In Copenhagen in December 2009, representatives from approximately 180 of the world’s countries will come together at the United Nations 'Conference of the Parties - COP15', to agree a new international agreement to tackle climate change. The current international agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, will expire in 2012; Copenhagen, in effect, will create its successor.

The built environment is responsible for a third of global emissions and this event will provide delegates with an opportunity to prepare for the challenges of Copenhagen, to pre-empt discussion and gain knowledge on state-of-the-art technologies and research advances across Europe and the UK.

Critically, it will also provide a valuable forum for individuals from different disciplines to explore opportunities for new collaborative projects. The application of their unique knowledge could make a real difference to the potential of green and energy efficient building techniques and technologies and ultimately the climate and future of our planet.

Topics of discussion will include:

- integrating control and automation systems for the most efficient use of resources

- regulation/legislation updates and meeting building regulations for energy efficiency

-integrating renewable and traditional energy within a heating system

- installing and maintaining domestic and commercial water recycling systems and solar and wind power generation

- determining the return on an initial installation investment

- reducing the carbon footprint of building construction