Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent online forum focused on saving the environment by enhancing and promoting green building practices, has more enhanced its participatory role in setting the international program for sustainable constructed environments.

This was underlined with Habiba Al Marashi, EmiratesGBC co-founder, board member and treasurer, being selected to the Membership Committee of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), a network of nationwide green structure councils in more than 100 nations, making it the world's largest worldwide organisation affecting the green building market.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, already functions as a Board Director of WorldGBC since 2015, handling the mantle from Adnan Sharafi, previous chairman, who had been on the role from 2013 to 2015. Dr. Sadek Owainati, co-founder of EmiratesGBC, had earlier represented EmiratesGBC on the WorldGBC Membership Committee.

EmiratesGBC is the world's eighth Green Building Council and has been a member of WorldGBC since its creation in 2006. It is also a member of the WorldGBC Established GBC Network, which wased established to connect all the various GBCs throughout the world to share finest practices and start international jobs that help to enhance energy and water use effectiveness in the structure sector and support ecological stewardship.

For many years, it has played an instrumental function in supporting WorldGBC to establish the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) GBC Network to drive continual discussion and action that promote built environment sustainability across the area.

Considering that the establishment of the MENA Network in 2010, EmiratesGBC has belonged of its Steering Committee and takes collective action to unite all regional GBCs and start concrete action in different areas including the development of green structures, retrofitting and green structure innovation.

This is highlighted in the EmiratesGBC Awards, which will be presented from next year under its rebranded identity, the MENA Green Building Awards. The 2017 Awards will be supported by WorldGBC with other regional GBCs as partners.

Saeed Al Abbar stated: "The consultation of Habiba Al Marashi, a leader in shaping a sustainable environment in the Arab world, to this vital committee in the WorldGBC highlights the strong function that EmiratesGBC plays in leading the discussion and tangible action to promote sustainable constructed environments internationally. With two key positions in the WorldGBC, we provide the advances that the UAE and the MENA area have actually achieved in promoting green structure practices. Our considerable accomplishments in promoting a culture of sustainable developed environments serve as a motivation and recommendation point for numerous other GBCs."

" As the first GBC in the area, we have actually set the design template for reinforcing a culture of green structure practices through our numerous activities that bring together all the stakeholders in the building industry supply chain. We likewise motivate a culture of localised innovation in green buildings and in promoting youth talent-- both main to securing a green future for our coming generations. Since our inception, we have actually set clear industry standards and guidelines and we will continue to promote finest practices in sustainable developed environments," he included.

Habiba Al Marashi said: "This is indeed a terrific honour to represent our country at the WorldGBC. It presents the chance to deal with committed green building professionals across the world and to share our knowings and experiences. It is very important more than ever before to focus our energies on promoting sustainable advancement, speed up initiatives to improve energy and water efficiency, and minimize the worldwide carbon footprint.

" With the building sector being the primary source of greenhouse gas emission, taking collective action at an international level is imperative. We are confident that our participation in WorldGBC's considerations will help all of us to attain the green vision of the leadership of our beloved nation."

For many years, EmiratesGBC has actually actively promoted industry finest practices that assist support the 'green vision' revealed by regional governments. In the UAE, it supports the objectives of ecological and structure sustainability determined in the UAE Vision 2021 and the 'green economy for sustainable development' vision announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

With the number corporate members more than doubling from 2006 to now, EmiratesGBC organises a full-breadth of activities to engage specialists in the building and construction market supply chain. Its Advisory Committee has government representatives, since 2015, to make sure that its objectives are lined up with the nationwide advancement program.

Milestones of EmiratesGBC consist of the launch of the Energy Efficiency Programme and the 'Technical Guidelines for Retrofitting Existing Buildings,' intended to work as a guide for UAE market professionals and developing end-users. It likewise released the Energy Efficiency Online database, openly easily accessible through the EmiratesGBC site, to assist in structure retrofit projects by streamlining the energy performance market in the UAE.

EmiratesGBC routinely arranges Focus Day and networking sessions to support the market and other stakeholders in reinforcing their awareness as well as promoting the useful application of finest practices that will assist in saving energy and water while promoting environmental sustainability. For more information, email: info@emiratesgbc.org.