Qatar’s Sustainability Summit 2019 which will open on October 15-16, is set to launch its ‘Destination Green’ campaign, a programme that urges businesses and residents to take tangible steps in creating a sustainable environment. The two-day event, which is accepting registrations online, seeks to gather business organisations pledging support for the campaign by committing to improve their operations and practices towards a low-carbon economy.
Organised by the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD), a member of Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, this year’s summit will be attended by company representatives, industry specialists, and scholars. During the two-day event, a panel of speakers which will include scientists, government officials, and global sustainability leaders will discuss innovative solutions, showcase the latest sustainability products, and disseminate research findings on sustainability.
With the energy sector under the global spotlight, the summit will address energy industry as one of its key themes with an emphasis on renewable energy. And with transportation making up 29 percent of total carbon emissions globally, industry and decision makers at the summit will also address issues on mobility.
The role of the construction and real estate industries in leading the paradigm shift towards sustainable building practices will also be discussed during the event. Other key themes also include green businesses and sustainable resource management.
GORD, which is committed to the sustainable development of the region, has initiated a number of green projects which are now adopted in the region and beyond. It has previously launched the Global Carbon Trust voluntary scheme which works across industries to actively mitigate carbon emissions and further educate the wider community on greenhouse gas management.
Similarly, its GSAS green building certification programme is known as the Mena region’s first integrated and performance-based sustainability assessment system for the built environment. The system remains a reference point on sustainability for all key projects in Qatar. Fifa has also recently acknowledged GSAS to be used as a yardstick for evaluating all facilities built for the World Cup.
