Impact Report 2012 - 2013 | 1

UK GReen BUildinG coUncil impact report 2012 - 2013

Impact Report 2012 - 2013 | 32 | Impact Report 2012 - 2013 www.ukgbc.org

conTenTS FoReWoRdPAUl KinG, ceo Life is never dull at UK-GBC, and each year is busier than the last. But being busy is one thing, making an impact is quite different. I expect each and every one of our members to ask - every year - ‘What difference has UK-GBC really made to the sustainability of the sector in general, and to my organisation in particular?’

I’m delighted to say that 90% of our growing membership decide to renew their commitment to UK-GBC, year on year.

But membership of the UK-GBC is not a passive thing. To derive maximum value you must participate. Think of the UK-GBC team as part of your wider organisation, facilitating a dialogue, action and education that all your colleagues can benefit from and view as a resource. I hope as you read through this short report you will ask yourself ‘How do we get even more out of UK-GBC membership?’ Through your engagement, and sharing of expertise, experience and lessons learned, the more the whole membership will benefit, and the more progress we will make.

Collaboration and sharing lessons learned has never been so important. In a tough economic climate none of us can afford to reinvent wheels, duplicate effort, waste time and money. So tell us what you are doing to contribute to genuinely sustainable development. Upload your case studies, your tools and initiatives to Pinpoint, our new online search engine, and rate and provide feedback on other resources, so that we can all better see the proverbial ‘wood for the trees’.

Sustainability can be an overwhelming, and frankly intimidating subject. But really it all boils down to one simple question: how are we going to meet people’s needs in the future? For a business or other organisation you can translate that into: how are we going to meet our customers’ future needs? Can you afford not to think about that question, and not to share with others who are grappling with the same thing, and may hold the answers you are looking for?

By all means keep asking what we can do for you. But also keep asking what you can do to help us all build a future we can be proud of, and in which we can all prosper.

400MEMBER ORGANISATIONS

MeMBershIp spans 18 dIfferent seCtors aCross the BUILt envIronMent

400 MeMBer orGanIsatIons InCLUdInG 44 GoLd Leaf MeMBers - 4,000 MeMBer ContaCts

a neW MeMBer dIreCtory enaBLes MeMBers to Create theIr oWn profILe on the WeBsIte and shoWCase theIr CoMMItMent to sUstaInaBILIty and InvoLveMent WIth UK-GBC

83 per Cent of MeMBers have CoMpLeted theIr profILe on the MeMBershIp dIreCtory and 33 per Cent have provIded a LInK to theIr sUstaInaBILIty InforMatIon, so far

paGesLeadInG IndUstry aCtIon 4 - 5PinpointThe Industry Business Plan projectAdvice for planners and developers

BUILdInG CapaCIty throUGh KnoWLedGe and Green sKILLs 6 -7Education coursesLeadershipLondon 2012 Sustainability Lessons Learned masterclass

InfLUenCInG GovernMent poLICy 8 - 9PolicyWorld Green Building Councils and Europe Regional Network

sUpportInG oUr oBJeCtIves 10 - 11EventsCommunications

Impact Report 2012 - 2013 | 54 | Impact Report 2012 - 2013 www.ukgbc.org

Pinpoint

pInpoInt aLready LInKs to 400 sUstaInaBILIty resoUrCes

there Were over 5,000 UnIqUe paGe vIeWs WIthIn a Month of LaUnCh

20 orGanIsatIons (trade BodIes and professIonaL InstItUtIons) aLready sUpport pInpoInt

27 pInpoInt ChaMpIons WIthIn the UK-GBC MeMBershIp, CoMMItted to provIdInG expert CoMMent

5,000UNIQUE PAGE VIEWSIN THE FIRST MONTH

One of the intended impacts is the consolidation of sustainability information across the sector. By enabling users to rate and feedback on tools and initiatives, Pinpoint encourages a process of rationalising where there is currently duplication or confusion.

Early feedback has been very positive, and with more than 100 UK-GBC members involved in its development (through Task Groups, user testing and implementation), we are confident there is an appetite for a resource of this kind.

