Over the last couple of months Gordon Nelson has been finalising details for the upcoming Green Home Festival, which will be officially opened on Monday 8 August 2022 by Scottish Government Minister Patrick Harvie MSP as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
What to expect at the Green Home Festival
The Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights will be the keynote speaker at the launch of the week-long jamboree, which will deliver practical assistance and advice to help Scotland become a net zero nation.
Organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV) – of which the FMB is a key member – the five-day event will see 12 in-person and virtual presentations on green topics, targeting homeowners, professionals, housing associations and local authorities.
The FMB will be among those presenting events, hosting an in-person session entitled Improving energy efficiency that will offer a real-life example of the fabric-first approach via a tour of the Murrayburn site in Edinburgh with FMB members A.C. Whyte & Co Ltd.
How to attend the show
All of the shows are free to attend and each will run for around one hour. FMB members are welcome to attend any of the shows but both AC Whyte & Co and Gordon Nelson are hoping to welcome members to the show we are delivering on Wednesday 10 August. To book your place at this show email [email protected].
Green Home Festival highlights
Jennifer Phin MD of AC Whyte & Co Ltd, said: “We are delighted to be playing a key role in this inaugural festival and look forward to sharing our knowledge and experience with delegates. Our company is delivering a ground-breaking programme to help all home owners – both council and private – repair, maintain and improve jointly owned low-rise block to bring the housing stock back up to energy efficient standards and to a good condition. Our project team would welcome other members of the FMB to show them around the project in Murrayburn.”
Other 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.
With contributions from other CICV members including SELECT, SNIPEF and John Gilbert Architects the range of topics covered by the week of events will include:
- Retrofitting tenements
- Using sustainable materials
- Demystifying heat pumps
- Protecting from flood risk
- Building sustainable neighbourhoods
- Hitting the road with EVs.
Another session, Taking the Swedish View, will see award-winning Swedish construction company, Botkyrkabyggen, reveal how they use solar panels, wind turbines, artificial intelligence and district heating to improve energy efficiency.
And in the week’s final show, Living Safely in the Future, experts from Electrical Safety First will outline what householders can do to ensure their homes are protected when installing the innovation and technology that is already becoming a part of everyday life.
Tackling the climate crisis
Mr Harvie, who will kick off events at Charlotte Square before the first event, 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.”
The FMB and other members of the CICV are now aiming to build the week-long green jamboree into an annual event.
Gordon, who helped organise the festival, 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.
“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. It’s great to have one FMB member company involved in running one of the shows and next year I am aiming to get more members involved.”
Full details, including how to book tickets for each event, are available on the Festival’s website at greenhomefestival.co.uk.
