Estate Living Magazine #liveyourbestlife - Issue 46 December 2019 | Page 17

P R O P E R T Y
&
I N V E S T M E N T
• Green Star Custom for those whose building doesn’t fit the
norm, such as light industrial with office component, hotel
and mixed-use developments.
Operation and Management
But what’s the use of having the world’s greenest, most eco-
certified building if you don’t operate or manage it responsibly?
So, what are the options?
The globally recognised International Organisation of
Standardisation [https://www.iso.org/iso-14001-environmental-
management.html], more commonly referred to as ISO, has
several standards that apply to environmental management.
These standards provide practical tools for companies to
manage their environmental responsibilities and ultimately
prepare for an external audit and environmental certification.
For a more comprehensive local environmental management
tool, opt for the locally developed Heritage Green Estate
Environmental Rating Programme [https://www.heritagesa.
co.za/heritage-standard], which was developed by the globally
recognised Heritage Environmental Management Company.
The vision of the WorldGBC, of which the Green Building
Council South Africa (GBCSA) is a member, is that ‘buildings and
infrastructure around the world can reach 40% less embodied
carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve 100% net zero emissions
building by 2050’. Tall order? Perhaps, but if everyone does their
share, it is possible.
Tessa Buhrmann
Peter Drucker’s quote, ‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve
it’, might have been targeted at business management, but it is
equally appropriate when it comes to operating and managing a
sustainable built environment.
P
• Green Star SA rating tools which support design professionals
and developers alike in the delivery of sustainable ‘green’
buildings
• Edge – Residential is an online platform to rate the
environmental integrity of a development through pre- and
post-construction phases
• Energy Water Performance (EWP) is a mini-tool to
benchmark the energy and water consumption of existing
building against an industry mean
• Net Zero/Net Positive Certification rewards projects that
have taken the initiative to completely neutralise or positively
readdress their impacts
• Management systems, which include operating procedures
and systems
• Communication and marketing, which develops an
understanding of environmental issues and responsible
practices with staff, guests and residents alike
• Resource management, which includes water, energy and
waste
• Community development, which looks at the extent to which
the community is incorporated into the activities of the
estate, and whether their lives are impacted on positively or
negatively.
A good start is with the GBCSA’s range of green building
solutions [https://gbcsa.org.za/certify/], which include green
building certification and training. The certification systems
include:
The standards of this system are benchmarked against leading
initiatives in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and
Europe, and adapted to suit African conditions. It is tailored to
the needs of the respective owners and operators/managers of
residential estates, and offers support and assistance, evaluation
by external audits, and incremental recognition that can be
improved over time. The primary areas of evaluation are: