Green ambition

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Emirates Environmental Group chairperson Habiba Al Marashi talks about the organisation’s aims to encourage green building and sustainable design.

How are you actively encouraging developers to go green?

The Emirates Environmental Group’s (EEG) programmes and activities are designed to raise environmental awareness and encourage pro-action from different groups including developers, architects and product manufacturers. EEG’s major programmes i.e. waste management, environmental education and corporate social responsibility all serve as a baseline so builders can develop local green building programmes.

What should developers be focusing on in 2010 in terms of green building?

Developers need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable development when planning and implementing buildings and they need be transparent in reporting their plans to their suppliers, workers and the community at large.

Was the Green Day Conference at Cityscape well received?

It was very well received and is one of the value added events to Cityscape. The event was focused on sharing ideas and knowledge and not just having speeches and presentations. The concept of Green Day highlights the fact that the construction industry- known as one of the biggest polluters of the environment- is stepping up and taking charge of its social and environmental responsibilities. It was an event that not only spoke about green buildings, but also included illuminating talks, discussions and question and answer sessions on topics such as energy saving issues. I was invited to speak about encouraging the construction industry to adopt environmentally friendly building practices. This topic highlighted the fact that approximately 8000 buildings in the region are currently green but each and every piece of construction should look at changing their approach to achieve a sustainable environment.

How can green building benefit businesses financially?

Green buildings provide financial benefits that conventional buildings do not. These benefits include energy and water savings, reduced waste, reduced absenteeism, reduced employee health costs and lower operations and maintenance costs. So really, the question is not how much more does green cost; but in fact how green can we be in our given budget.

Why do you think some contractors and developers are discouraged from green building?

The concept of ‘green buildings’ is still new in the region and there are no specific standards or rating systems to follow yet. When the mindset is to build very quickly and make a profit then there is no consideration given to securing renewable energy. Furthermore, most people assume that responsibility should come from the government and that mindset will have to change.

What are the goals of your group?

To contribute positively to the advancement of sustainable development in the UAE by acting as a focal point for people concerned with environment protection and sound waste management. We wish to assist concerned authorities, where possible, to increase the level of public awareness on all local and global environmental issues. Further, we want to promote positive environmental action by individuals and encourage the public at large to accept that each individual has a responsibility to help preserve and protect the environment. Another one of our goals is to propagate community waste reduction and recycling both as a means of protecting the environment from the long-term burden of waste and also as a flagship for improving the community’s environmental awareness. We aim to compile a database on various environmental issues and make it available to the public and institutions. Finally, we wish to encourage and invite active participation by individuals from the business community who are experts on various environmental issues including our areas of concentration.

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