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The Green Building Council Movement

There are now seven Green Building Councils around the world, with the founding meeting started in 1999, the World Green Building Council (WGBC) provides encouragement and guidelines for the establishment of other Councils around the world. The seven members, with the UKGBC to be added in the next couple of years, include the US, Australia, Spain, Canada, Japan, India, Taiwan and Mexico; all working together to form the World Green Building Council. Most of these organisations are well funded through membership schemes, and well attended by the industry itself. WGBC Guidelines state that membership should reflect a significant geographical area, and that members should be formed from a diverse and wide ranging group of industry members.

The movement has began to rapidly expand, within the last five to ten years, largely due to the increasing amount of knowledge about climate change, and the recent thinking that buildings play a huge part in energy use. With India among the members, the big energy users have a vital role to play in the movement. But there are many players not taking part. Emerging members include: Brazil, Chile, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Israel, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, and of course the UK. However, there are bigger fish who have not yet joined. Many European countries have no plans to join and very few Asian countries, with tiger economies, most in need of understanding and implementing green building practices. So what are the incentives for countries to form Green Building Councils?

The World GBC says on its website that it was established to ‘share technical knowledge and advancement of national green building information’. They say that the World GBC will advance the spread of technologies and design practices. They have set up shop in the US, and will seek to raise funds from the US. But there is a plan to set up shop in China in March this year (2006). The World GBC says on its website, that ‘China's Ministry of Construction has accepted a WorldGBC proposal to conduct a workshop on organising a GBC in China, to be conducted following their Intelligent and Green Building Conference at the end of March 2006 in Beijing’.

The World GBC has as one its core aims, set itself the task of bringing in new members from all over the world, including developing countries. As one of its primary goals, it will support any group of individuals to establish a GBC, in their own country. It issues guidelines and offers to send some of their key personnel to come and talk to industry leaders in the country of the founder members. For example, it has pledged to raise $500,000 to promote the establishment of Green Building Councils in other countries, including developing countries. In this regard the World GBC plays an extremely vital role.

However, it does not follow that a country without a GBC can’t grow its economy and build green infrastructure. The GBC therefore might offer key information to non-members. It is this role that the movement also aims to fulfill.

To explore the World GBC Website go to: www.worldgbc.org

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