Costa Rica is world famous for being a promoter of sustainable development and environmental protection, however, in the public and private sectors, there are still few concrete projects and efforts being made in those directions.
The lack of incentives or programs that might encourage public or private companies to venture into the field of environmental sustainability was one of the reasons why the Award for Sustainable Construction by the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction (CCC) was created. This Award is among the first of its kind to give recognition to companies and projects that take steps in this direction.
Every year the Award has become more and more valued, so the level of the participants has become increasingly competitive. The projects presented are more complex, and more businesses strive to surpass their own sustainable goals. The Award’s main objective is to highlight those companies that have decided to make a change, and support those which have demonstrated that environmental sustainability is one of their primary focuses.
The Award is awarded in three distinct categories:
- Personal Career
- Business
- Projects
The last category must fulfill the building requirements so that their project demonstrates the application of good sustainable practices in construction. Each of the three categories includes a process of evaluation and assessment on the following five aspects:
Environmental: how the project reduces the environmental impact, addresses waste management and risk management, the measurement and reduction of their carbon footprint, over-all energy efficiency and saves on resources, and finally the issue of sustainable procurement and proper management of the materials.- Social: the implementation of high standards of health and safety, social equity, human talent development, social management of activities or projects, and corporate social responsibility.
- Economic: accessible to society in general, corporate transparency, productivity, and proper management of the processes are graded.
- Technology transfer: The company must demonstrate that it is constantly undergoing training processes, technical cooperation, promotion of sustainable construction, and that the dissemination of good practices are carried out.
- Technological development and innovation: the project should demonstrate the use of ‘green’ materials, the application of new processes that contribute to the reduction of their carbon footprint, or improve some constructive practices for example.
Environmental: how the project reduces the environmental impact, addresses waste management and risk management, the measurement and reduction of their carbon footprint, The winners have proven to be worthy of the Award. Hopefully Costa Rica can expect to see more companies, businesses, and projects dedicated to environmentally sustainable development practices.
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