About the Israeli Green Building Council (ILGBC)

• Our Challenge
• Our Goal
• Our Activities
• Target Audiences
• Achievements to date

Our Challenge
The Israeli Green Building Council (ILGBC) was established in early 2007 as a non-for-profit organization with the aim of creating change in the Israeli construction market and making green building the most prevalent construction standard. The chosen measure to realize a substantial shift in the market was to form partnerships between the entire range of actors involved, including industry, government, professional community, academia and NGOs. Since then, ILGBC has been providing the platform for all these organizations to join hands in promoting green building in Israel.

Our Goal
The goal of ILGBC is to incorporate green building and sustainable urban planning principles in the mainstream building practices in Israel, including all matters pertaining to construction, planning, economic, and real-estate development. The adoption of these principles, such as energy efficiency and green building materials, is aimed at achieving an advanced and healthy built environment, thereby improving the well-being of all residents across the nation. ILGBC goals involves as well broader social benefits, namely through sustainable planning of neighborhoods and cities that addresses aspects of prosperous community life and public participation in planning.

Our Activities
The Council's key activities include, among others:

• Advancing the development and adoption of standards and regulations for green building and urban sustainable planning in Israel;
• Creating a vital professional community involving the entire range of relevant stakeholders;
• Research and development activities culminating in professional reports, publications and policy recommendations;
• Joint projects with central and local government, including the development of rating tools and open events;
• Providing training and education courses in the framework of the ILGBC Green Building School for the professional community involved, or not yet involved, in green building;
• Providing a central forum for the exchange of ideas amongst both veteran members as well as new comers to the field of green building. This exchange is best embodied in the annual Green Building Conference;
• Dissemination of knowledge and Awareness raising among the general public.

Target Audiences

ILGBC members: More than 270 organizations are official ILGBC members in the framework of the Council's membership program. These organizations consist of private companies, professional associations, local and central government, academia and NGOs. Private companies come from a range of various sectors including: entrepreneurs, constructors, planners, architects, engineers, consultants and developers of construction materials.

ILGBC associates: More than 100 independent professionals and students from relevant disciplines.

Governmental Ministries and local municipalities with whom the Council has on-going projects, e.g. the development of measurement tools, such as the rating tool for sustainable neighborhoods or green building training. In addition, ILGBC advises the government in the process of developing and implementing policies.

The Standards Institution of Israel responsible for the Green Building Standard and certification process, who provides together with ILGBC the Green Building Consultants' course. ILGBC representatives also serve in the Institutions' professional committees in charge of the Green Building Standard's on-going revisions.

Professionals and practitioners involved in green building who take use of the Councils platforms to study, develop their expertise and exchange knowledge.

General population – through guidebooks end educational courses, ILGBC is making an effort to stimulate demand among end-consumers for green building solutions

Achievements to date

The year 2016 is shaping up as a flagship year for the ILGBC with current achievements, including:

• The launch of the cutting-edge rating tool for planning sustainable neighborhoods in Israel, the result of a two-years project in collaboration with the Construction and Housing Ministry, which involved more than 100 planners, decision makers and experts.
• The first Green Building Competition for elementary schools, continuing during the 2017 academic year, and involving more than 80 schools;
• Around 2,200 professionals are expected to be trained over the course of 2016, which consists of an increase of 54% in comparison to 2015;
• More than 1,500 professionals participated in the 2016 Green Building and Smart Cities Annual Conference;
• More than 20 lectures, workshops and tours took place within the "Green Building Week" in September 2016, organized by the Green Building School and hosting around 500 participants;
• Launch of a green building competition among elementary schools that will take place during 2016-2017;
• A variety of research publications for diverse topics including: Costs of the 38 National Outline Plan; The application of behavioral economic tools on promoting green building; Alternative models for Net Zero building in Israel;
• For the first time, during 2016 ILGBC was engaged in Joint projects with four Governmental Ministries: the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of National Infrastructures, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Construction and Housing, with the objective of stimulating the market and enhancing green building in Israel.