Pinpoint was made possible by sponsorship from Ecobuild, EPR Architects, Marks & Spencer, Mitsubishi Electric and Wates.

www.ukgbc.org/pinpoint

leAdinG indUSTRY AcTion

pInpoInt proMIses to Be very UsefUL for the BUILdInG IndUstry: desIGned, popULated and MaIntaIned By Users,

ULtIMateLy heLpInG to Create Greener BUILdInGs.

munish Datta, Head of property plan a, marks & Spencer

In early 2013 we launched a new search engine for information on green building. aiming to make it easier to navigate the often complex and confusing world of sustainability, pinpoint allows users to search for information on how to make their projects, products or organisations more sustainable.

Advice for planners and developersWe continue to produce our own guidance where we feel we are best placed to help.

This year we updated our advice for planners and developers. This series of documents has helped Local Planning Authorities and the new neighbourhood forums to understand sustainability issues, ensuring they achieve a balance between requiring robust sustainability standards and viable developments.

It Is an exCeLLent pIeCe of WorK and aChIeves a BaLanCe BetWeen provIdInG UsefUL GUIdanCe WhILst

avoIdInG presCrIptIon.

martin randall, Head of planning and public protection, Brighton & Hove city council

The industry Business Plan project

The Industry Business Plan project was an ambitious attempt to set out future scenarios that would impact the built environment sector and uncover business opportunities in a resource-constrained economy. Central to this was the concept of disruptive innovation – the idea that businesses must constantly seek to evolve their business models to meet their customers’ needs in the future.

The project therefore engaged a sometimes conservative industry in sustainable innovation, challenging them to create solutions that deliver high value, low-carbon and sustainable growth opportunities. The response we received from industry was hugely positive and these themes continue to be explored through the UK-GBC Leaders’ Network.

In early 2012, UK-GBC led the ‘Industry Business plan’ project, resulting in the plan for Growth report in May.

46 orGanIsatIons tooK part In the proJeCt

170 peopLe attended the LaUnCh event

70% of those sUrveyed WoULd ConsIder appLyInG the proCess WIthIn theIr BUsIness

the proJeCt Was a Great experIenCe. aLL CoMpanIes WILL need to Go throUGh thIs type of exerCIse In the

fUtUre, If theIr BUsIness-ModeLs are to evoLve In a ChanGInG operatInG envIronMent.

marco marijewycz, innovation Stakeholder and communications manager, e.oN

the BUsIness pLan proJeCt Was a MILestone In CoLLaBoratIon aCross the UK’s BUILt envIronMent seCtor.

Ben ross, Senior Sustainability advisor, Forum for the Future

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education courses

BUildinG cAPAciTYTHRoUGH KnoWledGe And GReen SKillS

We continued to focus our training and educational work on offering a multidisciplinary curriculum designed to enhance knowledge and skills, change behaviour and promote collaborative working across the sector.

leadership

for change in the sector to be driven at the speed required, it will need leadership from the very top, which is why we continued to develop our work on leadership.

We deLIvered 3,500 hoUrs of forMaL edUCatIon

one thIrd of MeMBer orGanIsatIons partICIpated In UK-GBC’s edUCatIon proGraMMe

85 per Cent of deLeGates rated the neW Green BUILdInG serIes “exCeLLent”

More than 300 deLeGates CoMpLeted the onLIne IntrodUCtIon to sUstaInaBILIty CoUrse.

The new Green Building Series of eight one-day courses focuses on embedding sustainability throughout each stage of the building lifecycle and has been highly successful.

The courses are accredited by the Awarding Body for the Built Environment, reinforcing our position as a leading and credible provider of training and education in the sector.

We have also continued to offer bespoke training programmes tailored to the sustainability requirements and aspirations of member organisations.

There are now over 70 senior executives (CEOs, Directors and Partners) in our Leaders’ Network - alumni from UK-GBC’s Sustainability Leadership in the Built Environment Programme.

The network is designed to provide an unparalleled opportunity for senior decision-makers to network, learn, share, debate and immerse themselves in sustainability. The strength of the network lies in their collective ability to influence both the industry and government.

The recently published collection of essays Leadership for Green Growth was very well received by business and policy-makers alike.

oUr MeMBershIp of UK-GBC and the Leaders’ netWorK Means We have a dIreCt LIne Into a Centre of “frIendLy” expertIse

and a deep pooL of KnoWLedGe. We vaLUe BeInG aBLe to Meet and speaK honestLy and openLy aBoUt ChaLLenGes and opportUnItIes WIth LIKe MInded peopLe - and of CoUrse to Be aBLe to share and CeLeBrate soMe of oUr sUCCesses too!

alison Nimmo, chief executive, the crown estate

london 2012 Sustainability lessons learned masterclassas part of our work as the ‘Learning Legacy partner’ for the olympic delivery authority, we ran a series of Masterclasses on topics such as waste, materials and biodiversity.

