Qatar Sustainability Week ready to return in October

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) is continuing its national campaign to build sustainable, healthy, and resilient communities with the sixth edition of Qatar Sustainability Week (QSW). The event will run from 23 to 30 October and both corporate organizations and individuals are invited to participate.

QSW is a unique platform for promoting the nation’s sustainability vision and engaging relevant stakeholders under an overarching umbrella to achieve Qatar’s sustainable development goals. The week plays a major role in raising awareness about the importance of preserving the environment and implementing business practices that can be maintained in the long term.

Since its inception in 2016, QSW has witnessed the participation of more than 160,000 people in 920 activities through the support of 600 partners and reached more than three million users on traditional and social media. To build on this collaborative success, QGBC (a member of Qatar Foundation) is encouraging all public and private sector organizations – including schools, universities, and community groups – to take part and register their sustainability-oriented activities, initiatives, and events for the 2021 edition.

Similar to last year, there is an opportunity for corporates and individuals to make a special pledge to support their own community in its drive to promote sustainable living. The pledge is an encompassing commitment to protect the environment and combat the real and present danger of climate change by taking bold actions, such as banning single-use plastics, minimizing waste by consuming responsibly, reusing and recycling products, promoting healthy spaces, conserving water and energy, choosing a greener method to travel, and living a healthy lifestyle.

The pledge also encourages organizations to join the United Nations Global Compact, certify their assets, issue sustainability reports, and promote carbon neutral operations. It also challenges individuals to attempt to reduce their own carbon footprint.

Meshal Al Shamari, Director, QGBC, said: “We are very much looking forward to holding QSW once again. The event is going from strength to strength, and with climate change very much in the news headlines across the globe it’s the perfect opportunity for corporates and individuals to come together to be a part of the movement here in Qatar.

“We encourage local organizations to participate in any environmental and sustainable activities and events that they have planned for this week.

“We all know about the importance of sustainability, and in a lot of ways it dovetails beautifully with the slogan for this year’s Qatar National Day – Ancestral Meadows: A Matter Of Trust. The message the slogan is conveying is a call to all of us to consider our environment as a core issue because environmental development is one of the four pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030.”

Environmental issues will remain firmly in focus just two days after QSW concludes when the Scottish city of Glasgow plays host to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP26 – from 1 to 12 November.

For information on the QSW 2021 and registration of activities and pledges, please visit: www.qatarsustainabilityweek.com

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About Qatar Green Building Council

Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) is a non-profit, membership-driven organization providing leadership and encouraging collaboration in conducting environmentally sustainable practices for green building design and development in Qatar. QGBC also aims to support the overall health and sustainability of the environment, the people, and economic security in Qatar for generations to come. The council, a member of Qatar Foundation, was formally established in 2009 by a decree signed by Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser and is helping Qatar on its journey to establish a post-hydrocarbon, knowledge economy and progressive society. Through QGBC, Qatar is part of a network of 80 countries that run active national green building councils under the umbrella of the World Green Building Council.

QGBC’s members include representatives from government, real estate developers, investors, facilities managers, consultants, constructors, manufacturers & suppliers, oil & gas, professional firms, financial services, telecom/technology, academia, NGOs & media.

QGBC is setting up operations from its HQ, organizing awareness events, knowledge seminars, training, forums, and networking sessions with the like-minded. To learn more, please visit www.qatargbc.org.

Qatar Foundation – Unlocking Human Potential

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) is a non-profit organization that supports Qatar on its journey to becoming a diversified and sustainable economy. QF strives to serve the people of Qatar and beyond by providing specialized programs across its innovation-focused ecosystem of education, research and development, and community development.

QF was founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, who shared the vision to provide Qatar with quality education. Today, QF’s world-class education system offers lifelong learning opportunities to community members as young as six months through to doctoral level, enabling graduates to thrive in a global environment and contribute to the nation’s development.

QF is also creating a multidisciplinary innovation hub in Qatar, where homegrown researchers are working to address local and global challenges. By promoting a culture of lifelong learning and fostering social engagement through programs that embody Qatari culture, QF is committed to empowering the local community and contributing to a better world for all.

For a complete list of QF’s initiatives and projects, please visit: www.qf.org.qa 

For any media inquiries, please contact: pressoffice@qf.org.qa 

© Press Release 2021