Green Building Council – Sydney, Australia

Robin Mellon, Executive Director met with us and had a presentation especially prepared for us and was prominently displayed on the big screen.  His first and most important takeaway for us was he didn’t care what system some used as long as it was a tool that is relevant to your country.  Their mission is to: Rate, Educate and Advocate.  The GBC was formed in 2002, it’s a non-profit has 900 members and has a staff of 60 across the country.  They are working towards 5 goals: 1. Government leadership, 2. Making education and healthcare greener, 3. Concentrate on existing buildings, 4. wider focus from buildings to communities, 5. Embed green across industry.    They have 292 rated projects which will be 300 by the end of the week; they have 510 in progress and have more per capita than any other country of which office has the most at 185 certified buildings.  They have 9 rating categories: Management, IEQ, Energy, Transport, Water, Materials, Land use and energy, Emissions and Innovation.   The Star Ratings are 6 Star which is 75+ points and is considered a world rating, a 5 Star which is 60 points and is an Australia and a 4 Star is best in class.  They have a five star rating for their floor.  They import fresh air from the outside, use not hot water, use grey water for flushing toilets, the blinds automatically rise and lower for natural light, they use 60% less energy than their previous office space and have become accustomed to a wider temperature range in the office space.  They are practicing what they preach right down to a worm farm in the kitchen and a wastewater tank in the floor next to an executive’s office.  Awesome meeting.