Posted 13 November 2014 - 5:36pm
Professor Dennis Else, who chairs the Research Advisory Committee for the Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL), today called for industry to lead the way in making a low carbon, energy efficient future for the built environment.
Opening the second Participants Annual Forum of the CRC for Low Carbon Living Professor Else – who is also the Executive Director, Sustainability, Safety and Health, at Brookfield Multiplex Australasia – said collaboration and commitment by the industry is crucial to generate collective impact. While individuals may not desire a common goal, greater momentum can be generated by sharing information and keeping a more holistic view when conducting strategic planning. Both individual goals and better overall outcomes are achieved in this way. The overall outcome of the CRCLCL is to close the low carbon gap.
“By harnessing the technology available to us and conducting further research, our built environment can positively impact on people’s health, wellbeing and productivity whilst improving the building industry’s environmental performance,” said Professor Else.
“We are working to gain higher performance from our built environment as well as simultaneously reducing carbon through lowering the cost of running buildings. We already know ways in which we can build hospitals that heal faster, schools in which kids learn faster and offices where people are more productive, creative and healthy. There are many significant opportunities to share ideas, to use sustainable building materials, renewable energy and other capabilities that exist or are currently undergoing research, to create a built environment that contributes to our well-being in these ways.
“The recent Bradfield Oration highlighted the importance of great engineering and asks for the ‘next John Bradfields to come forth’. The work of the CRCLCL, its partners and the research it funds continues into engineering, materials, technology and low carbon systems to help achieve such goals,” he said.
Being held today and tomorrow (13-14 November, 2014) at the Maritime Museum Sydney, the Participants Forum will feature Australia’s latest low carbon research and visions for the future from industry leaders, the government and top researchers in sustainability and the environment.
On Friday morning the Federal Minister for the Environment, The Hon. Greg Hunt MP will deliver a keynote. NSW Minister for the Environment The Hon. Rob Stokes MP will also speak later that afternoon about Australia’s low carbon future.
Research Fellow at Curtin University and television presenter Josh Byrne also spoke on his groundbreaking new series Josh’s House ‘Star Performers’ (episodes 1 and 2 have just been released). His presentation at 10.30am today showed the very best high performance houses throughout Australia, demonstrating that low carbon high performance housing that save money and create energy, are part of our future.
This and more presentations about the future of the sustainable built environment is just part of the program which can be viewed here: http://www.lowcarbonlivingcrc.com.au/events/2014/11/participant-forum-2014
Prof. Deo Prasad, CEO of the CRCLCL said the time is now for national discussion to take place about our sustainable future, particularly in the built environment.
“Just in this last year we have had great results from our projects which show that a sustainable built environment is achievable where we can use less energy, create energy and in the long run save money,” he said.