach across all utilities from power distribution, water management, waste management and smart grid networks. Sustainable Utilities Middle East Expo 2015 held between the 28-29 October at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena, Dubai, UAE. The event will leverage the experience and expertise in the Utilities sector and help bridge the divide between key government stake holders, industry decision makers and the latest products and solutions. Click here to register.

The industry events calendar will heat up again come September, and EmiratesGBC is looking forward to supporting Cityscape Global, GulfSol and Sustainable Utilities Middle East. Our Board of Directors Secretary, Sarfraz Dairkee will be speaking at the Cityscape Facilities Management conference, Waste Management Middle East and Ecocity World Summit.

• Cityscape Global 2015 is the largest and most influential real estate investment and development event for emerging markets globally. Bringing together investors, developers, government officials and real estate professionals, there is no better place to find investment opportunities and new business partners. Cityscape Global is taking place on 8 – 10 September at World Trade Centre, Dubai. To find out how you can get involved please contact the Cityscape Global team or click here for further
• GulfSol is taking place on 14-16 September at Dubai World Trade Center. GulfSol is a key event in the Middle East dedicated to the solar industry, showcasing the very latest solar thermal & photovoltaic technologies available in the region. This will be the 2^nd edition of GulfSol in Dubai which is organized by dmg Events Middle East and Asia, producers of The Big 5 & Adipec.  Click here to register and to obtain further information.
• The 6th Annual Waste Management Middle East forum being held on 5 – 6 October at Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre will extend a platform for updating the regional waste and environment professionals on various new technologies and system specifications adopted in different countries and gulf regions, thus empowering them to meet the various environmental challenges existing locally and globally.  EmiratesGBC members can avail 10% discount by using the promo code: EGBC10 while registering here.
• Green Concrete UAE 2015(October 12-13) will gather government representatives, developers, builders, engineering consultants, main contractors, admixture and ready-mix companies, precast concrete companies, cement suppliers and other industry stakeholders to discuss regulatory updates, cement pricing and mechanisms, green concrete properties, implementation challenges, eco-friendly solutions and the latest technology advancements to ensure the successful implementation of eco-friendly concrete in Dubai and across the UAE. EmiratesGBC members can avail a 10% registration discount using the promotional code GCUM15 when registering.
• Building the smart cities of tomorrow requires a sustainable measured approach across all utilities from power distribution, water management, waste management and smart grid networks. Sustainable Utilities Middle East Expo 2015 held between the 28-29 October at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena, Dubai, UAE. The event will leverage the experience and expertise in the Utilities sector and help bridge the divide between key government stake holders, industry decision makers and the latest products and solutions. Click here to register.

To further our mandate as an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, EmiratesGBC has constituted a new Board Advisory Committee comprising senior representatives of government entities. The initial Board Advisory Committee includes senior representatives of Ministry of Public Works, Dubai Municipality, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Masdar and Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. More members from government entities are expected to join later this year.

Emirates Green Building Council’s presence in trade magazines and national newspapers is continuously growing. Keep an eye out for EmiratesGBC in the media throughout the month of September.

• The EmiratesGBC Technical Guidelines for Retrofitting Existing Buildings continues to receive coverage and provide a platform for the retrofit discussion. We are seeing an increased interest in making buildings more sustainable. Recently our Chairman was featured in the Construction Business News’ feature on green retrofits.
• EmiratesGBC’s new Board Advisory Committee was covered by Al Bawaba, Construction Week Online and Zawya to name a few.