(upbeat music)
- Thank you, everyone, for
joining us
for the 2020 Latin
America Leadership Awards.
I know it's not ideal to do
this on a computer screen.
Believe me, I miss your faces.
I miss a lot of things.
For me, some days are worse than
others.
This year has often felt like
one catastrophe after another.
And the pace at which the world
is changing feels different,
and more urgent, than perhaps
ever before.
Since the lockdown began,
I think each of us has
probably had these feelings.
Beyond the isolation fatigue,
the monotony of video calls,
and the lurking pessimism that
can come
with not seeing light at
the end of the tunnel,
what I am referring to is
the moment where one problem
feels compounded by another and
another,
and then an image, or a
conversation,
or even a tragic event,
throws that harsh
reality into perspective.
For me, that moment came late
last month.
Most of us attending this
virtual event
were set to gather on
June 24th in Mexico City.
On what would have been the
day of so many of our arrivals,
Mexico was hit with a
7.5 magnitude earthquake.
In Oaxaca, we saw buildings
swaying back and forth,
and we know that several
people were killed.
Landslides were triggered
and a tsunami warning was
issued for parts of Mexico,
Guatemala, Honduras, and El
Salvador.
We saw pictures of healthcare
workers
and patients with IV
stands out on the street.
And in one particular photo,
a young woman is wearing
a mask and a face shield and
is kneeling on the ground.
She's crying into her cell
phone,
presumably talking to loved
ones,
and is being held by another,
who has crouched down to comfort
her.
Further in the distance is
one group of people after
another,
with their masks, scared,
confused,
and looking up at the buildings,
almost as if they were waiting
for everything to come crashing
down.
That is what it must
have felt like for them.
In many ways, that's what it has
felt like
for a lot of people during
these last several months.
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake
is not complicated
by the fact that its people
are already experiencing
the devastating effects of the
pandemic.
Saying it's complicated by that,
as the news reports often do,
completely misses the point.
It's connected.
All of this is connected.
And when outlining USGBC's new
vision
for our second generation last
month,
we tried not only directly
acknowledge
that interconnectedness, but
also lay out a plan of action
rooted in the certainty that
crises
cannot be compartmentalized.
We know that climate risks
are tied to health risks.
We know that racial injustice is
tied
to environmental injustice.
And we know that resilience is
not the result of reactions,
but of planning, of careful
consideration,
and of leadership from
our fellow human beings.
Resilience is the face
of this new reality,
both in business and in life,
will require every
industry and individual
to adapt at a pace we might
never have thought possible.
It'll require all of us to
gather under the common banner
of humanity, and champion
a better quality of life
for millions of people around
the world.
And that's exactly what the
leaders
we are honoring here today are
doing.
These are visionary project
teams,
businesses, and members
of the USGBC community
who truly embody what is at
the heart of our mission,
that better buildings equal
better lives,
and even more specifically,
that healthy people
in healthy places equals
a healthy economy.
These eight Latin American
examples
of green building leadership
are helping create a resilient
future,
one where we don't have to
choose
between public health
and economic prosperity,
where we can expect a
guaranteed standard of living,
instead of a perpetual disparity
in our wealth and well-being.
So let's jump in, shall we?
(upbeat music)
Our first awardee has what it
calls
a future-focused approach to
ESG.
Ranked the sixth overall on the
2019
Global 100 Most Sustainable
Corporations in the World
from Corporate Knights,
Prologis has a
three-pronged approach
that serves as the foundation
for their leadership strategy,
growth, productivity, and,
you guessed it, resilience,
financial resilience,
operational resilience,
and reputational resilience.
A GRESB participating member
since 2012,
Prologis now has a five star
GRESB rating,
the highest recognition for
being an industry leader.
But what stands out for me
is a consistent company value
that we have seen on
display time and again.
They go first.
Prologis is the first
logistics real estate company
in the world to do a number of
things,
the first to achieve WELL
certification,
reported to be the first with an
approved
Science-Based Target,
the first to partner with local
workforce training programs,
and address customers' growing
needs for skilled labor
by putting community members in
touch
with career-building job
opportunities,
and the first to receive the
Gold Green Lease Leader Award
from the Institute for
Market Transformation.
As a USGBC Gold member,
Prologis has hundreds
of LEED projects around the
world,
including in Mexico
where the company has 22
certified projects and
13 more in the pipeline.
And there's a reason
Prologis leads the Americas
and Asia with a top GRESB
ranking.
It's because of the
actionable forms of resilience
they prioritize day in and day
out.
With financial resilience,
they have a top REIT balance
sheet.
Operationally, they are
developing proprietary
data modeling and tools to
assess risk,
natural catastrophe factors,
and other inevitable disrupters
impacting the building industry.
And organizationally, they
are training on strategy,
risk management, and ethics.
They are, in their own words,
"Creating a culture where
ESG is owned by everyone,
and all are empowered
to do the right thing."
As members of the green
building community,
as USGBC members, we
have a duty to do that,
to be first in this work,
and to make it easier
to do the right thing.
And I'm humbled by
Prologis' ongoing commitment
to ensuring that happens.
It is my honor to present
Prologis
with the 2020 USGBC
Leadership Award for ESG.
(upbeat music)
What better time than now to
sing
for the unsung heroes in this
market?
In 2013, our next honoree
achieved
LEED 2009 Gold certification
for existing buildings.
And with the introduction of
Arc,
it became the first
project in Latin America
to re-certify an existing
building
using performance data when it
achieved
LEED Version 4 Gold
certification in 2018.
Simply put, Torre Mayor
is a legendary skyscraper.
It's an architectural
icon in the Mexican
and Latin American green
building market.
And it's built in the area of
Mexico City
where a majority of damage
occurred in another earthquake,
1985's 8.0 magnitude
quake that brought down
hundreds of buildings
and killed 5,000 people.
When Torre Mayor's
construction started in 1999,
it was built with 96 dampers
designed to withstand
even the strongest quakes.
And in 2003, the same year
the building was completed,
sure enough, a 7.6 tremor
occurred.
Not only did the building stand
unscathed,
but according to the
people inside at the time,
they were unaware an
earthquake had even occurred.
What I love about Torre Mayor
is that it stands as a living,
breathing testament to
resilience.
It was conceived and
constructed to prevent history
from repeating itself and
to protect a thriving future
for its tenants.
Since its original construction,
the building has installed
a water treatment plant
that provides 100% water
service,
in effect, reducing the amount
of potable water needed.
This is especially
important in Mexico City
where there are shortages
of clean drinking water.
With four days of
self-sufficiency,
Torre Mayor can adapt
to citywide water cuts
without serious problems.
Torre Mayor's achievements
are not happening in a vacuum.
It was one of Mexico's
earliest adopters of LEED.
Its 2013 certification signified
the beginning of a lasting
culture of sustainability
for what is now more than 40
tenants
and 10,000 daily users at the
building.
And today, the facilities
team works to engage them
in reducing the use of
disposables,
and educates them on how
to properly separate waste.
When we say resilience
can't be reactionary,
this is what we mean.
Places that are getting it
right are always one step ahead.
They learn from the past,
and they believe that
sustainable practices mean
planning for the future of the
people inside the building,
not just the legacy of
the structure itself.
It's an honor and a privilege
to present Torre Mayor
with the 2020 USGBC Leadership
Award for Existing Buildings.
(upbeat music)
Our next recipient is being
honored
for their work in new
construction.
When we started our
Living Standard campaign
almost two years ago, we
set out to put an emphasis
on the difference personal
accountability can play
in creating better building
practices.
Since 2018, we have spoken
with countless educators,
students, developers, and
stakeholders who have shown
that changing one life
can change the world.
But it was three years
earlier when I first realized
the seeds of this thinking
were already taking root
in our growing green building
community.
In 2015, we led a session
on LEED Version 4 in Panama,
and a young man named Alexander
Larios was in attendance.
His company had flown him from
Nicaragua
to explore a bit about LEED
and to see if certification
for their Plaza Centroamerica
in Managua was possible.
Keep in mind, Alexander
was very new to LEED.
