The third “Think Green” conference, held in Amman this week, encourages green buildings and sustainable communities. [image of an apartment building in Amman via: Sezgin Aytuna]
We heard about Jordanian Queen Rania’s activities earlier this week, and now we will hear what HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El Hassan has been up to.
For the past few days, she has been occupied sponsoring the third Think Green conference in Amman – a conference that is focused on sustainable and green building.
The main goal of the conference is “to encourage greater understanding of the challenges faced by the rapidly growing construction industry, in order to direct investments into efficient, cost effective and sustainable projects that will reduce the use of non-renewable resources and minimizes environmental impact during the entire lifecycle of the project.”
The conference attracted a variety of figures influential in matters of green building, such as H.E. Hazem Malhas (Jordanian Minister of Environment), H.E. Khaled Irani (Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources), and Mohammad Asfour (Chairman of the Jordan Green Building Council).
The conference sessions included: green building practices in the design and operation of the hospitality sector, green building designs, approaches and outcomes, assessing Jordan’s green regulatory framework and initiatives, and green building projects and case studies.
Think Green 3’s main objectives were:
To bring together major stakeholders to promote and encourage the adoption of environmentally-responsible design & construction solutions.
To encourage the use of efficient energy & water management systems and building materials that minimise the use of non-renewable resources.
To identify practical and achievable sustainable design and construction practices and techniques.
To promote the adoption of green concepts in real estate projects .
To develop an action plan for implementation of green and sustainable buildings, construction practices, technologies and supportive legislation.
More sustainable building in the Middle East:
Tareq Emtairah’s Practical Eco-House in Aqaba, Jordan
Qatar’s Green Building Council Rallies Community Leaders
Calling all Young Architects and Grad Students to Join ECOWEEK 2010
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
