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According to Bruce Kerswill, Executive Chairman of the GBCSA, the tools assess the environmental performance of buildings on a range of issues including energy, water, materials and emissions, and provide an objective assessment of how “green” a building is. 
 
“The Green Star SA rating tools provide an objective framework and standards for the measurement of green building, they also establish a common language and act as a guide to building green whilst recognising environmental leadership.”
 
“Green Star SA is a voluntary green building rating system under which developers may apply to have their projects rated and certified by the GBCSA.  The first tool, Green Star SA – Office v1, was launched at the inaugural GBCSA conference in Cape Town in November of last year and has had an excellent reception so far, with most of South Africa’s major property players having indicated that they will be pursuing certification,” says Kerswill.
 
“We have already received our first few project registrations and the industry is watching eagerly to see which project is the first to achieve Green Star certification in South Africa.”
 
Nicola Douglas, CEO of the Green Building Council, states that there is now enormous demand for tools in other sectors. 
 
“General feedback to the Council indicates that the most urgent demand is for tools to measure Existing Buildings, Multi-Unit Residential developments, Retail Centres and Hotels.
 
“The order in which future tools are developed will depend mainly on market demand, which is gauged and demonstrated via the availability of tool sponsorship funding”, explains Douglas. “Tools will be sponsored by a combination of Principal and Associate sponsors, and development of any particular tool will commence only once adequate funding is in place.”
 
She notes that sponsors get a range of benefits and exposures, including the ability to participate in the Technical Working Group that develops the tool.  “The tools are enjoying an increasingly high profile in the property sector, and sponsorship of a tool positions a company as a leader in the field of sustainability. It also allows you to understand and influence how a tool evolves”.
 
Experience in other countries has shown that green building has grown dramatically and exponentially and the rating system is probably one of the most impactful measures that can be put in place in the fight against global warming and climate change, and has powerful spinoffs for those associated with it.
 
“The GBCSA is an independent, non-profit organisation and is reliant on the funds raised through sponsorship and membership to enable the implementation of our vision that ultimately all buildings are designed, built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way,” concludes Douglas.
 
The GBCSA is currently inviting sponsors to assist in funding the development of these important tools, which have been shown to be major drivers of industry change.