All Ireland group established to support drive to sustainability in the built environment

Irish Green Building Council founded

Pictured at the first Founder Meeting of the Irish Green Council (IGBC) on 24 May 2011 were Philip Lee, acting Chairperson, IGBC; Paul King, CEO, UK Green Building Council; and the Minister for the Environment Communities and Local Government Phil Hogan TD.

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The first Founder Meeting of the Irish Green Building Council took place today (Tuesday) at the headquarters of Engineers Ireland at Clyde Road, Ballsbridge and was addressed by Mr. Phil Hogan TD, Minister for the Environment and Local Government.

In addressing the first Founder Meeting of the Council, Minister Phil Hogan said:

“Recovery in the construction sector in Ireland and internationally will be completely different to the past. Sustainability will be central to how we use energy in our buildings, how we plan our cities, towns, buildings and infrastructure. The materials we use and the construction methods we employ will largley be determined by sustainability criteria. Ireland needs to develop the sustainable products, materials and services to meet this demand both here and internationally.

I welcome today’s establishment of an Irish Green Building Council to share knowledge and help equip Irish business and service providers to bring sustainability to the centre of how they plan, build and occupy buildings.  Its work will also be critical in ensuring that Irish companies have the knowledge and accreditations to compete internationally and secure contracts in other markets which are now demanding the highest standards of sustainability for the services they buy.

Government itself is also a major buyer of building services at all levels from master planning, design and construction. We will ensure that the services the public sector buys meet the highest environmental standards. The Government is reviewing and revising its Green Procurement action plan to ensure these standards continue to be achieved."

Minister Hogan then added:

"I look forward to ongoing engagement with the Irish Green Building Council to achieve our shared goals for a sustainable built environment in Ireland and commercial success for Irish business.”

Note: 

The Irish Green Building Council has been established as an all-Ireland, non-for-profit body, and will be part of an international movement of Green Building Councils already established in over 80 countries worldwide with 30 national councils in Europe alone, including the United Kingdom, Germany,  the Netherlands and France.

Green Building Councils (GBCs) are member-based organizations that partner with industry and government in the transformation of the building industry towards sustainability through market driven mechanisms. GBCs create change in their local markets as a way to globalize environmentally and socially responsible building practices.

The Irish GBC will seek to complement and co-ordinate the work of private companies, professional institutes, research and government bodies in reaching its shared consensus goal of sustainability. The Founder Members include leading firms and public bodies from throughout the supply chain of the Irish built environment.

For further information, please contact Mr. Pat Barry, Secretary at info@igbc.ie