Green buildings help build a sustainable planet

Buildings consume upto 60% of the total global energy consumption. It is imperative that governments, businesses and citizens advocate for their energy efficiency. Governments around the world are encouraging green initiatives. With its vision for sustainability, the UAE has paved the way for environmentally friendly buildings by instituting green building regulations, guidelines and certification systems that foster energy and water efficient buildings.

Research from the United States Green Building Council show -

 ‘LEED-certified buildings are resource efficient. They use less water, energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As an added bonus, they save money’

As a visionary in the UAE green building industry, MECSD works with local, national and international business organizations, private building owners and government entities to facilitate local green building regulations by providing expert guidance to ensure effective navigation of the following green building regulation and certification systems: Dubai Municipality, EHS, USGBC LEED and UPC ESTIDAMA Pearl in Abu Dhabi. Through MECSD’s expert guidance in employing green building measures and green building certifications.

The following companies have seen marked reductions in energy and water, reducing harmful CO2 emissions and decreasing building owner costs:

Project Name	Area (Sq. ft.)	Certification	Energy Savings %	Energy Saved (kWh/yr)	CO2 Saved (Tons)	Water Savings %	Water Saved (gal/yr)
ESAB	61,033	Platinum	51.68%	585,229	345.29	30.36%	55,728
TLM International	98,869	Platinum	44.58%	291,736	172.12	36.41%	16,305
Panasonic Avionics	185,637	Platinum	37.05%	1,144,483	675.24	21.32%	206,410
Walls & Floors	46,462	Gold	23.39%	148,936	87.87	42.96%	32,221
Scania	34,030	Gold	27.30%	574,109	338.72	66.53%	42,797
Modern Emirates Heavy Crane	8,194	Gold	28.09%	55,479	32.73	53.36%	105,431
Schaeffler	33,244	Gold	30.26%	133,905	79.00	31.31%	19,213

Not only do green buildings reduce water, energy, carbon emissions and cost, they are also much healthier for the individuals who occupy them and the environment that surrounds them. Take the Pacific Controls LEED Platinum certified green building for example. Here, employees have access to beautiful site views of lush and native purposefully planted here. The building site location is a beautiful oasis in Techno Park, enriching the land and the quality of life for the entire community. This is the essence of what Earth Hour is all about: not only reducing our impact, but proactively improving our surrounding environment, and therefore our earth.