FLOOD damaged districts of Brisbane and Ipswich should be rebuilt using resilient and
sustainable building methods, said Green Cross Australia managing director Mara Bun.
Ms Bun used the American town of Greensburg in Kansas as a reference point for
Queensland Devastated by a tornado in 2007, it now has the mid-west's only Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum accredited hospital, city hall and business
hub, utilising advanced green technologies. "There is a lot of pressure to do things
quickly [during recoveries]," she said. "Thinking 'business as usual' can lead to a short
term focus on cost, but it is possible to have a broader view towards innovation and value
for money." The company's Build It Back Green initiative was instrumental in working
with communities following the Victoria bush fires of 2009. With clear thinking and
motivation, a program focusing on small projects in affected areas like Ipswich, Grantham
and Brisbane could come out of the recovery, said Ms Bun.Green Cross International was
launched in 1993 by former Soviet statesman Mikhail Gorbachev and now has a global
network of 30 offices plus an affiliate in America. Global Green USA is responsible for
The Holy Cross Project located in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, which features
five homes and 18 apartment units.By logging on to Globalgreen.org, visitors can watch
real time measurements of energy, electricity, gas and water consumption.Ms Bun
said that it was proving to be a great tool for community education."It is not just in the
aftermath of disasters that we can employ this," she said. "There is a big discussion on
population growth [in Australia] given the predicted impacts of climate change, and
predictions of further floods and storm serge."Over coming weeks and months, we will
open dialogue with local government to discuss a vision that might be possible,
and find areas where local appetite for this work is real."
sustainable building methods, said Green Cross Australia managing director Mara Bun.
Ms Bun used the American town of Greensburg in Kansas as a reference point for
Queensland Devastated by a tornado in 2007, it now has the mid-west's only Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum accredited hospital, city hall and business
hub, utilising advanced green technologies. "There is a lot of pressure to do things
quickly [during recoveries]," she said. "Thinking 'business as usual' can lead to a short
term focus on cost, but it is possible to have a broader view towards innovation and value
for money." The company's Build It Back Green initiative was instrumental in working
with communities following the Victoria bush fires of 2009. With clear thinking and
motivation, a program focusing on small projects in affected areas like Ipswich, Grantham
and Brisbane could come out of the recovery, said Ms Bun.Green Cross International was
launched in 1993 by former Soviet statesman Mikhail Gorbachev and now has a global
network of 30 offices plus an affiliate in America. Global Green USA is responsible for
The Holy Cross Project located in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, which features
five homes and 18 apartment units.By logging on to Globalgreen.org, visitors can watch
real time measurements of energy, electricity, gas and water consumption.Ms Bun
said that it was proving to be a great tool for community education."It is not just in the
aftermath of disasters that we can employ this," she said. "There is a big discussion on
population growth [in Australia] given the predicted impacts of climate change, and
predictions of further floods and storm serge."Over coming weeks and months, we will
open dialogue with local government to discuss a vision that might be possible,
and find areas where local appetite for this work is real."
» For more information, visit www.greencrossaustralia.org
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