A leading member of EuropeOn is preparing to play a starring role in the upcoming Green Home Festival, which will be officially opened on Monday 8 August 2022 as part of the world-famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland.
Scotland’s largest trade association, SELECT has helped organise the event, which will see 12 in-person and virtual presentations on green topics, targeting homeowners, professionals, housing associations and local authorities to help Scotland become a net zero nation.
Flying the flag for the electrotechnical sector, SELECT will co-host a webinar entitled Hitting the Road with EVs with its fleet partners Pike + Bambridge which will share tips on choosing an electric vehicle and how to go about installing a domestic charge point.
The association will also co-host another online session, Taking the Swedish View, in which award-winning Stockholm construction company, Botkyrkabyggen, will reveal how they use solar panels, wind turbines and artificial intelligence to improve energy efficiency.
Alan Wilson, Managing Director of SELECT, said: “We are delighted to be playing a key role in this inaugural festival and look forward to sharing our knowledge and expertise with delegates to help inform them about renewable technology.”
The event has been organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV), a coalition of 29 trade bodies which was founded by SELECT in early 2020.
Live sessions will take place at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in central Edinburgh, with demonstrations and hands-on guidance to help people reduce their carbon footprint and become more energy efficient.
With contributions from other organisations including the Federation of Master Builders and the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, the range of topics covered by the week of events will include:
- Building green neighbourhoods
- Using sustainable materials
- Retrofitting tenements
- Improving energy efficiency
- Mitigating climate change
- Demystifying heat pumps
- Protecting from flood risk.
The week will end with an electrical flavour as Electrical Safety First deliver the final show, Living Safely in the Future, in which they will outline what householders can do to ensure their homes are protected when installing the innovation that is fast becoming a part of everyday life.
The event will be opened by Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights, in a special ceremony on Monday 8 August.
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.”
Members of the CICV are now aiming to build the week-long green event into an annual event.
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.”
Full details, including how to book tickets for each event, are available on the Festival’s website at greenhomefestival.co.uk.
The festival is the latest in a string of practical and constructive initiatives launched by the CICV since its creation at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Made up of 29 trade associations, professional services bodies and companies, including SELECT, it has maintained a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector as well as carrying out surveys, producing animations and posters, hosting webinars and maintaining close dialogue with Scottish Government ministers.