The aim was to enable attendees to embed the lessons learned from the London 2012 Olympic Games into their own work and widen access to otherwise exclusive intellectual property, including key resources, practical advice, videos and presentations.

15 LearnInG events

1,000 deLeGates

100 speaKers

I foUnd the CoMBInatIon of presentatIons extreMeLy InforMatIve, In partICULar the post ConstrUCtIon feedBaCK

and Lessons Learned froM these GroUnd BreaKInG arChIteCtUraL MasterpIeCes, the CoLLeCtIve sCaLe of WhICh shaLL proBaBLy not Be seen aGaIn In the UK.

richard Wilks, regional architect, aggregate industries

3,500HOURS OF EDUCATION

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Policy

inFlUencinG GoVeRnMenT PolicY

our policy work remains a core part of what we do, and 2012-13 saw a number of significant challenges on the political front, but also much to be positive about.

UK-GBC heLd 12 poLICy events and responded to 11 ConsULtatIons dUrInG the year, and had MonthLy senIor MInIsterIaL or shadoW MInIsterIaL MeetInGs

12 BUsIness GroUps BaCKed UK-GBC’s ‘Green for GroWth’ Letter to GeorGe osBorne

the Green deaL Went LIve In JanUary 2013, a poLICy WhICh has had UK-GBC InvoLveMent froM day one

GovernMent reneWed Its CoMMItMent to zero CarBon hoMes In MarCh 2013, after UK-GBC CaMpaIGnInG

The launch of the Green Deal was a moment worth celebrating for UK-GBC, given the concept was developed in a UK-GBC task group back in 2009. To have been involved from inception to launch of this key flagship policy is quite an achievement.

Although the Green Deal is not without its difficulties, not only is retrofit now firmly on the mainstream political agenda, it is a potentially a huge market for our members – and our focus this year has been on how industry makes the most of this opportunity. Our ‘Green Deal in Practice’ event in November was very well received.

For a long time it looked like the Coalition’s commitment to the zero carbon homes policy was far from assured, but our vigorous campaigning led to a renewed commitment to this policy in the Budget report. The message that clarity and consistency is vital for housebuilders and the supply chain appears to have been heard, with a commitment to a timetable for finalising the policy.

One of the most encouraging activities this year was our ability to orchestrate a letter from a dozen trade bodies and professional organisations from across the construction and property sector in January 2013, including the Construction Products Association, British Property Federation, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and Home Builders Federation. The letter urged the Chancellor to back ‘green growth’ and was timed to complement Building Magazine’s ‘Green for Growth’ campaign.

World Green Building council and the europe Regional network

this year we have played an active role in shaping the development of the WorldGBc europe regional Network, not least because we recognise the importance of eU institutions on policy in the UK.

The Network now has a Senior Policy Advisor, who is a crucial resource for the UK and other GBC members. We are grateful to E.ON, Knauf Insulation, Saint-Gobain, Skanska and UTC as Regional Partners and Phillips as Global Partner.

The Network’s Policy Task Force has provided GBCs and their members with EU policy updates, as well as coordinating advocacy in areas such as ensuring the EU’s long-term budget and Emissions Trading System revenues support domestic retrofitting programmes, and pushing for a green EU VAT strategy.

As part of World Green Building Week in September we held a fantastic ‘in conversation’ event in Manchester with former Manchester United footballer and green building champion Gary Neville and around a dozen UK-GBC members put on their own events during the week.

In March, WorldGBC published the Business Case for Green Building report, the first time credible evidence from around the world on sustainable buildings has been synthesised into one collective resource. The report highlighted both the economic and social benefits of building and using sustainable properties, presenting a compelling business case for companies across the world.

96GREEN BUILDING COUNCILS WORLDWIDE

UK-GBC offers a ModeL on hoW to enGaGe WIth GovernMent - a CrItICaL frIend In the BUsIness of offerInG soLUtIons. thIs

approaCh has CLearLy resonated WIth GovernMent Who have reLIed on UK-GBC’s expertIse In Many fora. It Is aLso a ModeL We hope the nasCent GBCs deveLopInG aroUnd the WorLd WILL foLLoW.

