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Globe and Mail
26-03-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Built by Nature Launches 2025 Prize to Celebrate Global Excellence in Responsible Timber Construction
Winning projects to be showcased in an international campaign, promoted at COP30 , and featured in a new documentary film AMSTERDAM , March 27, 2025 /CNW/ -- Built by Nature (BbN) is excited to announce the launch of its 2025 global Prize, recognising exemplary real-world applications of the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction in predominantly timber buildings. On April 7 , the grant-funding network will open applications for completed and in-use projects, including new builds, renovations, and significant extensions. The Prize will highlight excellence in demonstration of the Principles, with winners announced at the annual Built by Nature Summit in October. Winning buildings will be showcased at high-profile events and a documentary film premiered at COP, included in an international study tour, and presented as examples of responsible timber construction on the Built by Nature Knowledge Hub. A panel of international experts from across the construction value chain will judge submissions based on alignment with the Principles. Developed by Built by Nature – in collaboration with the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership (FCLP), Bauhaus Earth and other stakeholders – the Principles establish a common framework of requirements to ensure the timber building industry can thrive sustainably. Promoting and leveraging projects that exemplify the Principles, the Prize campaign demonstrates to policymakers and the construction industry the relationship between responsible timber construction and positive outcomes for forests, biodiversity, climate, and communities across the globe. Paul King , CEO of Built by Nature says: "We are proud to launch our 2025 Prize to recognise the best timber construction projects from around the world. Entrants will be asked to show how their projects align with the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction, using existing project information. The sector is already delivering great timber buildings, now it's time to celebrate success and accelerate its replication." Prize judge Manuel Pulgar-Vidal , Global Leader of Climate & Energy at WWF and Interim Chair of the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission, says: "The Principles provide consensus-based guidance for policymakers and governments, to inform regulation and support incentives for investment. They can, and should, become the global standard for timber buildings, framed under sustainability rules." The judging panel also sees a return for Ana Belizário, Sales and Business Development Director of Brazilian mass timber manufacturer Urbem, who judged the first BbN Prize in 2024. She says: " COP30 , in my native Brazil , is a huge moment for timber buildings. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, an Amazon COP must focus on timber supply chains so we can build more effectively for people, planet, and nature. This Prize will showcase the very best examples to the world." The Prize is open to all timber-based buildings that align with the Principles, with the application window opening on April 7 . English is the preferred language for applications, with translation provided if required on request. Full details of the application criteria and process can be found on the Built by Nature website. About Built by Nature Built by Nature (BbN) is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to transform the built environment by promoting the responsible use of timber and biobased materials. BbN connects demand-side construction industry leaders, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing to drive systemic change. Its funding supports innovative cross-sector initiatives that overcome barriers and amplify the role of biobased materials in decarbonising construction for the benefit of climate, nature, and people. SOURCE Built by Nature
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Proven Ways to Collaborate Better on Climate Action
From activists to corporations, everyone is talking about how to successfully collaboration on climate solutions. Credit - Getty Images On the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly last year, the Potsdam Institute's Johan Rockström unveiled the Planetary Health Check—a science-based global initiative which showed that six planetary boundaries are nearing dangerous tipping points, threatening our future. Until now, companies, nations, and organizations have each brought their own weight to bear on this challenge. But as the science shows, and as the effects unfold, it's clear that it's not enough for the planet's leaders—from CEOs to NGOs—to act in silos. The world needs a new and bolder approach to the climate and nature crises—one that brings together different groups and unlocks the creativity needed to turbocharge climate solutions. From activists to companies, everyone is talking about collaboration as the key to climate solutions. But that's easier said than done. Common barriers to the bold cross-sectoral, cross-industry partnerships include challengings in aligning objectives, vision, and values; overcoming competitive barriers; and securing organizational buy-in, to name a few. In an effort to champion strong partnerships, earlier this year the World Economic Forum hosted its GAEA (Giving to Amplify Earth Action) Awards. This includes work by honorees Built By Nature, HYBRIT, and the Youth Climate Justice Fund—all of which are raising ambition across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. Here's what their collaborative models look like: The building and construction sector is the largest and fastest growing