More than 6000 Green Building Professionals Gathered for Greenbuild India 2018

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) concluded its second Greenbuild India conference & expo, which focused on the intersection of humanity and the built environment. The two-day conference featured the latest technological innovations, new products, 18 education tracks and was attended by more than 6000 green building industry professionals. Greenbuild India is presented by USGBC and ABEC Exhibitions & Conferences Pvt. Ltd.

The inspiring keynote speakers this year were Rick Fedrizzi, chairman and CEO of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and Elora Hardy, founder and creative director at Ibuku. ‘Human x Nature’ was the core theme and represented how the green building movement embraces all of humanity by making sustainable buildings and environments accessible to everyone, and in doing so, benefits the natural environment around us.
Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, Managing Director – APAC & Middle East, Green Business Certificate Institute (GBCI) said, “Today I am inspired by what I’ve seen and experienced at Greenbuild India 2018. It is clear, India’s green building community is passionately pursuing a higher level of performance and shows no signs of slowing down. I hope that this innovative spirit, combined with new technologies and ideas will help define the path forward and the next generation of green building and business.”

Greenbuild India also hosted the Women in Green power luncheon, an all-female congregation that celebrates pioneering women in the field of sustainability in construction. This year, ‘Leading with Purpose’ as the theme, Women in Green celebrated the power of purpose to shape our lives, our careers and our changing world.
Mili Majumdar, Managing Director of GBCI India and Senior Vice President, USGBC said, “Women in Green is one of my favourite events at Greenbuild and I always look forward to this platform that is represented by women’s voices. Taking off with the theme, ‘Leading With Purpose’ it is a journey that starts from within, it is about self-expression and being true to ourselves, standing up for what we know is right and helping others along the way. In times of uncertainty we turn to our inner sense of purpose to sustain our energy and commitment, to bolster our resilience and push us forward.”

Discussions were primarily centred on the way women can lead with purpose to inspire others and drive continued creativity and progress. The panel discussion was chaired by Sonali Rastogi, Founder Partner of Morphogenesis; and included participants Mili Majumdar, GBCI India; Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director, Metro Rail Corporation; Teenaa Kaur Pasricha, Independent Director and Film Producer, Green Earth Pictures; and Anita Arjundas, Business Leader.

A closed door Executive Luncheon, where C-level executives who are leading the transformation of the green building industry discussed how one can assess the value of green buildings with respect to Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) performance; tools & resources available to manage portfolio data and benchmarking; preparing for increasingly rigorous sustainability issues at the forefront of business decision making and engage with investors and IOT platforms. It was attended by top 100 thought leaders from India and saw an elite panel comprising of Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, Managing Director, GBCI APAC & ME Markets; Sangeeta Prasad, Managing Director & CEO, Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd; Hari Krishna V, Director – Real Estate Investments, CPPIB India Investment Advisors Pvt Ltd.; Chaitanya Kalia, Partner, EY Climate Change & Sustainability Services; Ragnar Martens Director, GRESB. In addition, a Facilities Leaders Conclave deliberated on the role played by the building performance in terms of resource efficiency.

Following the closing keynote, USGBC, recognised five organizations for their outstanding leadership and achievement in the green building space.

Greenbuild Leadership awards:
• Hemant Rathod, National Head Structural Glass Solutions, Saint-Gobain India Pvt Ltd
• Dr. Padmakali Banerjee, Pro Vice Chancellor, Chancellor, Amity University
Certificate awardees:
• Dr. Jagdish Patel, Mayor, Surat Municipal Corporation
• Mr. Thirumal Govindraj, Managing Director – Executive Board, RMZ Corp
• Girish Kapur, Vice President Operations – India, USP India