The UNEP-SBCI is a partnership of major public and private sector stakeholders in the building sector, working to promote sustainable building policies and practices worldwide.

23.04.12 Don't Miss Out! Register Now for the UNEP-SBCI 2012 AGM & Symposium

The Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative (SBCI), along with Conselho Brasileiro de Construção Sustentável (CBCS), SECOVI-SP, the Secretaria da Habitação do Estado de São Paulo - SH, the Secretaria Municipal do Verde e Meio Ambiente – SVMA, Companhia de Desenvolvimento Habitacional e Urbano do Estado de São Paulo – CDHU and the Ministério das Cidades, will host the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) 2012 Annual General Meeting and Symposium on Resource Efficiency and Green Economy: Opportunities for Sustainable Buildings and Cities, at Sesc Pinheiros in Sao Paulo, Brazil on the 12 – 14 June. For all the information you need, including agendas, speaker profiles and logistics, visit the event website by clicking here

Are you a UNEP-SBCI Partner, contact the UNEP-SBCI Secretariat for access to a special Partner registration site.

14.03.12 Join the UNEP-SBCI in 2012/13

Partnership with the UNEP-SBCI provides your organization with the opportunity to work with global experts, gain first hand access to developments in the building sector, help shape global policy on sustainable buildings, and raise your organisation's sustainability profile and visibility.

By joining now you will also have the chance to participate in our expert Committees, help guide the Initiative's work program for the coming year and have priority attendance at UNEP-SBCI events including our 2012 AGM and Symposium to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil from the 12 - 14 June; one week before the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20.

For an overview of the UNEP-SBCI achievements in 2011, click here

To join the Partnership, please email the UNEP-SBCI Secretariat at sbci@unep.org

28.11.11 - 8.12.11 UNEP-SBCI at COP 17

The UNEP-SBCI was well represented at COP17. In advance of the meeting, several UNEP-SBCI Partners were in contact with their national delegations and distributed the UNEP-SBCI Call to Action document. In addition, the Partners listed below hosted a range of side events, including:

• International Confabulations & Sub-national Actions: Showcasing India’s Response to Climate Change, TERI
  
• Energy efficient buildings and communities for sustainable development: Voices from South Africa, World Green Building Council
  
• Driving a Transformation to Energy Efficient Buildings, US Green Building Council
  
• World Climate Summit
  
• WorldGBC Government Leadership Awards, World Green Building Council
  
• Cato Manor Green Retrofit Tour and Reception, Green Building Council of South Africa
  
• Action on Energy Efficiency in the United States and on the Global Stage, US Green Building Council

We would like to thank everyone who represented UNEP-SBCI at COP17.

09.12.11 UNEP-SBCI Welcomes ENERGIES 2050 to the Partnership

ENERGIES 2050 is an international non-government organization working on sustainable development, climate change and energy issues. We would like to welcome ENERGIES 2050 to the Partnership and look forward to working together on planned reports looking at the status of sustainable buildings in sub Saharan African countries.

02.12.11 SUSHI is live

SUSHI aims to increase the use of sustainable (resource-efficient and energy-efficient) building and design solutions in social housing programs in developing countries. The first phase of the SUSHI, SUSHI 1, was implemented in Bangkok, Thailand and Sao Paulo, Brazil and successfully completed early in 2011. Notably, UNEP-SBCI Partner CBCS generously supported implementation in Sao Paulo. SUSHI 1 resulted in a number of valuable outcomes including guidelines for integrating sustainable solutions, which are available on the new SUSHI website.

07.11.11 Highlights from the UNEP-SBCI Fall Symposium on Sustainable Buildings

Photo courtesy of the T.C. Chan Center for Building Simulation and Energy Studies

At this year’s UNEP-SBCI Fall Symposium a range of technical presentations and policy discussions were delivered over two days including an inspiring keynote address on how to fight climate change and create jobs delivered by the former-Mayor of Toronto, David Miller.

A lively discussion, moderated by the former-Mayor of Nashville Bill Purcell, on the challenges cities face in implementing sustainable policies attracted much attention with the Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, participating alongside representatives from the City of Madrid, City of Sao Paulo, and Mr. Miller. The Symposium was well subscribed with 170 participants from the public and private sector. We would like to take this opportunity to extend a special thank you to all our speakers for their contribution, and to our sponsor, the TC Chan Center for Building Simulation and Energy Studies, for hosting such a successful event.

• To download Symposium presentations and watch live recordings, click here

Attended the Symposium, we would be grateful if you could take a minutes to provide some feedback, just click here.

02.11.11 SB11 held in Helsinki

The World Sustainable Building Conference (SB11) was held in Helsinki, Finland on 18-21 October. The Conference was focused on addressing opportunities for improving quality of life, mitigating effects of climate change, and making new business. Several UNEP-SBCI Partners and collaborators participated in the conference, including:

• Marcelo Takaoka, UNEP-SBCI Board Chair & CBCS
  
• Anne-Claire Freyd, CBCS
  
• CSTB
  
• Edward Anggadjaja, BCA Singapore
  
• Teresa Coady, B+H Bunting Coady
  
• Chris Pyke, USGBC
  
• Chrisna Du Plessis, Professor at the University of Pretoria
  
• Kaarin Taipale, former-Chair of the Marrakech Task Force on Sustainable Building and Construction

UNEP-SBCI was well represented, and the contributions of our Partners helped make SB11 a great success. For outcomes from the Conference, click here. In 2013, the SB series will resume with regional conferences around the world, followed by the World Sustainable Building Conference in Barcelona in 2014.

Thanks to all who participated in SB11.

05.10.11 BCA and UNEP Establish a Centre on Sustainable Buildings in SE Asia

The Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have joined forces in the fight against climate change. The two organizations finalized an agreement to collaborate on work to promote and establish sustainable building policies and practices in the Southeast Asia region.

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