CAGBC at Greenbuild
- Theme
- Advocacy
With The Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C., CAGBC was proud to host a reception for Canadian attendees of the Greenbuild Conference. Canadians were welcomed to the Embassy, as we celebrated green buildings and the many sustainable business opportunities for Canada and the United States.
Featuring distinguished experts from the architectural, engineering, and environmental sectors, the reception highlighted the strength of Canada’s green building movement and the growing number of organizations placing greater emphasis on sustainability in their operations. It also provided a forum to share how both Canada and the U.S. can benefit by sharing expertise, resources, and a vision for a greener, more sustainable future.
Sponsored by Assa Abloy Opening Solutions, Subterra Renewables, Polycor Group Inc. and EllisDon, the event drew a diverse audience of over 110 policymakers, industry leaders, and sustainability advocates. CAGBC thanks Andrea Clements, Minister-Counsellor and Senior Trade Commissioner, for participating in the reception and sharing her opening remarks on Canada’s leadership in green building. CAGBC was also especially pleased to host the General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan and the Commissioner for Public Building Services, Nina Albert.
“Together with the Embassy of Canada in Washington DC and the Trade Commissioner Service, CAGBC hosted Canadians at Greenbuild, enabling our members to meet informally with key US government officials,” said Thomas Mueller, CAGBC’s President and CEO. “By continuing to create connections between our two markets, we can better advance the green building sector in North America, and explore the opportunities that will help us attain our respective climate targets.”
About half a million Canadians work in the green building sector. With proactive policies and supports, this number could triple by 2030, helping Canada meet its climate targets and address the housing shortage.
Through CAGBC’s advocacy and government affairs efforts, we are helping to accelerate green building in Canada. We are proud to support the implementation of the Greening Government Strategy that aims to decarbonize new, existing and leased federal buildings by 2050.
CAGBC is appreciative of the trust we have built with Natural Resources Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat. We share their ambition in the development of policies such as the Green Buildings and Buy Clean strategies that will help mitigate operational and embodied carbon emissions.
The green building sector is ready to support these forward-thinking policies. Earlier this year, 42 organizations signed a letter supporting an ambitious and well-funded Green Buildings Strategy, including members attending the event at the Embassy.