And there were no existing
certified buildings
in Nicaragua to learn from.
But they saw an opportunity
to be eco-friendly,
and fiscally responsible,
and they jumped on it.
Think about all the local,
national, and international
support networks we have in
this green building community.
Nicaragua is still new to all of
that.
To certify a shared commercial
and office building,
that created 270 jobs during
its construction phase,
and that also guarantees
earthquake resistance,
without that inherent
support that many of us
take for granted, is remarkable.
It is one of the best
examples of innovation,
and resilience, I have ever
seen.
And when I think about
the way we often build,
40-person teams, steering
committees,
and all the people that
play a critical role
in certification work, I am
awestruck by the leadership
exhibited by this small and
mighty team.
Alexander is now a LEED Green
Associate
and working in Spain,
but today there are two
LEED professionals living in
Nicaragua,
Isolda Salinas and Angela
Barreto.
Two might not seem like a lot
compared to some of our
biggest markets, but it is.
And it is the sign that
even a small project team
can help create the
foundation of a mighty market
and network of support for
the country's growing health,
economic, and sustainability
needs.
Plaza Centroamerica's LEED
certification is a testament
to pioneering work in green
building,
to a willingness to
believe that one person
can move the needle, and to
the fact that our mission
of healthy people in healthy
places
equals a healthy economy is
relevant
in every corner of the globe.
(upbeat music)
It is my great pleasure to
present
the 2020 USGBC Leadership
Award for New Construction
to Plaza Centroamerica.
(upbeat music)
El Salvador has one of the
strongest growing communities
of LEED projects and
professionals.
So it should come as no surprise
that our fourth awardee,
MP Service Headquarters
in El Salvador,
achieved Platinum
certification in December 2019
under LEED Version 4
Operations and Maintenance.
And with 91 points, it is
the highest-scoring project
to date in Latin America.
MP Service, an engineering
company for HVAC,
lighting, and elevators,
wanted to do a major renovation
of their building.
And the thing about MP Service
that truly warms my heart
is that they are data nerds,
just like me.
They came across LEED through
their interest in ASHRAE.
They had an in-house team
and external consultants
working together, and with Arc,
the company realized that with
more data
and better performance, the
more the project's score
would quickly increase.
And get this, MP Service
Headquarters gathers
air quality every 15 minutes.
Even our LEED reviewers
have asked them to dial back
their over-achievements, and
decrease the volume of data,
because too much was being
gathered.
But the best part of this
project is MP Service's passion
for proving the value in
green building to others.
They have invited the Energy
Commission of El Salvador
to see the project and
to show how the project
uses renewable energy,
all to make the case
that their building provides
more resiliency to the grid,
and does not compete with the
energy distribution companies.
They hope their advocacy
will result in a change
in national laws to
allow buildings to pursue
100% renewable energy.
I talk a lot about how
important awareness of LEED is,
but also about how its true
impact comes
when we convert that
awareness to adoption.
Well, everyone, this is
what I'm talking about.
MP Service is taking its
leadership a few steps further,
ensuring its advocacy is
purposeful
and that it results in action.
It does not get better than
that,
and it is my distinct pleasure
to present
MP Service Headquarters with the
2020
USGBC Leadership Award for
Green Building Performance.
(upbeat music)
Our fifth recipient is a double
feature.
Pepsi World Trade Center,
located in the heart
of Mexico City,
has 36,000 square meters in 23
modular multipurpose
classrooms, a business center,
and an auditorium.
The World Trade Center receives
nearly 4 million visitors
in over 120 exhibitions a year.
It first certified as LEED
Gold Operations and Maintenance
in 2013, and in May 2019,
they re-certified as Platinum.
And in January of this
year, the Pepsi Center,
a concert venue attached
to the convention center,
achieved LEED Platinum with 88
points.
What started off as a challenge
from me
turned into a project steeped in
a love
for community gathering,
something I know
we are all yearning for these
days.
I toured both projects before
certification was completed,
and I have to tell you,
this is an extraordinarily
dedicated team
that has achieved phenomenal
results.
The Pepsi World Trade center
fulfilled 91% of the credits,
well exceeding the global
and local level averages.
