Green Building Initiative

MwB is committed to sharing green building techniques with global communities to reduce conflict. Under the Green Building Initiative, MwB will ensure that each MwB clinic serve a multi-layered function of operating as a model of sustainability from the outside structure through to the inner workings and teachings of peace. Renewable resource scarcity can produce civil conflict, instability, large destabilizing populations movements, aggravated racial, ethnic, or religious tensions, and debilitated political and social institutions (Homer-Dixon). There can be a cyclical process wherein conflict leads to greater resource scarcity, which in turn leads to increased likelihood of conflict. MwB can assist communities and lessen the potential for conflict by reducing their dependency on resources through efficient green building techniques:

• Societies can adapt to resource scarcity by using resources more efficiently and reducing their dependency on these resources
• Green building techniques provide an important mechanism for these societies to adapt to resource scarcity through technical “ingenuity”
• Green building techniques offered through a social institute such as MwB clinics increase the likelihood that their continued use will be sustainable
• Mediators without Borders will be working closely with Green Globe Standard which includes: a complete set of indicators for sustainability criteria; certification policies & procedures; and auditor guidelines. Green Globe certification was chosen because of the comprehensive set of criteria, the affordability, and economic sustainability of its program.

Green Globe Criteria includes:

A. Sustainable Management

1. Implement a Sustainability Management System
2. Legal Compliance
3. Employee Training
4. Customer Satisfaction
5. Accuracy of Promotional Materials
6. Local Zoning, Design and Construction
7. Interpretation
8. Communications Strategy
9. Health and Safety

B. Social/Economic

1. Community Development
2. Local Employment
3. Fair Trade
4. Support Local Entrepreneurs
5. Respect Local Communities
6. Exploitation
7. Equitable Hiring
8. Employee Protection
9. Basic Services

C. Cultural Heritage

1. Code of Behavior
2. Historical Artifacts
3. Protection of Sites
4. Incorporation of Culture

D. Environmental

1. Conserving Resources
2. Reducing Pollution
3. Conserving Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Landscapes