Greening the future

With just a few short weeks left before 2008 is consigned to history, it's time to reflect on the challenges and opportunities presented to the Green Building Council of Australia this year.

As people begin to accept the realities of climate change, and of the need to take immediate action, we've witnessed the world 'waking up' to the benefits of green building. We now have governments, industry and individuals around Australia recognising that green building is not just another trend. It is a necessity.

With residential and commercial buildings responsible for almost a quarter of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions, any comprehensive attempt to curb climate change needs to transform our approach to construction, old and new.

Australia's property industry has risen to the green challenge, which is reflected in the exponential increase in Green Star registered and certified projects this year. In June 2007, for instance, the GBCA had 270 registered and 27 certified Green Star projects. This rose to 680 registered and 70 certified projects by the end of June 2008. And those figures continue to rise, as we get ready to celebrate our 100th Green Star certification in early 2009.

Benchmarking Australian buildings against world best practice is now a reality for a variety of different building types. With the release, in August, of three new Green Star environmental rating tools - Education v1, Retail Centre v1 and the Healthcare PILOT - we can now shift some of our most valuable public spaces into the twenty first century. Many of our schools, hospitals and shopping centres have been built with a twentieth century vision unfit for the challenges of this century. Green Star is changing this.

2009 will be a landmark year for the green building industry of Australia, and for its green building leaders. As the Australian Government continues its focus on global warming, and recognises that energy efficiency forms the 'second plank' in the strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, green building will be at the frontline in this fight.

I'm proud of our progress in 2008 - a year in which Australia has emerged as a world leader in sustainable building practices. The GBCA has grown in size and influence this year, with 45 full-time staff supporting the adoption of green building practices around Australia, and our Chairman, Tony Arnel, now leading the World Green Building Council.

Finally, in tough economic times, we cannot forget another virtue of sustainable building design: its potential for job creation. With unemployment predicted to rise next year, green building provides opportunities to re-skill workers in Australia's property industry and creates millions of good-quality 'green' jobs that cannot be outsourced.

On behalf of the team at the Green Building Council of Australia, I wish you a happy and safe Christmas, and look forward to working with you in 2009.

Romilly Madew
Chief Executive
Green Building Council of Australia