Australia Vows to Create 50,000 "Green" Jobs

Australia's prime minister promised Thursday to create 50,000 “green” jobs and apprenticeships to combat climate change and unemployment simultaneously.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has prioritized environmental legislation this year even as his government forecast that Australian unemployment would rise to 8.5 per cent next year from the current 5.8 per cent because of the global downturn.

The government I lead will not stand idly by while thousands of young Australians have their hopes crushed by a global recession not of their own making,” Mr. Rudd told a conference of his Labor Party.

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Source: The Globe and Mail News, 2009-07-31, Link

U.S. and China Agree to Study Ways to Make Buildings More Energy-Efficient

Ending his first official visit to China, the United States energy secretary, Steven Chu, said the two nations had agreed to plan joint studies on ways to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, a major issue in addressing China’s contribution to climate change.

Mr. Chu said that the United States and China had drafted a memorandum of understanding for creating a team of experts that would study ways to provide heat, air-conditioning and light for buildings while minimizing their electricity needs.

He spoke after touring an American-built model house with energy-efficient windows, appliances and other features with Chinese officials and the United States commerce secretary, Gary Locke.

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Source: The New York Times, 2009-07-16, Link

Tata Housing Project Acquires Gold Certification

Tata Housing Development Company, a fully owned subsidiary of TATA Sons Limited, has received Gold Certification for Raisina Residency project, Gurgaon from Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).

With this, Tata becomes the first company in the country to receive the gold certification for residential projects.

Commenting on the accomplishment, Brotin Banerjee, MD & CEO, Tata Housing, said, "We are extremely pleased to receive yet another Gold Certification from IGBC, and this time in the residential space for our prestigious premium project, Raisina Residency, Gurgaon."

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Source: Rupee Times, 2009-07-21, Link

Green Building Goes Global

Over the last five years, there has been an expansive growth and interest in the U.S. market around green buildings and sustainable design principles. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has been at the forefront of this movement in the United States and is now setting its sights on expanding its mission into an embracing international marketplace. There are reasons to be optimistic about the international market's acceptance of sustainable design principles into its built environment as we all work to reduce the impacts of buildings on the environment.

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Source: Hospitaility Design, 2009-07-21, Link