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Moscow (23 May 2012) Urban Land Institute (ULI) Russia and the Russian Green Building Council held a panel discussion on public-private partnership issues in green buildings, as well as on the development of the green industry, in Russia. This was the first joint event held by the two leading international organizations in this country that are dedicated to sustainable building practices. It was attended by over 100 representatives of leading Russian and foreign companies. Participants discussed state programs of energy conservation and energy efficiency, theory and practice in the development of “Smart Cities”, legislative initiatives to create more favorable conditions for sustainable development in Russia, the spread of ecological thinking among Russians, and the heightened attractiveness of green projects in Russia for investors.
The ULI-RuGBC Green Buildings panel discussion was supported by Herbert Smith, the Russian Energy Agency, Ernst & Young, Devereux Architects, EcoDolie, CRE-Solutions, HALKGYO, and MEP Engineering. Stephen Terzolo, Investor Relations Manager at IMG Partners Ltd. and member of the Russian branch of ULI Young Leaders Group, was the Event Coordinator. The Moderators of the panel discussion were Guy Eames, CEO of the Russian Green Building Council, and Adrian Salter, co-founder and General Director of MEP Engineering.
“This event – and the large number of people attending it – demonstrated the importance of green building issues in Russia. ULI as an organization is dedicated to promoting best practice in development and construction. Thus we enthusiastically join together with focused organizations like the Russian Green Building Council to conduct events on subjects that are key in our industry”, Darrell Stanaford, Chairman of ULI Russia, said.
“ULI represents leading international players and is one of the key partners of the Russian Green Building Council. That is why its involvement in the current debate about the economic benefits of green buildings in Russia is extremely timely.” Guy Eames, CEO of the Russian Green Building Council, added.
Russian Green Building Council
The Russian Green Building Council (RuGBC) is a not-for-profit partnership that aims to develop green building in Russia and to promote Russian and international standards. The Council was established in 2009 and today has over 200 members, consisting of companies and individuals working in architecture, engineering and construction.
RuGBC is a member of the World Green Building Council (WGBC), a union of green building councils in over 90 countries, with the status of a “developing” member. The organization cooperates with several national boards, including DGNB (Germany), USGBC (United States) and UKGBC (UK), and provides a platform promoting international green standards in Russia, such as BREEAM, LEED, and DGNB. Together with its partners, the Council implements educational programs to raise awareness of market participants about green certification systems and works to increase the number of official green appraisers in Russia.