Centre for Green Building Materials and Technology (CGBMT)

18/06/2026

A green victory worth celebrating! 🌿🇮🇳

In a major milestone for climate action, India has restored over 21 million hectares of degraded land—bringing it closer to its ambitious 2030 goal.

From dry lands to green success stories, discover how India is rewriting its environmental future: https://shorturl.at/jAjXC

17/06/2026

15/06/2026

Our taps may still run, but the ground beneath us is drying up. Groundwater depletion is one of the biggest water challenges we face today — and once it drops, it’s not easy to bring back. 💧🌍

13/06/2026

Rainwater harvesting is one of the simplest ways to work with the monsoon instead of letting it run away. Catch it, clean it, store it, and use it later — smart design for a changing climate. 🌧️💧

11/06/2026

India’s traditional water wisdom still has so much to teach us. From stepwells, kunds and tankas to zabo systems and johads, these methods were built around local climates, community care, and long-term resilience. 🌧️🏺

10/06/2026

Urban and natural hydrology work very differently. In natural systems, water sinks in, slows down, and recharges the ground. In cities, hard surfaces push water away faster, creating runoff, flooding, and less infiltration. 🌧️🌿

A small shift in how we design can make a big difference to how water moves and stays.

09/06/2026

As the world grapples with a housing deficit affecting billions of people, the construction sector faces another challenge: buildings account for roughly 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Which begs the question, why are we overlooking the value of traditional building materials?

Here is a comparison between earthen (mud-based) construction and conventional cement-based construction:

🌍 Earthen construction
✔️ Very low embodied carbon
✔️ Excellent thermal comfort, reducing cooling needs
✔️ Lower costs and local sourcing
✔️ Supports livelihoods and traditional skills
✔️ Circular and highly recyclable

🏗️ Cement-based construction
✔️ High structural strength
✔️ Greater durability and water resistance
✔️ Suitable for high-rise and dense urban environments
✔️ Standardized engineering and building codes

Increasingly, climate-smart housing points to hybrid approaches - combining stabilized earth blocks with reinforced foundations and improved design - to deliver affordable, resilient, and low-carbon homes.

When combined with modern engineering, traditional materials offer a pathway toward housing that is more sustainable, more affordable, and better adapted to local climates.

As cities continue to grow, perhaps the future of construction lies in rethinking and upgrading the materials and knowledge that have served communities for centuries.

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📢 UN-Habitat is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Scroll of Honour Award.

If you know an individual, organization, or initiative making a meaningful contribution to housing and sustainable urban development, consider recognizing their work.

Nominations are open until 23 June 2026, with awards to be presented on World Habitat Day (5 October 2026).

🔗 Learn more and submit a nomination search "Scroll of Honour" or visit https://urbanoctober.unhabitat.org/2026-scroll-honour-call-nomination

09/06/2026

Only a tiny fraction of Earth’s water is actually available for us to use, and that’s what makes every drop so precious. 💧🌍

We’re kicking off our June water series with a look at world water resources — where water sits on our planet, how little is accessible, and why protecting it matters more than ever.

From oceans to ice caps to the water we can actually use, the story of water is a reminder that conservation is not optional. It’s essential.