Support Green Building Project

THE FOUNDER of Ghana Green Building Council (GHGBC), Foster Osae-Akonnor has stressed the need to improve the overall health and lives of present and future generations through sustainable buildings and communities.

Green building is the philosophy of designing the environment or creating structures and services, using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle. The process used complied with the principles of economic, social and ecological sustainability.

He believes the Green building project can help government to achieve other priorities on its economic agenda such as delivering affordable housing, creating new jobs and supporting economies simultaneously.

He made these comments at a soiree in honour of the press in Accra recently.

Mr. Osae-Akonnor has thus urged government and the entire country to support the Green Building project.

“Ghana Green Building Council is in the process of customizing and developing its own building rating tools which will be internationally recognized and locally accepted,” he added.

Green Buildings are said to use only 32 percent of the world’s resources in construction thereby focusing on the use of energy without much cost, using sunlight through photovoltaic techniques and using plants and trees through green roofs and rain gardens.

The GHGBC is in the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to promote research programmes to help rebuild Ghana’s environment.

John Tettey, the Deputy Director of Housing at the Ministry of Water Resource, Works and Housing, told DAILY GUIDE that his unit was in the process of drafting a legislation to endorse the use of local building materials for construction.

Also at the function were the organization’s board members chaired by Dr. Joyce Aryee, who called on the media personnel to be pioneers through which GHBC’s ideas will be carried to the people.

She also urged the government to consider green building concept in the STX building project, adding that the concept was an improved way of building that lessens pressure on the environment.

GHGBC is an associate member of the World Green Building Council (World GBC) which was started in 1998 by national council representatives who met to review global activities and offer support to each other’s effort. By Francis Yanchira Daily Guide.