A week-long series of events delivering practical assistance and advice to help Scotland become a net zero nation will take place as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
It will be officially opened on Monday 8 August 2022 by Patrick Harvie, the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights. He will be the keynote speaker at the launch of the Green Home Festival, which has been organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV).
The five-day event will see the delivery of 12 in-person and virtual presentations on green topics, targeting homeowners, professionals, housing associations and local authorities.
Harvie comments: “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.
The topics covered by the week of events will include:
- Retrofitting tenements
- Building sustainable neighbourhoods
- Using sustainable materials
- Protecting from flood risk
- Demystifying heat pumps
- An introduction to electric vehicles (EVs)
The session Taking the Swedish View, 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.
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 in their Living Safely in the Future session.
Gordon Nelson, one of the organisers and Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders, comments: “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.”