WorldGBC - Global Update (Aug 2019)

Dear GBCs and Partners
 
Welcome to the August edition of the Global Update newsletter.
 
Last week, we announced the call for leading green building case studies to feature on a new interactive digital map-based case study library. A joint initiative between Advancing Net Zero (ANZ) and Better Places for People (BPFP), two of WorldGBC's global projects, this resource will be hosted on WorldGBC's website and launched in late 2019.
 
As a global network committed to achieving a sustainable built environment, WorldGBC recognises the continued market demand to share case studies of buildings that excel in key areas of sustainability and the role of green building certification schemes to provide third party assurance of this level of performance.
 
We therefore invite all member GBCs and partners to submit case studies, with additional input for those participating in WorldGBC’s global projects Advancing Net Zero and Better Places for People and we welcome GBCs to invite their members to participate. In addition, we have collaborated with some of our key partners to create a unique global platform, with special thanks to Delos, Integral Group and Saint-Gobain for supporting WorldGBC in developing this resource.
 
The first round of case study submissions can be made through the interactive form here until 30 September 2019. Following the launch at the end of 2019, applications for further case studies will re-open.
 
Annual General Meeting
I would also like to take this opportunity to remind our member GBCs to register for WorldGBC's Annual General Meeting, which will take place on Tuesday 27 August 2019 at 11:00 BST. Your GBC voting representative should have already received an email confirming the final agenda and information about the AGM - if not, please contact Alexis Dangel at adangel@worldgbc.org
 
I look forward to connecting with you and working together to advance our collective mission to achieve green buildings for everyone, everywhere.
 
Best wishes
 
Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council

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With less than seven weeks to go, World Green Building Week 2019 is just around the corner! Taking place from 23-29 September, don't miss your chance to get involved in the the biggest week of the year for green building. This year, the week is centred around reducing carbon emissions from the whole building lifecycle under the banner #BuildingLife. Find out what's happening in your area on our Global Activity Map. Want to see your activities and events listed on the map? Add them here. Download the campaign resources from our website including a "how to get involved" guide, social media cards, web banner, posters and much more. Take a photo with our #BuildingLife pledge sign and tell us what steps you'll take to build a better future. This week we'll be launching some animations for social media. For more information, contact Georgie Eldridge - geldridge@worldgbc.org

As your representatives for the Global Alliance for Building and Construction (GlobalABC), we're pleased to share with you the online questionnaire for input for the 2019 Global Status Report (GSR) and Case Study database, open until Friday 16 August. The questionnaire provides you with an opportunity to highlight your work by submitting case studies and updates or additions regarding building codes, building certifications, Nationally Determined Contributions etc. Your input is highly valued and essential to make the GSR as comprehensive and inclusive as possible. Nevertheless, kindly note that this year’s GSR will be a lighter online version and for space reasons, inclusion of all case studies/input cannot be guaranteed. However, your contributions will be stored with the aim of featuring them as case studies on the GlobalABC website. For more information and to fill out the questionnaire, click here.

On Friday 20 September schoolchildren striking for climate action have called for all adults to join them on a Global Climate Strike. We know the next ten years are critical if we are to stand any chance of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees while an urgent shift to net zero carbon buildings, and deep cuts in emissions across the whole built environment is crucial to achieving this goal. At WorldGBC, we therefore support the Global Climate Strike and call on our GBCs and partners to join the strike, set to take place in hundreds of cities around the world. UKGBC has already pledged its involvement. In this video, UKGBC CEO Julie Hirigoyen invites members to join the UKGBC team on the strike in London. The strike takes place three days before the UN Secretary General's Climate Action Summit in New York during Climate Week NYC. WorldGBC will be attending the opening ceremony and will use this week to launch a new report calling for industry to address embodied carbon emissions from buildings. To learn more about the Global Climate Strike, click here.

It's approaching that time of year when we will be issuing the Member Value Survey. WorldGBC is dedicated to growing the profile of green building and the Green Building Council movement globally, and to improving our offering to our members. To do so effectively, we need information from all of our members, and this is your opportunity to provide feedback. We want to know how WorldGBC can help your Green Building Council develop and prosper. The survey will formally open on 25 August and the CEO (for Established and Emerging GBCs) and Chairs (for Prospective) will receive a link to the member value survey to complete. Be sure to keep an eye out for it as it will help you coordinate within your teams to gather the appropriate information. The survey covers everything from membership benefits to advancing green building in your market. We look forward to hearing from you! For more information about the survey, contact Helen Bell – hbell@worldgbc.org

Last month we launched Plant a Sensor, a global air quality monitoring campaign run as part of our Better Places for People global project, aligned to Earth Challenge 2020 and we gladly invite the global GBC network to participate in this initiative. We are delighted to have partnered with the Earth Day Network and to be working alongside the Wilson Centre and our technical partner RESET. The campaign champions the roll-out of air quality monitoring devices in and outside of buildings and the development of an open data platform showcasing real time air quality data from across the world. Find out how your GBC or organisation can get involved here. You can also read this blog from Dutch GBC outlining how citizens can take action on air pollution by measuring their local air quality, prompting governments to enact policies to tackle air quality - and the opportunity this presents for GBCs. For more information, contact Catriona Brady – cbrady@worldgbc.org

On 4 September, WorldGBC Chair Lisa Bate will deliver opening remarks for the Spotlight Plenary: Be Part Of The Transformation at International Built Environment Week (IBEW 2019) in Singapore. WorldGBC's Head of Asia Pacific Regional Network Allan Han-Huei Teo will then moderate the Green Buildings session: Making Net Zero Energy Buildings Work and will be joined in this session by WorldGBC's Head of Advancing Net Zero Victoria Burrows. WorldGBC is a Supporting Partner of IBEW 2019. On 11-13 September WorldGBC is delighted to be a Supporting Partner for Cities to Be, hosted by Alliance HQE-GBC in Angers, France. Held alongside WorldGBC's Europe Regional Network meeting, Europe Director James Drinkwater will discuss how the construction industry must step up collaboration to help reach carbon neutrality and a less than 2 degrees trajectory. For more information, visit the Cities to Be website.