Sustainability Magazine March 2023 | Page 18

TRAILBLAZER

CONSTRUCT CLEANS UP I

NAME : Victoria Burrows JOB TITLE : Advancing Net Zero Director COMPANY : World Green Building Council

Through holistic approaches to reducing emissions , we can also bring significant social and economic benefits

The construction industry is one of the most vital tells of economic growth . In our age – one marked by housing shortages , predicated on a dogma of constraint expansion , yet tempered by climate catastrophe – it ’ s more essential than ever that the building industry , as well as the many ancillary sectors associated with it , become clean and sustainable . To give an idea of the enormity of the issue : the building sector is responsible for 40 % of global emissions . So , then , how does this pillar of the economy get clean and decarbonise ?

One place at which to look is the work of the World Green Building Council . Founded ( and still headquartered ) in the US in 1993 and with 36,000 members across the world , this globe-spanning entity is a network of 70 green building councils with a stated mission : “ To radically improve the sustainability of the built environment by transforming the way it is planned , designed , constructed , maintained , repurposed and operated .”
18 March 2023