buildings contribute more than 30% to total global GHG emissions. In efforts to reduce global warming,
GHG reductions would make a significant contribution (UNEP, 2011). According to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there are three areas to focus when reducing CO2
emissions from buildings: switching to renewable energy in designing, using green materials in
construction, and reducing energy consumption in building operation. This paper aims to investigate world
experience in achieving zero carbon community by analyzing and comparing some international and
national examples of public buildings and especially focusing on housing sector as it represents the largest
proportion among the rest of the building sectors within the city. This paper finally recommends how to
mitigate the buildings' environmental negative impact, therefore reducing the energy consumption and the
building's carbon footprint whether before construction-stage (by adopting renewable energies), during
construction (by integrating environmentally friendly construction materials) or during the use-stage (by
applying appropriate techniques in building operation and maintenance).