Dubai Chamber of Commerce examined several case studies and best practices in maintaining energy and water efficiency in green buildings during a recently conducted webinar.
The webinar, hosted by the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network Task Force on Green Buildings, was attended by over 100 people from the business community representing various economic sectors. The sessions on the webinar addressed global and local renewable energy levels and investments. The discussions also shed light on some examples of sustainable and green buildings in the UAE.
IRENA Headquarters
Ms. Jennifer Ifeanyi-Okoro, Program Officer, Technical Advisory Services at International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), discussed the current state of global and local renewable energy as well as renewable energy investments. Ms. Jennifer presented sustainability measures from the IRENA headquarters in Abu Dhabi, one of the most sustainable buildings in the UAE.
Mr. Samuel Njoroge, Cluster Quality Assurance Manager at JA Resorts & Hotels, discussed the various energy and water efficiency measures that are currently in place at the facilities of JA Resorts & Hotels.
Mr. Samuel noted that JA Resorts & Hotels believes in the significance of reducing its carbon emissions as well as energy and water consumption, and continuously aims to improve its current sustainability practices.
Empower
Mr. Saoud Al Dosari, Manager, Operations & Maintenance at Empower, explained the improvisation and operational approach implemented by Empower at its plants to ensure energy and water efficiency. Mr. Saoud emphasized the importance of adopting innovative measures in operating plants to ensure achieving the optimum reduction in energy and water consumption.
Dubai Chamber of Commerce Headquarters
Dr. Belaid Rettab, Senior Director, Economic Research and Sustainable Business Development Sector, Dubai Chamber of Commerce, stated that the Dubai Chamber of Commerce is a leading example of an organization that integrated sustainability into every feature and aspect of its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum-certified headquarters.
Dr. Rettab also noted that the webinar raised awareness among businesses about the importance and benefits of enhancing energy and water efficiency in green buildings. It also provided an ideal platform for the chamber and members of the task force to share knowledge and experiences in the field, for companies who are interested in making sustainability an important part of their corporate culture and to adopt and guide energy-efficient systems and practices.