A special hydraulic system and
efficient bathroom fixtures
played the main role for this
saving.
Waste management obtained
99% of the available credits.
And the building offers
healthy indoor air quality
by maintaining a low level
of volatile organic compounds
and carbon dioxide.
With a fulfillment of 63 of
the points in this category,
this building surpasses the
local and world results.
Even one building is a
leadership feat all on its own,
but to have multiple structures,
multiple certifications,
and a consistent commitment to
ensuring
that 30,000 square
meters plays a vital role
in both the health and
well-being of Mexico City,
and the health of its economy,
is beyond anything I dreamed
possible.
Thank you to the Pepsi World
Trade Center
for your tireless work.
And thank you for reminding all
of us
that it's in our dedication to
performance
where we do the most important
work,
proving that people, planet, and
profit
is a formula for success.
It's a pleasure to present you
with the 2020 USGBC Leadership
Award
for Green Building Performance.
(upbeat music)
Our next awardee is being
recognized
for its outstanding portfolio.
CCMB is a multi-purpose campus
and a multi-structure project
for the Institute
of Mexican Culture.
A single compound in Texcoco,
the Bicentennial Mexican
Cultural Center has a library,
museum, theater, and classrooms,
all certified LEED Gold in
July 2019 and using Arc.
Architects designed the
campus in order to integrate
its surroundings and create
plazas to bring in culture,
art, classes to an under-served
community.
And in an effort to bring in
new jobs for an area plagued
by chronic unemployment,
Concecutex,
the project developer and
operator,
only hired local
people.
The high number of local staff
also means
most employees can walk, bike,
or take short public transit
rides to reach work each day.
One result of the leadership
here has been
the behavioral shift among
the building's professionals.
For example, there was
initially resistance
to changing the cleaning
products
because the green products
did not smell as good
or as clean.
But the staff soon learned
why greener products
are better for their health and
the health of the community.
Now, they are able to educate
others
with an understanding of why
those changes
impact everyone involved.
And the facility management
team now engages their vendors
and suppliers to request
more sustainable options.
In a variety of scenarios,
about plastic bottles,
disposable cups, waste, and so
much more,
what we have seen is that
LEED inspires leadership,
both individually and as a team.
Through CCMB's LEED
certification,
we have witnessed profound
personal
and emotional investments
being made in protecting
and preserving this campus.
People know that they are not
just living
up to the standards of LEED,
but they are living up to the
expectations
of their neighbors, that all of
us,
regardless of background or
circumstance,
deserve the healthiest,
safest experiences possible.
I am beyond thrilled to present
our 2020 USGBC Leadership Award
to the incredible team at
CCMB for its portfolio.
(upbeat music)
Latin America and the
Caribbean's growing leadership
in portfolio achievements
continues to amaze me.
But it does not surprise me.
With five LEED Version 4.1
projects
all certified LEED Gold through
using Arc,
our next honoree is a
big player in the region.
Grupo Roble is a Salvadorian
commercial real estate group
with a series of shopping
malls and office buildings
in Costa Rica, and an expanding
portfolio
that stretches across Central
America.
From the Multiplaza Bogota in
Colombia
to the Roble Corporate Center
in the Dominican Republic,
Grupo Roble is broadening their
commitment
to sustainable building
practices in all of their work.
And try and wrap your
head around this timeline.
Grupo Roble's five projects
that certified in December
last year were completed just
one year
after registering in Arc.
They achieved LEED Gold for
all of them on the same day.
That takes real leadership
to perform at that level
and in that span of time.
But it is not only the
breadth of their portfolio
that is impressive.
We are also recognizing
them for the passion
that has made them good
teammates, supportive partners,
and engaged members of the
green building community.
I know many of you have heard me
say this
over the last couple years,
but it bears repeating.
A big part of leading is
that once you have something
to show for it, you
have to also be willing
to share those lessons with
others.
Grupo Roble's team
understands the broader impact
that can come from inclusivity.
They convene webinars to
outline its best practices
and help their communities learn
and implement lessons from their
work.
