"Act now" the mantra of Green Cities

If there was one message to be taken from Green Cities 2010, held in Melbourne recently, it was "act now".

The conference confirmed how far our industry has travelled in such a short time. Since Green Cities 2009, the conversation has shifted from how we green our individual buildings to how we should shape our precincts, our communities and our cities.

The outcomes and announcements from the conference reflect the sense of collaboration within and passion for the green building industry. Some of the exciting outcomes from the conference include:

• Green Star and NABERS MoU: I was proud to announce a new memorandum of understanding between the Green Star and NABERS rating systems. The intention of the MoU is to improve technical consistency between Green Star and NABERS. We will aim to share information on rating tool development, calculators, benchmarks and methodologies so we can strengthen both tools.
• Green Star Communities framework: The GBCA launched its new national framework for sustainable communities. The framework outlines five key principles - liveability, economic prosperity, environmental quality, place making and urban governance - which will inform the development of the Green star Communities rating tool later this year. The framework can be downloaded from the GBCA website and is open for comment.
• ASBEC Cities for the future report: The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council's report points to a bleak future where transport-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) increases by almost 50 per cent and travel times increase by a quarter. ASBEC is calling for swift, decisive action from all levels of government to deliver better transport systems in Australia's cities.
• Continuing Professional Development program: the GBCA announced a new program which will help Green Star Accredited Professionals maintain their knowledge of Green Star and stay in touch with latest trends and technologies in green building. The program will commence in June; more information is available online.
• Davis Langdon publishes green handbook: The Road to 'Green Property' has been designed to enable developers, property owners and builders to come to grips with the overwhelming mass of information and requirements surrounding energy efficiency and sustainability in the property sector. The e-book sets out the complex procedures involved in establishing the greenhouse gas content and emissions across the entire range of property development.

These are just a few examples of how the industry has come together to "act now". It's now the Green Building Council of Australia's challenge to drive change further and faster than we have before.

If you missed Green Cities 2010, you can visit the website to download podcasts and presentations - and make sure you clear some space in your diary for Green Cities 2011!