TORONTO, June 22, 2009 -- York University and the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) have taken an important step toward a sustainable built environment by partnering to develop an International Education Program in Green Building Design. The first program of its kind, its purpose is to create a new generation of international citizens who can solve problems across borders and whose common mission is to make building design more sustainable.

Buildings and communities account for more than 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere and only a global transformation of the built environment will reduce that number.

“By bringing together the next generation of green leaders from a variety of disciplines and from around the world, we are working to create a new language for green design; one that is open, inclusive and global in scope,” said Andrew Bowerbank, Executive Director, World Green Building Council. “We are extremely proud to launch this course with York University.”

York University and WorldGBC held the official launch of the pilot program today with the kickoff of the “Design for Sustainability in the Built Environment: Interactive Workshop” a three-week intensive program. The course will bring 25 upper-year undergraduate students from different disciplines, studying at institutions in Ontario and abroad including Brazil, Costa Rica, Japan, Mexico and India. 

“In this country and around the world, some of our most pressing challenges are environmental,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “Fighting climate change is a complicated issue, and it requires us to work together.  That’s exactly what this program is designed to do.”

Participating in interactive workshops students will explore principles and best practices in sustainable building design and development in an urban context, with special attention given to international perspectives on today’s environmental issues. The courses will be based at the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University and workshop classes will be held at the LEED Gold certified Earth Rangers Centre at the Toronto and Region Conservation’s The Living City Campus™, where students can take advantage of the interactive learning opportunities dedicated to environmental education and energy conservation.

Industry leading organizations moving this initiative forward include Toronto and Region Conservation, the Conservation Fund of the Ontario Power Authority, and Earth Rangers.

World Green Building Council

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is a union of national councils whose mission is to accelerate the transformation of the global built environment towards sustainability. Current member Green Building Councils, (GBCs) represent over 50 per cent of global construction activity, and touch more than 10,000 companies and organizations worldwide. GBCs are consensus-based, not-for-profit organizations that are highly effective at engaging leaders across sectors to transform the built environment.  For more information please go to www.worldgbc.org

York University

York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as more than 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 26 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
 

Media contact:

Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101 / wallsj@yorku.ca

Rowena Calpito, Supervisor, Media Management, Toronto and Region Conservation

416 661 6600 x5632 / rcalpito@trca.on.ca