emitter of greenhouse gases by far, making up nearly 40% of global emissions. But what if cities could absorb carbon instead of emitting it? Built By Nature (BbN), an Amsterdam-based non-profit with the vision of a built environment in harmony with nature, is facilitating collaboration across the sector to accelerate the use of timber and other bio-based materials as an alternative to carbon-intensive steel and cement. Founded three years ago, BbN brings together developers, architects, policymakers, insurers, and financial institutions to better understand and find solutions to tackle entrenched barriers—such as restrictive building codes, outdated risk perceptions, and financing challenges. By bringing these diverse stakeholders together through collaborative national networks across multiple European cities, BbN creates the conditions for bio-based materials to scale. These networks foster peer learning, drive policy change, and surface new innovations that accelerate progress. This collaborative approach has allowed BbN to amplify its support by coordinating funding from industry, government, and philanthropic donors. To date, it has invested 6.5 million euros, leveraging an additional 6.7 million euros in co-funding, directing these resources toward targeted research and practical solutions to scale bio-based materials. And this empowers problem solving. One of the major barriers BbN's networks have addressed is the challenge of securing insurance for timber buildings. BbN convened a group of U.K.-based industry stakeholders, including developers, architects, insurers, and agents to find solutions. The resulting Mass Timber Insurance Playbook debunks misconceptions, mitigates risk, and provides guidance for unlocking insurance for bio-based construction. Without BbN's collaborative model, sectors would continue to work in their traditional silos, struggling to tackle the complex challenges of decarbonizing construction with innovative, low-carbon materials. 'Partnerships across sectors are key to our success—and our hope is that the profile that this GAEA Award provides will enable Built by Nature to attract more industry leaders, systems change pioneers and supporters to our mission,' says Paul King, CEO of Built By Nature. Increased demand for steel over the past decade has led to a rapid rise in emissions. To put steel on a net-zero emissions pathway, the world must reduce its reliance on coal—this is what HYBRIT is doing. HYBRIT brings together Swedish industry leaders SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall on a mission to replace coal with fossil-free hydrogen in steel production. What sets this groundbreaking initiative apart is its peer-to-peer collaboration model, where each partner contributes complementary expertise: SSAB's advanced steel manufacturing, LKAB's sustainably-sourced iron ore, and Vattenfall's fossil-free energy. As Anna Borg, Vattenfall CEO and TIME Magazine Top 100 Climate Leader, said at the GAEA Awards ceremony at this year's World Economic Forum Annual Meeting: 'When SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall started this collaboration in 2016 we knew that this is the business model of the future. But believing wasn't enough—we had to prove it. HYBRIT has succeeded in delivering a product with superior qualities, proven process, delivered on time and on budget.' HYBRIT's technology could reduce Sweden's emissions by 10%, but its impact extends far beyond its national borders, creating a replicable model for decarbonizing heavy industry globally. These companies, typically operating independently, are showing how collaboration can solve systemic challenges by reducing costs, mitigating risks, and combining knowledge. From setting up grassroots community initiatives to developing technological solutions to climate challenges, young people are leading the charge on climate and nature action. But less than 1% of global climate funding supports youth-led initiatives, leaving them without crucial support and the opportunity to connect with funders and donors. The Youth Climate Justice Fund (YCJF) is working to address this imbalance by advocating for youth-inclusive philanthropy and developing a pipeline for larger funders, while ensuring that young leaders have agency over how they allocate the funding they receive. As co-director Nathan Méténier highlights, 'Our model is about calling everyone in. Young people are a dynamic force, yet we're falling short in scaling support for their innovations.' Underpinned by the belief that collaboration is essential for climate justice, YCJF fosters intergenerational relationships by connecting grantee partners with experienced youth activists. It also partners with funders to pilot youth-led convenings, mobilizing resources for frontline climate initiatives. 'In just two years, we've funded 90+ initiatives across 45 countries, committing $2.1 million to grassroots solutions,' says co-director Joshua Amponsem. 'There is so much more we can all do together to support young leaders and grassroots groups whose lived experiences offer insights to achieve equitable climate action.' Across all three models—Built by Nature, HYBRIT, and the Youth Climate Justice Fund—a common theme emerges: collaboration is integral to achieving systemic change. Yet, because it's not easy to bring unlikely allies together, these initiatives offer new and innovative approaches to do so meaningfully and authentically. They also demonstrate that when different groups work together, they can pool expertise, resources, and influence to drive meaningful progress in the fight against climate change. Leslie Johnston is CEO of the Laudes Foundation. Fatou Jeng is a youth climate advisor to the United Nations Secretary General and founder of Clean Earth Gambia. 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