A Green Home at the Earth Rangers Centre
The World Green Building Council secretariat finds the perfect headquarters at the Earth Rangers Centre
It's hard to think of a better home for the
World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) secretariat than here at the state-of-the-art LEED Gold certified Earth Rangers Centre (ERC) on the grounds of the Kortright Centre for Conservation.
Executive Director Andrew Bowerbank agrees it's a perfect fit. The building "provides the optimum setting for the secretariat of the World Green Building Council," he says. In 2007, the Toronto Region Conservation Authority submitted the winning bid to host the international secretariat.
Founded in 2002, the WorldGBC is a union of national councils whose mission is to accelerate the transformation of the global built environment towards sustainability. The secretariat, founded two years after the inception of the WorldGBC, is responsible for helping to develop green building councils around the world.
With a mandate like this, it's easy to understand why the
Earth Rangers Centre opened its doors to the WorldGBC and welcomed the organization as its only tenant.
"Not only is our staff able to enjoy all the benefits of this green, healthy building, we are also able to point to this building on an international scale and say 'look what companies can achieve when their priorities include the health and well-being of their employees and the planet,'" says Bowerbank.
Thanks to their location at the ERC, the secretariat is able to showcase the state-of-the-art facility to a variety of visitors, including international trade mission delegates. This June, the ERC will also host the International Education and Training in Green Building program offered by the WorldGBC secretariat in partnership with York University.
The aim of the program is to equip post-secondary students with the knowledge and training required to communicate effectively in the field of green building design and development.
The secretariat has a lot more to look forward to in 2009. In May they'll celebrate their two-year anniversary and September brings the next international congress, set to take place in Dubai.
As one of the most energy efficient buildings in Canada, the Earth Rangers Centre provides a
unique and inspiring venue for small to medium corporate events and meetings. If you would like to book our world-class facility, please
contact us.
Here are some other articles you might enjoy from the February 2009 Ranger Report: