QGBC launches Qatar Sustainability Week from October 23

Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), part of Qatar Foundation, is to launch the sixth edition of its national campaign, Qatar Sustainability Week (QSW), from October 23-30.“This year we have more partners and more sustainability initiatives with several activities," QGBC director Meshal al-Shammari told a press conference on Tuesday at Msheireb Museums.Some of the major activities will take place at the Qatar National Convention Centre, Museum of Islamic Arts among other locations. "The objective is to raise awareness among the community through sustainability-oriented activities, as well as showcase the progress Qatar has made in the area of sustainability,” he explained.“We have more than 200 initiatives across a range of seminars and conferences including family, sports, and awareness-based activities. Two of the biggest events that are planned to take place are Msheireb’s QSW exhibition and the Talk Green Series at Baraha. QGBC will also be hosting dedicated Focus Days during this year’s QSW, covering Green Hotels and Eco-Events for Qatar, challenges and pathways, in addition to Climate Change and Adaptive Strategies,” explained al-Shammari.Al-Shammari also said that QGBC’s Sustainability Summit will be held at a later date and its loyalty programme, ‘ Green Passport’ is being revamped along with its partners.In line with Qatar’s Sustainable Development Goals, QSW aims to provide individuals and community groups with innovative and practical solutions to the environmental challenges facing Qatar and the region, in order to drive the adoption of more sustainable lifestyles.QSW is a unique platform for engaging public and private sector stakeholders under an overarching umbrella to link various sustainability practices and transform dialogue into action. It includes conferences, awareness sessions, exhibitions, guided tours, edutainment events, and public interest activities and initiatives. Strategic partners of QSW include Msheireb Properties, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar Museums, Qatar Tourism, Tarsheed/Kahramaa, Qatar Rail, Qatar Free Zones Authority, Total Energies, QNB, Education Above All, Al Wakra Municipality and Tadmur Holding. “The success of any form of sustainability focused initiative is dependent on collaboration, in our case between both public and private sector businesses, as well as individuals and the wider community. We’re proud to be working with such a strong group of strategic partners on this year’s Qatar Sustainability Week and without them we would not be able to achieve our mission to promote and champion Qatar’s sustainability efforts,” said al-Shammari.“As we move towards a post-pandemic society, we must take action to once again prioritise sustainability, for the sake of our environment as well as the health of our population. Together, we can make a difference and match our power and passion with action, in order to drive real change.” Representatives of the strategic partner organisations of the event were present at the press conference and gave insights on their involvement in this year’s QSW, as well as their partnership with QGBC.The press conference also introduced this year’s community partners, which include Greener Future, Doha Environmental Actions Project, BigB MeetUp and the International Business Council Qatar-Businesswomen Building a Sustainable Future.