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🌍 Closing Ireland’s Circularity Gap: A Step Towards Sustainability 🌍 Ireland's latest Circularity Gap Report by Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications by Circle Economy and shared by Irish Green Building Council highlights the challenges and opportunities in the transition to a circular economy. ➡ Key insights include: ♻ Ireland's circularity rate is low – only 2.7% of materials are recycled or reused. ❎ High consumption of virgin materials – the economy uses 111 million tonnes of raw materials annually. ✔ Potential for transformation – Circular economy initiatives can reduce material use by 29%. 🤝 Cross-sector collaboration is key to achieving sustainability goals by 2030. It is such a great report to get architects like C+W O'Brien Architects and those in the construction industry thinking and talking. We can consciously request recycled materials rather than virgin where suitable to improve the overall environmental impact of the project while also adding additional character. Read the full report below: #CWOArchitects #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #Ireland #ClimateAction Irish Green Building Council World Green Building Council Enterprise Ireland Arthur O'Brien Brian Bolger Seán O'Dwyer Des O'Donnell Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland

♻ Developing a baseline for material use in Ireland is the first step towards a #CircularEconomy. 📗 The Circularity Gap Report Ireland launched yesterday by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and developed by Circle Economy, identifies the construction sector as having a particularly low reuse of secondary materials, with Ireland’s need to build more housing and upskill the current workforce to drive the transformation. 🗺 The IGBC welcome this report which will allow us to work closely with our members and partners to develop a #Roadmap and implement the actions needed to close the resource loop and build the business models that drive the circular economy. #CircularityGapReport #CircularBuild Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland

It’s time to strike an environmental grand bargain between businesses, governments and conservationists – and stop doing things the hard way For policymakers, this suggests environmental laws should define minimum viability thresholds. Some thresholds would be absolute; others would be crossable in one location provided equivalent restoration was done in another. Environmental groups could take satisfaction that thresholds would be maintained in most cases. Ecosystems would function, rivers would flow. But governments would still override thresholds for important economic and social reasons, say to approve a critical minerals project. What’s in it for corporate Australia? Business would gain upfront certainty about what can be approved and quicker approvals for projects. Environmental litigation would fall. But development options would be narrowed and offsets would become more expensive. The government would achieve a key goal: major environmental reform. But it would have to say no more often, and be transparent about crossing environmental thresholds. https://lnkd.in/gszDNTaJ

The Environmental Protection Bureau of the Kaohsiung City Government is taking a series of actions to achieve sustainable development and reduce carbon emissions in promoting the "Urban Net-Zero Transformation Strategy under Domestic and International Governance Frameworks." Here are some key strategies and actions: 1. **Legal Framework and Policy Guidelines**: Through legal frameworks and policy guidelines, establish a collaboration mechanism between central and local governments on net-zero emissions goals, as well as a clear allocation of powers and responsibilities¹. 2. **Local autonomy and central guidance**: While emphasizing that the central government formulates general principles, it also gives local governments sufficient authority and resources to make specific decisions based on actual local conditions¹. 3. **Public Participation and Youth Participation**: Encourage the public and youth to participate in the discussion and decision-making process of net zero transformation, and improve society’s awareness and understanding of net zero just transformation¹. 4. **Net Zero Cities International Summit**: Through the international summit, share the experience and methods of net zero transformation with cities around the world, jointly explore innovative solutions, and work together to achieve the goal of net zero transformation². 5. **Technology applied to urban governance**: Use smart technology to improve the efficiency of urban governance, achieve net-zero carbon reduction goals, and promote the development of livable and sustainable cities⁵. These strategies and actions show that the Environmental Protection Bureau of the Kaohsiung City Government is committed to integrating domestic and foreign resources and wisdom to promote the city’s net-zero transformation and lay a solid foundation for future sustainable development. This is not only an important step in combating climate change, but also a key strategy to improve citizens’ quality of life and promote economic development. Source: 2024/5/4

