Republic Bank, UWI Partner for Regional Symposium

Republic Bank is building on its efforts in renewable energy by partnering with the University of the West Indies for the regional symposium, Building Sustainability: Design, Policy and Practice for the Caribbean.

The three day virtual symposium will run from February 8 -10, and will bring together architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, town planners, waste haulers, project managers, artisans and other professionals who contribute to the built environment. It will feature a number of speakers from the regional and international community who will discuss sustainability issues in building practices.

The Bank will have an Exhibition Booth - a virtual platform that will allow presenters to upload any information they wish to share with attendees such as videos and documents. It will also allow presenters to host live chats.

The partnership comes about as the Bank rolls out its new Renewable Energy Loan product which helps Barbadians secure financing for installation of solar systems to power their homes. Successful applicants have up to 15 years to repay and the loan package includes tax benefits and an option to repay through income generated from selling power from the solar system back to the grid.

“As good corporate citizens we wish to play our part in advancing green energy solutions within the country. Barbados is aiming to achieve 100% renewable energy status and become a carbon neutral country by 2030. As a Bank we will, of course, offer products and services that help citizens align with those goals. However, we also intend to work with civil society, grassroots organizations and academia to help propel Barbados towards those goals. For that reason, we are pleased to support the UWI in facilitating this symposium to share knowledge and enhance our capabilities as it relates to sustainability in building and design,” said Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications Sophia Allsopp Cambridge.

Key topics at the symposium include:
● Evidence-based Sustainable Cooling Eco-System for Buildings: The Case of India,
● Transforming Building Policies and Practices in the Caribbean: Regulatory, Educational and Technical Tools, and
● Integrating Sustainability and Resilience into Building Codes.