Green push for new buildings

Dubai: All new constructions under the jurisdiction of Dubai World are now required to adhere to the Green Building Regulations mandated by the Environment Health and Safety (EHS), the regulatory arm of Trakhees - Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) effective January 1, 2009.

In a first step towards complying and contributing towards Dubai's new sustainable green building resolution, EHS in addition to its existing environmental policies, has been on a pioneering mission to effectively implement and practice the new resolution by developing Green Building Regulations in accordance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system set by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

EHS is committed to providing world class services to all developers within Dubai World's jurisdiction. EHS facilitates the rollout of Certified Green Buildings to ensure sustainable development in the region.

The move comes under the directive of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai's resolution to implement green building specifications and standards in Dubai, all new projects in Dubai are required to comply with the resolution effective from January 1, 2009.

At present, there are several hundred projects being evaluated and managed by EHS for compliance with the EHS Green Building Regulations.

LEED is a third-party certification programme and the current EHS-accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of green buildings.

LEED gives building owners and operators the tools to have an immediate and measurable impact on their building's performance. It also promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognising performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

ReaderSpeak: Tree-saving campaign

The Turkish newspaper, Today's Zaman, reported that a new book exchange campaign was to be launched by the Ministry of Education in Turkey. The purpose of the campaign is to protect the environment, and contribute to the economy.

The ministry distributes over 155 million new books to students in Turkey annually. Most of these books are thrown away at the end of the academic year.

The cost of these books to the taxpayer is more than $800 million (Dh2.9 billion) per year.

Under the new project, books given will have to be returned at the end of the academic term.

The Ministry of Education expects this project to save more than 1.27 million trees every year. It will contribute to Turkey's economy by saving $110 million (Dh407 million) annually, since 50 per cent of the paper used to publish textbooks is imported, costing $750 million per year.

The project is also expected to save 307 million kilowatt hours of electricity and 29 million tonnes of water.

- Compiled by Rabab L. Khan, Community Journalist