EDINBURGH’S first Green Home Festival is to be launched at the capital’s Fringe festival in August.
Organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV), Patrick Harvie, minister for zero carbon buildings, will be a keynote speaker at the launch of the event.
The week-long series of events will deliver practical assistance and advice to help Scotland become a net-zero nation, with 12 in-person and virtual presentations to be given on green topics.
Mr Harvie said, “This inaugural Green Home Festival is greatly to be welcomed and its organisers, the members of the CICV, warmly congratulated on the initiative.
“The climate emergency is already upon us, and if we’re to stand a chance of preventing its worst consequences we need both government and industry to support a transformation of our homes and buildings. Many of the actions and new ideas needed are being advocated by the expert speakers and presenters over the week-long Green Home Festival programme.”
Live Green Home Festival sessions will take place at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) at 10 Charlotte Square in central Edinburgh. Each will offer demonstrations and hands-on guidance to help people reduce their carbon footprint and become more energy efficient.
Topics include retrofitting tenements; building sustainable neighbourhoods; using sustainable materials; protecting from flood risk; demystifying heat pumps; and an introduction to electric vehicles.
In addition, one session, Taking the SwedishView, will see a presentation by award-winning Swedish construction company, Botkyrkabyggen, who use solar panels, windmills, artificial intelligence and district heating to improve energy efficiency and promote fossil-free operations and environmental sustainability.
In another event, Living Safely in the Future, experts from Electrical Safety First will outline what householders can do to ensure their homes are protected properly when installing the innovation and technology that is already becoming a part of everyday life.
One of the organisers, Gordon Nelson, Scotland director of the Federation of Master Builders, said, “This event will highlight the important role that construction will play for Scotland to achieve its net zero target in the years ahead, and also help householders understand the new technology and ways of doing things that will be involved.
“Delivered via collaboration across the Scottish construction industry through CICV, we are aiming to make this inaugural event an annual occasion that will help to build a long-term legacy and demonstrate our commitment to greener, low-carbon solutions.”