The Environmental Policy Implementation Community (#EPIC) have today published a guidance document titled: Integrating Action on Air Quality & Climate Change: A Guide for Local Authorities. EPIC is a community of environmental experts within the Institution of Environmental Sciences (#IES) which was formed through a merger between the IES and Environmental Protection #UK – formerly known as the #Coal Smoke Abatement Society and the UK’s oldest environmental charity. The guidance document is specifically aimed at local authorities and is a complete update of work published by Environmental Protection UK in 2013. As the title suggests, the document advocates a dual approach in tackling #climatechange and #airquality, promoting positive change on a global and local level. To this end it provides an assessment of how effective different measures might be in improving air quality while dealing with climate change. This assessment takes the form of a traffic light system which highlights the positives, minor positives, minor negatives and negatives for a given policy. For example, traffic control measures such as Low Emission Zones have a Positive effect on air quality and a Minor Positive effect in terms of climate change. However, there are other things to consider. Such schemes have a Minor Negative impact on vulnerable communities, while the potential of a public backlash against such schemes is a definite Negative. The measures available to #LocalAuthorities are divided into chapters on Transport, Built Environment and Overarching, the latter covering waste and sustainable procurement. Each chapter includes case studies, such as the The Sustainable Distribution Centre developed by Southampton City Council in partnership with a global logistics company , which reduced the negative impacts of delivery and servicing activities across the city. Visitors to our National Air Quality Conference in London next month will have the chance to learn more on this subject from Sarah Legge, Chair of EPIC Air Quality & Climate Change Task Group. Sarah said of the guidance: ‘This will support local authorities and others to take more effective action on transport and the built environment, and deliver larger benefits and fewer unintended consequences for the climate, #airquality and health.’ Adam Donnan, CEO of the IES said: ‘In 2024 the IES launched a permanent programme of work to support local authorities through EPIC, our Environmental Policy Implementation Community. This was motivated by the critical importance of delivering environmental policy to help make our local communities more resilient, healthy, and sustainable, but we also recognised that local authorities have limited resources to tackle the environmental crises. EPIC’s first piece of published guidance presents a unique opportunity for local authorities to maximise the impact of their actions.’

The Port of New Orleans has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support the development of a Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) for its Louisiana International Terminal (LIT). The SMP will focus on achieving sustainable, resilient, and equitable infrastructure, with a focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting environmental stewardship. The grant funding will be used to develop and implement the SMP, which will include a comprehensive assessment of the LIT's environmental impacts, the development of performance targets and reduction goals, and the implementation of strategies to achieve these goals. The SMP will also include a robust public outreach and engagement component to ensure community input and support for the project. The Port of New Orleans is committed to creating a sustainable and resilient port infrastructure that benefits the local community and the environment. The development of the SMP is an important step in achieving this goal.

The green future of land. Over the past 2 days I attended the Environmental Services and Solutions expo (ESS) at the NEC. I was hoping to get a better understanding of land remediation and how the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) might change in the future. The expo did not disappoint. I met a lot of incredibly interesting people and gained insight through a variety of organisations. One organisation which stood out to me was CL:AIRE, an independent body that promotes sustainable remediation of contaminated land and groundwater. Having listened to a lot of talks I found two common themes which both came to the solution that there needs to be a change in legislation. The first is that there is a common conflict of interest when different regulatory bodies have different standards for the same area. For example, the planning body approves the use of one method of sediment removal but when the project moves to the permitting body, the permitters decline the very same sediment removal method. These discrepancies can drastically slow down projects and end up costing millions. The second is around the NPPF. With the new Labour government in the process of making reforms to the NPPF, now is a crucial time to let them know what kind of policy changes we need to see, as the deadline for their public consultation on the draft revisions is Tuesday 24th September. The event also made me consider what gaps exist in the market. One such gap being soil hospitals, as very few of these businesses exist across the UK. I learned this during one of the panel discussions, wherein the panellists asked us to reimagine our relationship with soil and dirt. These are not just waste products, but a vital material which can be reused, with tonnes of soil being sent to land fill and developers buying new soil for future aspects of projects. The business model of soil hospitals could work through developers paying to deposit their contaminated soil. The business then processes it and sells it back to them or to another developer. This would reduce the developers’ landfill tax and also be better for the environment. This isn’t the type of event I would normally go to, but I found it incredibly insightful and appreciate the opportunity to meet people who I plan on working with in future. If anyone has any recommendations for events that I should attend, please let me know in the comments!

The Revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Strengthens Alignment with EU Taxonomy. As part of the ongoing commitment to a sustainable built environment, the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) adopted by the European Council presents an opportunity for building owners to align with the EU taxonomy legislation. The EPBD, with its emphasis on reducing energy consumption and emissions, provides a framework for building owners to improve the sustainability performance of their properties. By doing so, they can enhance their eligibility for green investments under the EU taxonomy. Read the full update here: https://lnkd.in/edmnrcZd Sharyn McAndrew, Patrycja R., Conor O'Callaghan CEM® CMVP®, Beatriz Liger #Sustainability #SustainableBusiness #GreenBuilding #ZeroEmissions #GreenInvestment #BuildingRetrofit #SDGs #SDGTaxonomy #ESG #SustainableDevelopmentGoals #JLLSustainabillity

I’m excited to announce the release of our latest research report '𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 #𝒄𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒚 #𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 #𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒚𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒅 #𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 #𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓'.   This report is the most comprehensive exploration of circular economy policies in the #Australian built environment, offering transferable insights applicable to other contexts.   Key Highlights from the Report:   17 #circulareconomy #policies applicable within the built environment sector. Key stakeholders' perceptions regarding the application, effectiveness, and challenges of these policies   We invite #policymakers, #industry #practitioners and #scholars interested in the circular economy to explore the findings and join the conversation on driving sustainable planning and practices in the built environment sector. 𝐓𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 https://bit.ly/3Zrfi4H Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc), Australia, RMIT University, RMIT School of Property, Construction and Project Management, Green Building Council of Australia, Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia, Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC), Planet Ark, Curtin University, Griffith University, Adrian Wiley, Sustainability Victoria, ecologiQ, Transport for NSW, Main Roads Western Australia, ATCO Australia, BGC (Australia) Pty Ltd, Sunshine Coast Council, Recycling Victoria, Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR), Victorian Waste Management Association (VWMA), CSIRO, Post-Carbon Research Centre, Gayle Sloan, Green Industries SA , Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association NSW & ACT (WCRA), Inside Waste au, RecycleAll Australia, Waste Management Review, Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE), Engineers Australia, Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA), NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Blue Environment Pty Ltd, MRA Consulting Group, Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Tasmania, Environment Protection Authority South Australia (SA EPA), Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Victorian Building Authority

🌟 𝐀𝐄𝐂 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 "𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥" 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲𝐰𝐢$𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 🌟 We are happy to share that AEC Group has been awarded the prestigious "Energywi$e Certificate" by the Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC), a recognition that underscores our unwavering commitment to sustainability. This year, our certification has been elevated to the "Good Level," reflecting our ongoing dedication to energy conservation and environmental stewardship. 🌱💚 The Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification ( HKGOC), co-organized by the Environmental Campaign Committee, the Environment and Ecology Bureau, and nine other leading organizations, celebrates institutions that excel in energy efficiency and environmental protection. This certification not only acknowledges our achievements but also serves as an inspiration to others to join the green movement and work towards a sustainable future. 🌍🌿 At AEC Group, we believe in turning our "Green Vision into a Global Mission." As we continue to integrate sustainable practices across our operations, we are committed to collaborating with industry leaders to drive meaningful change and create a greener, more sustainable world. 🌳🤝 Join us on our green journey and discover more about our initiatives: https://lnkd.in/g9Hy_sU3 #AECGroup #Sustainability #EnergyEfficiency #ClimateAction #GreenLeadership #SustainableFuture #EnvironmentalStewardship