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Water scarcity drives green building

by Gerhard Hope on Dec 17, 2009

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Jerry Yudelson, founder of Yudelson Associates.

A new green building report sponsored by the Mechanical Contractors Education and Research Foundation, the research arm of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), has highlighted water conservation as the fastest-growing concern of the green building movement.

Water scarcity is a critical issue in the Middle East. A report from Birzeit University in Palestine reveals that the MENA region has 5% of the world’s population and less than 1% of the world’s available water. Future projections indicate that demand for water in the UAE will rise from five billion cubic metres to seven billion cubic metres in 2020.

In ‘Water Efficiency Technologies for Mechanical Contractors: New Business Opportunities’, Jerry Yudelson from Yudelson Associates of the US profiles the growing trend of water conservation, as highlighted by the new LEED requirements of 20% water savings for every project, compared with conventional buildings. “We cannot solve energy problems without dealing with inefficient water use,” argues Yudelson.

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My opinion: Those of us who have earned the credentials of Green Building design bear a responsibility to apply the know

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Readers' Comments

Steven T. Mayer CPD, CMGI, LEED AP BD+C (Mar 1, 2010)
Richmond, VA
USA

Water scarcity drives green building
My opinion: Those of us who have earned the credentials of Green Building design bear a responsibility to apply the knowledge in ways that promote acceptance by the public. It is our responsibility to understand the ramifications if techniques which conserve resources are not applied. As Mr. Dahanukar seems to illustrate, the pathway to the solutions needs to be easily understood by the policy-makers as well as the policy-implementers (The Global Community of 'Green' accredited professionals). It is a very big picture. Success will have global rewards! Failure is not an option. Global hydrologic models indicate that the dire issues which face the mideast today should be seen as beacons for the rest of the world. Needless to say, solutions for issues of potable water for the mideast are solutions to potable water needs for the planet.

avinash Dahanukar/architect (Dec 18, 2009)
Mumbai
India

Green Building
Subject need to be simplified in common language by which common man can understand and react, the massage of various enery saving and water conservation types and methods need to make easy accisible and avialable to every person. The knowledge need to be given on open platform and not in seminar arrange within 5-star Hotel..Our Ministers and Government need to be taught first, our buracrates need to made understand , once the system is corrected rest is very easy to operate. It is now or never....

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