They have a public
commitment to achieve LEED
for their entire portfolio
of 24 properties,
and I have no doubt each one of
those
will come with a battery of
stories
and experiences that'll
help green builders
for years to come.
(upbeat music)
[IN SPANISH]
Since its establishment, more
than 100 years ago,
Grupo Poma has been
characterized
for always seeking excellence
in the operation of each
one of its divisions.
Grupo Roble,
real estate division of Grupo
Poma,
is currently present in 9
countries
across Latin America, and is
considered
one of the main role models
for the development of
commercial,
residential,
and corporate tower projects in
Central America,
Dominican Republic, and
Colombia.
The rational and efficient use
of resources is essential
for the model of administration
and operation in Grupo Roble's
projects.
Because of our constant search
to improve,
a few years ago we set a goal
that would allow us
to obtain LEED certification in
all of our corporate towers
by December 2019.
Fortunately,
due to the sacrifice,
dedication,
commitment, effort and teamwork
from an excellent group of
people,
we were able to accomplish our
goal,
becoming the real estate
developers
with the most LEED version 4.1
certified projects
in Latin America.
It is an honor for Grupo Roble
to have been selected
to receive the 2020 Leadership
Award
from US Green Building Council
for this region.
Our certified projects in Costa
Rica are:
Roble Corporate Center,
LEED Gold New Construction;
Plaza Roble, LEED Gold
Operations and Maintenance;
Escazú Corporate Center,
LEED Gold Operations and
Maintenance.
In Dominican Republic:
Roble Corporate Center,
LEED Silver New Construction,
and in Colombia:
Multiplaza Bogotá,
LEED Platinum New Construction,
and Bogotá Corporate Center,
LEED Gold Operations and
Maintenance.
For Grupo Roble,
LEED certification allows us to
validate
and certify that our efforts
are focused in the right
direction,
and at the same time,
to benefit our tenants
and collaborators with adequate
spaces
to improve their quality of life
and the development of their
businesses.
By offering friendly workspaces,
we all benefit directly
and indirectly in the following
way:
Direct benefits
1. Minimize the carbon footprint
and comply with corporate
environmental responsibilities.
2. Use resources such as energy
and water in a responsible way.
3. Handle waste and residues
correctly.
4. Plan for ongoing improvement
and innovation.
5. Offer a world class product
through design.
Indirect benefits
1. Increase productivity from
all collaborators.
2. Help reduce absenteeism.
3. Improve cognitive function in
all collaborators.
4. Improve recruitment by
offering world class facilities.
5. Improve employee retention.
On the other hand,
the implementation of the
prerequisites
needed to obtain a LEED
certification
has allowed us to reinforce
our management and obtain the
following results:
1. Train and educate our
collaborators
in environmental terms and
controls.
2. Raise awareness in the
adequate use of resources.
3. Accomplish efficiencies
in the use of resources such as
water and energy.
4. Define a strategy
and implement the results
to improve the work environment
for all people working in our
projects.
LEED certification
has helped us become a more
efficient company
in the use of energy resources,
and more responsible with health
and wellness of our
collaborators,
visitors, and tenants.
I would like to give thanks
to our Grupo Roble team,
specially our operations
department
for their effort and leadership.
To Engineer Dennis La Touche
from Sinergia,
and to Architect Maria Matamoros
from Ambito Arquitectura
y Sostenibilidad for their
invaluable consulting work
and support during this process.
Finally,
I would like to thank
the US Green Building Council,
mainly the President
and CEO Mahesh Ramanujam,
Nicolette Bohnett,
Director of Market
Transformation
for Latin America and Sarah
Merricks,
for this recognition that is so
important
and special to our company.
Thank you!
(light music)
It's a wonderful honor
to present Grupo Roble
with the 2020 USGBC Leadership
Award for its portfolio.
- And last, but most certainly
not least,
is a recipient well known
and dear to us here at USGBC.
Raul Berraducci, CEO of
Project Management at Bovis,
is an exceptional
leader in the Mexican
green building community.
Raul has chosen to make LEED a
core part
of the Bovis business.
