IWBI recognized for its international contribution to green, healthy design
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) was recently recognized at the International Forum on Green Design and Green Manufacturing and Dialogue on Green Transition and Climate Change in Berlin, with the 2023 International Contribution Award. The award was presented by the World Green Design Organization (WGDO), which is dedicated to driving high-level dialogue in the green development sector, advocating the concept of “Green Design” globally and engaging government officials, industry standards setters and private sector leaders in promoting collaboration and advancing the sustainability agenda.
In a fitting tribute to the international award presented to IWBI, more than 10 countries including host country Germany, as well as China, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Italy, Norway and the United States were represented at the forum, and more than 33,000 professional representatives attended either virtually or in-person.
Representing IWBI was Minjia Yang, Vice President, Investing for Health, who received the award from Irene Pivetti, former President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and former Member of the EU Parliament; and Lei Xing, Director General of WGDO and Chairman of the Dragon Design Foundation. Ms. Yang noted that sustainability is rooted in the health of our planet as well as the health of all people. In its work to promote, assess and certify spaces that advance health and well-being, IWBI has long recognized how climate change imperils human health through rising temperatures, extreme weather events and worsening air quality – and how buildings can be fortified to address these overlapping impacts.
Pictured above, from left to right: Lei Xing, Minjia Yang and Irene Pivetti
IWBI, whose WELL Standard is the world’s leading roadmap for creating and certifying spaces that advance health and well-being, is an advocate for social sustainability and advancing people-first places globally. As defined by the UN Global Compact, social sustainability is “identifying and managing business impacts, both positive and negative, on people.” IWBI is working to expand the focus on health, well-being and social equity within sustainability strategy and reporting through efforts such as its Investing for Health initiative and the 12 Competencies for Measuring Health & Well-being. Today, with nearly 44,000 WELL projects in 128 countries spanning nearly 5 billion square feet, IWBI is helping organizations put health first for more than an estimated 23 million people.
Founded in Brussels in 2013, WGDO is the first non-profit international organization to promote the development of green design throughout the world. WGDO aims to advocate and broadcast the idea of “green design” on a global scale, to lead change in modes of production, to transform consumption patterns and to implement the integration between humans and nature.
Find more information about the forum and IWBI’s 2023 International Contribution Award on Weixin and China Central Television (CCTV).
Caption, top photo: In addition to Lei Xing, Irene Pivetti and Minjia Yang, also pictured are Chazhong Ge, Chief Scientist of the Chinese Academy of the Environmental Planning, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China (second from left); and Jo Leinen, Former Member and President of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of the European Parliament and Former Minister of Environment of Saarland, Germany (fifth from right).