Steven Heath, external affairs Director, Knauf insulation

THE GREEN DEALTOOK SHAPE INA UK-GBC TASK GROUP IN 2009

UK-GBC have Been InvoLved In the Green deaL poLICy froM day one, and I aLWays vaLUe theIr InpUt – CoMInG as It does

Based on the experIenCe and expertIse of theIr MeMBers. as a CaMpaIGnInG orGanIsatIon, I fInd It partICULarLy heLpfUL that theIr ContrIBUtIons are ConstrUCtIve and posItIve, even When hoLdInG GovernMent to aCCoUnt.

rt Hon Gregory Barker mp, minister of State for climate change

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events

SUPPoRTinG oUR oBJecTiVeS

our events programme is one of the most valued benefits of membership.

communications

over 40 separate events In 2012-13

More than 2,000 deLeGates attended UK-GBC events

partner for eCoBUILd’s hUGeLy popULar ConferenCe proGraMMe

sUpporter of the GroWInG GreenBUILd expo In ManChester

As well as our extensive education and policy-related events programme we have held building visits, a webinar, and achieved record attendance at our House of Commons and Christmas receptions, demonstrating the high level of engagement from members.

EcoBuild is always one of the highlights of the year, and this year was no different, with a packed UK-GBC programme of activities. Feedback on our involvement has been very positive, with members recognising our role in helping to shape the event, ensuring sustainability remained at its heart and that topical issues were reflected in the excellent line-up of conference sessions.

2,000ATTENDEES AT UK-GBC EVENTS

OVER @UKGBC reaChed the MILestone of 15,000 tWItter foLLoWers

oUr WeBsIte reCeIved aLMost 4,000 UnIqUe vIsItors per WeeK, Up froM 1,400 the prevIoUs year

6,000 vIdeo vIeWs on yoUtUBe, More than 1,000 ‘LIKes’ on faCeBooK and over 1,000 MeMBers In oUr LInKedIn GroUp

We averaGed daILy CoveraGe In trade/speCIaLIst press and MonthLy MentIons In MaInstreaM natIonaL press

MeMBers have ContrIBUted More than 20 opInIon pIeCes and added aroUnd 20 Case stUdIes to oUr WeBsIte

We continue to invest in our communications activities as a direct means of reaching members and the wider industry, and as a crucial way of influencing the narrative or broader debate around green building. Although traditional communications remain important, we have put significant emphasis on our digital and social media activities, enabling UK-GBC, in effect, to become a trusted source of news and views. This approach also enables members to play an active and contributing role.

Arguably a more creative approach to our communications has resulted in publications such as our ‘Unlikely Green Heroes of 2012’ and our ‘Half Term Report’ scorecard of Government’s green policies.

The ongoing development of our CRM system, Salesforce, keeps us much better informed on how involved members are in UK-GBC activity. With an additional 2,000 contacts added over the last year, UK-GBC staff can now access information on members’ event attendance, Task Group participation and contributions to our website with the aim of increasing involvement with us and improving the delivery of our membership benefits.

our communications have gone from strength to strength.

15,000OVER

TWITTER FOLLOWERS

www.ukgbc.org

every tIMe I attend a UK-GBC event,I Meet soMeone

neW Who ChaLLenGes My thInKInG.

Sally Hancox, Director, Gentoo Green

UK-GBC Is a reLIaBLe soUrCe of opInIon and CoMMent, and

Is aLWays one of the fIrst ports of CaLL for BUILdInG MaGazIne on a sUstaInaBILIty story. It CLearLy has a CaMpaIGnInG reMIt, BUt aLso has CredIBILIty Based on Its IndUstry MeMBershIp.

Joey Gardiner, assistant editor, Building magazine

12 | Impact Report 2012 - 2013 www.ukgbc.org

conTAcT USWebsite: www.ukgbc.orgemail: info@ukgbc.orgtwitter: @UKGBcphone: 020 7580 0623

UK Green Building councilthe Building centre 26 Store StreetLondonWc1e 7Bt

sUstaInaBILIty Is aBoUt MeetInG peopLes’ needs In the fUtUre. for BUsIness thIs Means BeInG ready

to Meet CUstoMers’ fUtUre needs.

paul King, chief executive, UK-GBc