Shadow Liberal Democrat chancellor Vince Cable and UK Green Ðǿմ«Ã½ Council chief executive Paul King consider tough business and Government choices at Think Tank breakfast event

A wide-ranging discussion on the barriers facing a sustainable built environment took place earlier this week. The Think Tank meeting, held on Monday, included key-note presentations from shadow Liberal Democrat Vince Cable and UK Green Ðǿմ«Ã½ Council chief executive.

Cable and King

In a wide-ranging speech Cable considered the difficult challenges faced by Government in encouraging better practice and a more efficient building stock. Cable called for a more simplified tax system to incentivise green best practice as the Government struggled to deal with complex systems. He added that an economic demand would also lead to a reduced demand in energy in the short term.

Paul King

UK Green Ðǿմ«Ã½ Council chief Paul King warned against the industry becoming complacent about sustainability and called for a new mindset in the industry. “We all talk about buildings accounting for 50% of carbon emissions, but we’re the problem, not the buildings.â€

We all talk about buildings accounting for 50% of carbon emissions, but we’re the problem, not the buildings

Paul King, UK Green Ðǿմ«Ã½ Council

Contributions

The event, chaired by Greg Clark and held at the RSA in central London, also included contributions from sustainability experts amongst the 70-strong audience. Speakers included: Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation; Wolseley head of sustainability Tim Pollard; Gordon Hudson from Mott MacDonald; Esha Waterproofing managing director Tom Moon; Paul Everall from the LABC; architects Rory Bergin, from HTA, and Sheppard Robson head of sustainability Alan Shingler; and developer Hilary Reid Evans from Quintain Estates & Development.

The audience also divided into groups to put forward proposals for industry and Government to take up to embed sustainability.

The event was sponsored by consultancy group Mott MacDonald.