Embodied Ecological Impacts Conference

We are experiencing a severe ecological crisis. The built environment needs to tep up its ambition to address these issues - after all, we are a sector with major impact. In our industry, we tend to focus on the impact we have on nature or around the site: green roofs and walls, street trees, urban greening, or Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). However, while crucially important, these do little to solve the global loss of biodiversity we are experiencing.

To address the built environments impacts properly we need to look at impact via our supply chain and the extraction of materials. Similar to embodied carbon, embodied ecological impacts are caused by the resource extraction and manufacturing process, such as the production and transportation of raw materials and the disposal of unused materials. These impacts occur offsite, mainly via materials extraction and the supply chain.

Continuing UKGBC's work on Embodied Ecological Impacts (EEI), this conference - free to members - will bring together experts to share knowledge and explore knowledge gaps. There are still many unknowns when it comes to decision making on built environment projects. These inlcude:

• Lack of transparency in supply chains
• Lack of consensus on metrics and data needs
• Lack of best practice examples

Through keynote lectures, panel discussions and interactive activities, this event will address these challenges and explore ways of overcoming them.

We will discuss the role of data and metrics, but also the urgent need to act in the absence of this data. We will share existing best practive and have an opportunity to meet individuals working at the cutting edge of this topic and build new networks.

We'll feature pioners from varied backgrounds and perspectives - such as academia, developers, or contractors - and we'll hear from sectors beyond the build environment to learn from their experience.

Who is this conference for?

This evetn is for everyone who is trying to assess embodied ecological impacts on their projects. Architects, engineers, consultants, as well as contractors and manufacturers will all benefit from the insights of this event.

Why attend?

• Learn from experts in the field and hear their insights projects, best practice and latest case studies.
• Understand the latest developments on metrics and data.
• Build relationships with other professionals working on embodied ecological impacts.
• Share your expertise with UKGBC to inform our future scope of work.

Speakers

We have a great line-up for speakers already confirmed, with more to come. They include:

• Smith Mordak, CEO, UKGBC
• Laura Batty, Heyne Tillett Steele
• Kai Liebetanz, Head of Nature, UKGBC
• Will Arnold, Head of Climate Action, IStructE
• Hamza Butt, Programme Officer, UNEP-WCMC
• Mike Burgass, Director, Biodiversify