“This is more than goal-setting - this is game-changing.” - USGBC

“CopaVerde is a competition for sustainability

where everyone can participate and everyone wins!”

Over the next 6 years, Brazil will undergo its largest infrastructure build in history, primarily, but not limited to, its preparation for the world’s two greatest sporting events.  Twenty-five years of construction will be compressed into this short period of time and decisions made today will impacts the next 50 to 100 years, or more.

Because the built environment (homes, apartments, office buildings, factories, hotels, arenas etc…) contributes between 40-50% of CO2 emissions worldwide, and because green, efficient, sustainable building is considered an important component in the fight against climate change, Brazil has a unique opportunity to make significant strides in the efficiency and quality of its infrastructure, reducing long-term maintenance costs and its carbon footprint. 

Twelve “host” cities in Brazil will invest more than a combined R$200bn (US$114bn) and if proper attention is made to sustainability the legacy of these events could be the beginnings of twelve “Green Cities”: local economies that are more efficient, less impactful to the environment, and more sustainable over time.  The successes and failures of these efforts through 2016 will lay a foundation for the transformation of the Brazilian economy and could serve as a model for the world.

It is our hope that the measures suggested here will inspire individuals, companies, communities, and policy makers everywhere to take the necessary steps to invest in their infrastructure and redesign their local economies to better provide for the long-term needs of their people. This includes the buildings and environment they inhabit, transportation, and the proper management of natural resources and waste.

We start from the premise that we all share this planet, that our resources are limited, that our environment is over burdened, and that pollution and loss of habitat anywhere on earth is in fact, pollution and loss of habitat in our own backyard.  The challenges ahead are daunting and will require imagination, innovation, tremendous effort and cooperation, but most of all, a willingness to act locally on problems that are global in nature.  Everyone has a role to play in this new competition for sustainability and the good news is that this is one challenge we must all overcome together.  Following is a plan for unified victory in the competition that lies ahead.  We ask for your energy and support in this effort.

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