Australia’s green building industry continues to thrive, the members of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) were told at the Annual General Meeting this week.

Delivering the chair’s address, Tony Arnel says that the council could be very proud of its efforts in 2010, “which have ensured that Australia’s green building sector not only survives, but thrives.

“From a zero base in 2003, we currently have 279 Green Star certified projects around Australia. A further 442 projects are currently registered and 76 are being processed — taking the number of projects aspiring to Green Star ratings to well above 500.”

Arnel outlined a number of key highlights of 2010, including:

- Green Star tool releases: three more tools which rate industrial and public buildings, as well as a custom rating process, which will be able to rate buildings outside the scope of other Green Star tools;

- Green Star Communities: this continues to build momentum as a project of national significance, with a range of industry and government sponsors, including every government land organisation in the country;

- Education and events: the GBCA delivered more than 180 educational seminars, workshops and master classes around Australia, as well as more than 70 events, to support ‘green collar’ growth, and has now trained more than 18,500 people.

Arnel comments: “In 2010, we continued to attract new members and retained the majority of our existing membership base — an extremely positive result in a challenging market.

“Many of our members have made significant contributions to the GBCA over the course of 2010, dedicating their expertise and time to committees, working groups, campaigns and projects. We continue to attract committed sponsors, without whom we would not be able to host our wide range of events and activities, nor develop new Green Star tools.

“In 2010, the Green Building Council of Australia delivered outstanding value to our member companies and furthered our mission to develop a sustainable property industry in Australia.

“Our perspiration and perseverance have paid off and we are well-positioned to take on the challenges of 2011, all the while making a real difference to our members, our industry, our nation and our planet,” Arnel concludes.