From 8 to 12 August 2022, the inaugural Green Home Festival will engage the public and businesses by delivering practical assistance and advice to help Scotland become a net-zero nation. Now, this sounds very grand, but FMB Scotland has agreed to get involved because we are part of the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV) Forum, an alliance of trade associations and professional bodies formed at the pandemic's start.
More importantly, as the festival targets homeowners, we want to be involved as homeowners are the number one client base for the majority of our members in Scotland. We wouldn’t want to miss out on shaping and delivering a high-profile event, which will be part of the world's largest arts festival!
Shaping the Green Home Festival itinerary
We know that delivering home improvement projects such as conversions and extensions is the core business for most FMB members. So, it's vital that, despite the current lack of demand for energy retrofit or 'green' home improvement works, the FMB is involved in constructing the programme and boosting brand awareness.
As I write, we have drafted the show's itinerary, which will include virtual and in-person shows covering:
● How to retrofit a tenement to minimise carbon emissions.
● The fabric first approach to achieving a warmer home.
● Commercial building and facilities management.
● A case study on EnerPHit: which is the Passive House Certificate for retrofits.
● Heat sources and renewable technology.
● Skills and materials for sustainable construction.
My reference to our previous involvement in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe comes from the Edinburgh Traditional Buildings Festival, with one FMB member kindly delivering a demonstration of their craft skills. Working with other trade federations in Scotland, we will be adopting a similar model but on a much bigger scale.
For homeowners, the practical demonstrations will include step-by-step examples of how to get your building ready and energy-efficient. The festival will also allow us to share good examples of larger projects and exciting new developments already demonstrated across Scotland.
Quality builders needed to support the Green Home Festival
To date, one member has expressed an interest in helping to deliver the Green Home Festival. If you would like to find out how to get involved, please get in touch.
Authors
Gordon Nelson
Gordon has nearly twenty years’ experience of working in membership organisations in Scotland and joined the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in 2014. Prior to this, he worked at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and Unilever. As Director for FMB Scotland his responsibilities are public affairs, media relations, governance and representing member’s interests to Scottish policy makers and stakeholders. Gordon is the Secretary of the Cross-Party Group on Construction in the Scottish Parliament, a member of the Scottish Building Standards Futures Board and represents the FMB on Scotland’s Construction Industry Collective Voice. Gordon is actively involved with Site Safe Scotland, the principal committee for construction health and safety in Scotland.