He has championed the creation
of an
internal Sustainability
Environmental Management System
that is used by all
employees to carefully track
and monitor aspects of projects
either
in support of a client's LEED
goals,
or to be able to provide
insights
into sustainability
performance and achievements.
Raul firmly believes
that you cannot manage
what you do not measure,
and he has made measurement,
verification, and
certification a core part
of the way he and Bovis
manage building projects.
Raul has used his
platform to promote LEED,
and to advance conversations
about improving
construction practices,
standards, and policies.
He played a critical role in
convincing
Panamericana University to
pursue LEED
and create a LEED Lab to train
and empower the next generation
of sustainable builders.
Following the devastating
earthquakes in Mexico in 2017,
Raul led the Bovis team in
providing critical expertise,
as architects and engineers
performed
building risk assessments.
This was all in an effort to
help the Mexican government
focus on the most
seriously damaged buildings
and at the same time create
confidence for people living
or working in buildings
that were unscathed.
This is in addition to the
Earthquake Recovery Program
for Schools that Bovis and BBVA,
the Spanish-based bank, have
collaborated on together.
He has worked to ensure fair
wages for construction workers
and also launched the Bovis
Masterclass
in partnership with the
Universidad Iberoamericana.
Recent graduates of this
masterclass obtained
the first prize
in the International Student
Competition
in Sustainable Construction
of the LafargeHolcim Foundation
in 2018.
And it's more than accurate to
say
that under Raul's leadership,
Bovis has not only been a
part of many of the largest
and most iconic LEED
projects in Latin America,
but that together they have
created a better standard
of living and working across the
board.
Remember Torre Mayor?
Bovis managed the
construction of the project.
And how about the first LEED
Gold building in Mexico,
HSBC's Headquarters?
Yep, Raul.
SUMe, Sustainability for Mexico,
Bovis is a founding partner,
and Raul's breadth of leadership
with the organization is
incalculable.
The first successful LEED Volume
program
delivering 25 branches of HSBC?
Raul.
Torre Reforma certified as LEED
Platinum,
the LEED Silver Roberto Garza
Sada Center in Monterrey,
a project conceptualized
by Pritzker Prize-winning
architect Tadao Ando.
And Terminal Two at Guadalajara
Airport,
the first net zero air terminal
in Mexico,
is managed by Bovis.
The list of Raul's contributions
to the green building
community is infinite,
but what I find most
evidentiary of his leadership
is the way others have
described his quiet guidance,
his willingness to support
colleagues,
to fight for a better quality of
life,
to help young people without
grabbing the spotlight,
and to spend more time talking
about what has yet to be done
rather than what has
already been achieved.
It is a little ironic, Raul.
For someone who likes to measure
things,
I have to be honest with you.
That kind of deeply personal
leadership,
that kind of modesty.
means there are thousands
of those softer moments of
counsel that cannot be logged
as data in a ledger, but that
are instead rightfully etched
into the minds and hearts of
everyone
you have impacted in this
community.
In other words, your kind of
leadership,
it cannot be measured.
But it can be honored,
and it is my privilege to do
that today.
Raul, congratulations on
receiving
our 2020 USGBC Living
Standard Leadership Award.
(upbeat music)
Before we go, I want to thank
everyone for joining us today.
I want to thank the honorees
for their lasting contributions
to this work.
And I want to circle back
to what I mentioned earlier,
that all of this is connected.
We do ourselves no favors
when we compartmentalize our
crises.
Everyone we have honored here
today has a unique ability
to look at the big picture,
and to create a world where we
do more to connect the dots,
a world where we
prioritize sustainability,
health and wellness,
resilience, and equity,
a world in which human
life is not compromised,
but championed as the
focus of why we build
in the first place, and a
world where the connection
between healthy people, healthy
places,
and a healthy economy is
highlighted by a willingness
to tackle multiple challenges
and injustices at once.
I wish we could have all
been together for this.
But I hope this small virtual
ceremony is,
in some small way, a tribute
to how grateful we are
for your membership, your
friendship,
and most importantly, your
continuing leadership,
no matter what the future holds
in store.
Thank you all.
(upbeat music)
