Montenegro Green Building Council

Montenegro Green Building Council, GBC ME founded in 2009 was registered as an NGO with the Global umbrella organisation, The World Green Building Council, as an prospective Council    in 2010. The World GBC only allows one GBC for each country.
Its Mission is to:
….lead and educate society to create a balance between the ecological objectives of Montenegro, its citizens and the need for sustainable building and development, establishing a responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life for future generations. GBCME is an association of businesses and other organisations involved in the built environment.
The WorldGBC.org  is a union of Green Building Councils from around the world, making it the largest international organisation influencing the green-building marketplace. GBC ME is also a member of the European GBC Network, bringing together 28 organisations from European States, as a Regional Group of the World GBC. GBC ME has adopted an organisation which is in line with other GBC’s around the world. This puts the membership firmly in control of policy, with an executive to implement it. To help the Board, there are specialists Committees, who work on detailed policy issues. Currently there are: Structure and Policy, Membership and Marketing, Technical and Education. Execution of Board policy is implemented by the executive to implement it.. The President is the highest representative of the organisation, and also the Chair of the Board.

The Business Case for Green Building:                                                                  https://www.worldgbc.org/news-media/
A Review of the Costs and Benefits for Developers, Investors, and Occupants      

The Business Case for Green Building: examines whether or not it’s possible to attach a financial value to the cost and benefits of green buildings. Today, green buildings can be delivered at a price comparable to conventional buildings and investments can be recouped through operational cost savings and, with the right design features, create a more productive workplace. Key findings of the report include:

Design and Construction Costs: There has been an overall trend towards the reduction in design and construction costs associated with green building as building codes around the world become stricter, supply chains for green materials and technologies mature and the industry becomes more skilled at delivering green buildings;

Asset Value: As investors and occupiers become more knowledgeable about and concerned with the environmental and social impacts of the built environment, buildings with better sustainability credentials will have increased marketability.  Additionally, there is a demonstrated link between the green characteristics of buildings and the ability of these buildings, in some markets, to more easily attract tenants and command higher rents and sale prices;

Operating Costs: Green buildings have been shown to save money through reduced energy and water consumption and lower long-term operations and maintenance costs. The energy savings alone typically exceed any cost premiums associated with their design and construction within a reasonable payback period;

Workplace Productivity and Health: There is an emerging body of evidence suggesting that the physical characteristics of buildings and indoor environments can influence worker productivity and occupant health and well-being, resulting in bottom-line benefits for businesses;

Risk Mitigation: Sustainability risk factors can significantly affect the rental income and the future value of real estate assets, in turn affecting their return on investment. Regulatory risks have become increasingly apparent in countries and cities around the world, including mandatory disclosure, building codes and laws banning inefficient buildings.

This report was produced in partnership with PRP Environmental along with the following sponsors: Skanska, Grosvenor, and the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council/Estidama.

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is a non-profit organisation and global network of national Green Building Councils (GBCs). It has member councils in over 75 countries worldwide, which collectively have 49,000 members (25,000 member companies and 24,000 individual members).

The organisation is committed to achieving the following goals by 2050: limiting global temperature rises to 2 degrees Celsius; reducing the building and construction sector’s CO2 emissions by 84 gigatonnes; and ensuring all buildings have net zero emissions.^[3] These goals will ensure the buildings and construction sector plays its part in delivering on the ambition of the Paris Agreement.

 
Anke Harris-Collins O.B.E. and James Collins retired from this almost ‘full-time’ -unpaid- job at the last AGM in March 2015, it had been a good time. We both managed to hand the jobs over to very capable Montenegrins in March 2015.