Bandar Seri Begawan - Ministry of Development through Public Works Department launched the Green Building Initiatives (GBI) yesterday at Dewan Betabur in Ministry of Development Building, Old Airport Road, Berakas.

With the rapid growth in the development sector and also taking into account the impacts of development to the environment, Green Building Initiatives or GBI refers to a structure or building that is environmentally responsible and resource efficient in all stages of the development of a building; which are the design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and demolition stages.

Though, there are technologies that are continuously developed to complement with the current practices in creating greener structures. The main objective for GBI is to design a building that will reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and natural environment. This can be done through:

• Efficiently use energy, water and other resources
• Protect the occupant's health and improving employee productivity
• Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation

The practice of Green Building is aimed to reduce the environmental impacts of buildings by ensuring that minimal electricity and water is wasted, by reusing materials that can be recycled such as paper, plastic, etc. Also by educating the employees to be more aware of the impacts of greenhouse gases and the simple ways they can reduce their impact to the environment through recycling, making sure they don't unnecessarily waste water (making sure the taps at the toilets are not dripping/leaking) and switching off unnecessary appliances such as their computers, lights, air conditioners and many more when not in use.

This is why Ministry of Development takes the initiative to launch the Green Building Initiatives to highlight the significance of Green Building by applying "greener" approaches to the Ministry of Development Building and several buildings of the Departments under the Ministry, such as Public Works Department. The Ministry is adopting the Green Building Initiatives by taking simple steps such as increasing the temperature of the air cooling system in the buildings, setting the air conditioners to 23°C and at Public Works Department itself, the Department has adopted a "No Lift Day" for every Saturdays to save energy and reminding the staffs to switch off their electrical appliances before leaving the office and when not in use.

During this launching for GBI, the Ministry will be distributing posters and stickers to all Departments under the Ministry, even including the divisions in the Ministry. These posters and stickers will educate and remind the staffs to be aware to switch off the lights or electronic devices when not in use and to secure the water taps so no water is wasted and many more.

Along with the posters and stickers, the Ministry has set up an exhibition for public viewing which will explain further what GBI is all about, the cost of GBI, the Ministry's "Green Roadmap" for plans to move towards a "Green Plan" and the stages to be achieved in 2012; explaining on the design strategies of Green Building, rain water harvesting and what an ideal building should look like.

This exhibition is open to the public from 7.45 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. for one week, starting from 29 February to 6 March 2012 and is only open on Monday - Saturday (excluding Friday and Sunday). Schools are encouraged to come to the exhibition, especially for undergraduate students or those interested to learn further about Green Building.

The Ministry would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that to adopt a "greener" building is not difficult; everyone can have a green house or building. This can be done by implementing simple habits through recycling reusable materials, reducing the energy impact by conserving energy and reducing water usage by adopting a rain water harvesting system in the building. Not only will a Green Building save money but it will also save the environment.

Also in attendance at the launching is Permanent Secretary (Technical & Professional) in Minstry of Development, Awg Hj Suhaimi bin Hj Gafar; Permanent Secretary (Administration & Finance) in Ministry of Development, Awg Haji Muhammad Lutfi Bin Abdullah; Deputy Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Development, Awg Eddie Bin Dato Paduka Haji Sunny, Acting Deputy Director General of Public Works Department, Awg Abu Hanipah bin Hj Talip, directors, assistant directors, senior officers, officers and staffs of the Ministry of Development and the Departments under it.