Countless acts of courage

Romilly Madew, Chief Executive
Green Building Council of Australia

In October 2002, the Australian Financial Review reported on a gathering of 200 people at The Establishment restaurant in Sydney.

Rather disparagingly, the AFR said: “the tree huggers were either well disguised or had made way for a traditional business crowd sniffing out new prospects.”

This was the launch of the Green Building Council of Australia.  Our then Chief Executive, Maria Atkinson, told the audience that the new Council “was not about the drought or water conservation, it’s about what we deliver for business.”

Fast forward ten years, and I’m proud to say that the Green Building Council of Australia has proven that our industry can “do well by doing good”.  We have demonstrated that sustainability makes good business sense, at the same time as minimising environmental impacts.

This year, we celebrate ten years of our industry taking revolutionary steps towards sustainability.  This green building movement – and every one of its achievements – belongs to the members of the Green Building Council of Australia. 

Without our members, Green Star would not exist.  There would be no metrics or agreed methodology to measure green building practices, and no way for the industry to promote or profit from green building leadership.

Without our members, we would not have secured supportive government policies, such green door policies and other incentives, in states and territories around Australia. 

Without our members, we would not have third-party verified green schools, hospitals, industrial facilities, offices, apartments and shopping centres.

And without our members, 430 projects around Australia, amounting to 6.6 million square metres of space, would not have achieved Green Star certification.

Mahatma Gandhi once said that “every good movement passes through five stages: indifference, ridicule, abuse, repression, and respect.”  The visionary leadership of many people in our industry has helped our movement evolve to one that is respected throughout Australia and the fact that the GBCA has a seat at every government roundtable on the built environment speaks volumes.

The green building movement in Australia can already lay claim to many victories – but there are many more within our grasp.  It is only through countless acts of courage by thousands of people that human history is shaped, and it is only through countless acts of courage that we’ll continue to reshape and redefine Australia’s built environment.