Humanity has always prevailed in the face of adversity and it is my firm belief that we’ll overcome this one too. The path to sustainable recovery should always go through learning and adaptations. The same path that led to the creation of the United Nations after the second World War. The one that allowed Taiwan to sustain during this crisis without even a lockdown. These are not flukes but well crafted and maintained strategies.

COVID-19 with all its dangers and fatalities has given us a gift, a gift of environmental recovery. It’s a gift that all our sore throats and congested chests needed but one we weren’t willing to give ourselves, citing the wails of the bottom line. The circumstances, fortunately or unfortunately, have forced our hand and created an Earth where the pollution levels have come down drastically. Although the crisis isn’t over, it’s our decision to make in advance if we are going to build on it or go back to square one.

The crisis has presented an opportunity to save the environment and construction being a major contributor to environmental degradation, there is no doubt where we should start the process of our recovery. I know this will add time, energy and a lot of money to our recovery. Some will be willing to do it, many won’t.

The idea of Environmental Conservation in the context of construction isn’t even new. The Green Building movement in India was initiated when CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Center structure in Hyderabad was granted with the first and the renowned Platinum evaluated green structure rating in India. From that point forward, Green Building development in India has increased a huge driving force throughout the years.

With a small start of 20,000 sq.ft. green developed region in the nation in the year 2003, in excess of 5,894 Green Buildings ventures making up an impression of over 7.16 Billion sq.ft are enlisted with the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) as of September 2, 2020, out of which 1,995 Green Building ventures are completely functional. This development was conceivable because of the interest of all stakeholders in the sustainable development.

The question arises now, how can we standardize this progress? Can we in times post-COVID build a world that is built on the roots of sustainable development? Cause we’ll get past this crisis, that’s for sure, but how will we do it right, that’s the billion lives questions we’ll have to ask ourselves.