Costa Rica
Joins World Green Building Council
he Costa Rica chapter of the Green Building
Council was notified of induction into the
World Green Building Council.
Environmental sustainability in Costa Rica
is a major social concern as the country
covers 0.01% of the world's land surface yet
contains over 5% of the world's
biodiversity.
In 2007, officials of the Costa Rican
government stated that they aim to be the
first carbon-neutral country in the world by
2021. In 2008, Yale University ranked Costa
Rica as 5th in Environmental Performance
among 149 countries sampled.
The chairman of the Costa Rica chapter,
Craig Williamson, stated, “The establishment
of this chapter marks a historic point in
Costa Rican history. It provides Costa Rica
Real Estate developers the tools and
information needed to make sustainability
and carbon neutrality an attainable goal.
It is important that there is a solid,
measurable certification for Green Building,
there has been far too much speculation,
misleading labeling of projects, and pure
green-washing in the past”
Few countries in Latin America have
established chapters beneath the World Green
Building Council. Currently, the only
established chapters are in Brazil, Mexico,
and now Costa Rica. “There has been an
overwhelming response from people wanting to
join this chapter,” Mr. Williamson said.
“We can provide LEED education and
certification to the developers and help
them make this happen.” First steps include
assembling board members from inside Costa
Rica and some from outside that can bring
networking and vision. To this end, the
inclusion of Frank Biden, Brother of US Vice
President Joe Biden, as a Board Member has
now been achieved.
“I have spent much of my life in the public
arena. The last several years I have worked
as the director of a major philanthropy in
Central America. The health and well-being
of employees, members of the local community
and protecting the breathtaking beauty that
is Costa Rica are my priories with my
involvement in this wonderful organization..
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design, is a green-rating
system developed by the U.S. Green Building
Council. It establishes standards and
practices for developers to create
sustainable properties and provides
accredited inspectors to guide and certify a
development. The certifications can range
from simply “Certified” all the way up to
“Platinum”, which is the highest level of
sustainability and resource conservation.
“We want a new wave of sustainability to
spark in Costa Rica, and we want to spread
that fire throughout Latin America—a new
chapter in every country, LEED a household
name,” Mr. Williamson said. “Green building
is the future of Real Estate across the
world, and we're going to keep pushing until
that future is a reality.”
For information about the Costa Rica Green
Building Council, visit
http://www.crgbc.org/ |
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