Dubai’s Energy and Environment Park (Enpark), a comprehensive eco-friendly free zone community for commercial and residential use and a member of Tecom Investments, has announced a Sustainable Development Policy, which makes it the first free zone in the region to implement green-friendly initiatives.
 Enpark’s Sustainable Development Policy stipulates the Leed Gold certification as the minimum standard for all developments within the free zone. The policy is not limited to Enpark’s own buildings but also extends to third-party projects.
 The policy places major thrust on energy and water conservation, in addition to several other green requirements. All buildings within Enpark must be at least 24 per cent more energy efficient than an Ashrae-IESNA 90.1-2004 code building; achieve potable water savings of at least 50 per cent over EPAct 1992 ratings and divert at least 50 per cent of the construction and demolition waste from landfills during the construction stage. All developers will be encouraged to exceed these minimum criteria.
 Ali bin Towaih, executive director of Enpark, said: “Our sustainability ambition is a consolidation of the initiatives that the Sustainable Energy and Environment Division (Seed) has implemented over the past two years across all Tecom entities. Enpark’s Sustainable Development Policy demonstrates our aggressive resolve to improve the environmental performance and sustainability of our buildings for the benefit of present as well as future generations.”
 Bin Towaih said Enpark, launched in June 2007, would work closely with all authorities to enlist their participation in the project and contribute to its success. As a commercial venture, it would aim to prove that conducting a business in a sustainable manner would generate long-term benefits for the company as well as the entire community at large.
Other requirements of the policy include the application of renewable energy and the use of salvaged material in construction and fit-outs, as well as the implementation of a Leed compliant comprehensive recycling mechanism by all buildings when operational.
 As the master developer, Enpark is working aggressively to provide an infrastructure that will assist the sustainability ambitions of each facility in the free zone. The infrastructure targets to incorporate adequate recycling centres and a wastewater treatment plant and network that will provide treated water for landscaping purposes and water closets, district cooling network and other green features. The project aims to utilise solar photo-voltaic powered streetlights and other applications of clean technology.
 While public signage throughout the free zone will aim to generate awareness among residents, flyers will be circulated to occupants on sustainability issues for encouraging the use of renewable energies. As part of its overarching objectives, Enpark is committed to conducting awareness and training sessions for business partners on a wide variety of sustainability issues.