By IANS,
Dubai : A new society was formed Wednesday to encourage construction of environment-friendly buildings in the Gulf.
Head of the Arab-European Conference on Environment Saleh Al-Muzaini told the state-run Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the establishment of the “Gulf Society for Green Buildings” was in line with orders from leaders of the various Gulf nations.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) form the six Gulf nations.
Speaking to KUNA after a ceremony to mark the founding of the society in Kuwait Wednesday, Al-Muzaini said that international specialized environmental organizations were calling for more and more green buildings to be built.
Green buildings are already being constructed in the West – in the US and Europe – and also in some Gulf nations like the UAE and Qatar, he said.
The construction industry in the Gulf is booming with projects currently under way valued at $1.9 trillion.
The new society, Al-Muzaini said, would aim to spread awareness in the Gulf region on materials used in building environmental-friendly cities and to encourage non-profit organizations and the private sector to contribute to reaching an environmental and economic sustainable development.
Head of the conference’s Bahrain office Wuhaib Al-Nasser said he believed the establishment of the society would have positive effects on the Gulf environment.
Green buildings are built using local natural renewable materials, he told KUNA.