A Celebration of Planet Earth

Our planet is a wondrous place, but it is currently at risk and needs our help to thrive.

That’s why each year on April 22, more than a billion people celebrate Earth Day to protect the planet from the devastating effects of climate change.

The celebration of Earth Day is a symbol of the pressing need to invest in our planet, it’s not enough to simply acknowledge that climate change poses a risk, action must be taken.

The responsibility to protect the plant lies with each of us and at Okana we have been committed to working sustainably for a number of years, and Earth Day provides further opportunity to talk about our heritage of deep understanding of sustainable ways of working and our plans for a more sustainable future.

Did you know?

And when we look deeper at the construction sector specifically, despite being a crucial sector for the world economy, construction is one of the major contributors to the carbon emissions polluting our planet. With emissions coming from sourcing and producing materials, logistics and construction activities accounting for more than 38% of global emissions.

Historically, the construction sector has not been seen as a champion of sustainability initiatives, several barriers to decarbonisation still exist, such as ineffective procurement practices, a lack of regulation, poor visibility for embodied carbon and resistance for new sustainable construction products to replace tried and tested products in use today!

However, there are positives and as an industry it is undergoing a significant transformation. If we look at the rise of ConTech for example: it is emerging as a viable solution for reducing carbon emissions through the use of various digital solutions such as AI, machine learning and the internet of things (IoT). Plus the introduction of new innovative materials, energy efficient solutions and data analytics to improve the sustainability of construction projects are all helping to reduce the environmental impact of the built environment.

The use of technology in construction has already made great strides in reducing carbon emissions, particularly in the areas of energy usage, resource efficiency and waste management.

As more global sustainability commitments and regulations are implemented, a new wave of thinking is forcing decarbonisation and the green transition of the construction industry to become unavoidable.

Our sustainability approach is one of looking beyond the next deadline to the next decade. The investments we are making today, and our progress in sustainability initiatives demonstrates our commitment to maintaining environmental viability with our eyes focused towards the future of our planet.