Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) are preparing to play a key role in the upcoming Green Home Festival, which will be officially opened on Monday 8 August 2022 by Patrick Harvie as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights will be keynote speaker at the launch of the week-long renewables jamboree, which will deliver practical assistance and advice to help Scotland become a net zero nation.

Organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV), the five-day event will see 12 in-person and virtual presentations on green topics, targeting homeowners, professionals, housing associations and local authorities.

Along with SEPA and the Scottish Flood Forum, BE-ST will deliver the week's first webinar, Protecting against floods, giving an overview of climate change, focusing on flooding and its impact on people and buildings and how to access support and resources to protect properties.

It will also host another online session the same day, Using sustainable materials, in which viewers will learn about circular, sustainable and homegrown materials such as insulation and the positive impact they can have on the embodied carbon profile of a building.

Emma Church, Impact Manager at BE-ST 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 about renewable technology."

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.

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With contributions from organisations including SNIPEF, the Federation of Master Builders and the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, the range of topics covered by the week of events will include: Retrofitting tenements; Building sustainable neighbourhoods; Mitigating climate change; Improving energy efficiency; Demystifying heat pumps.

Among the webinars is Hitting the Road with EVs, in which Scotland's largest construction trade association, SELECT, will team up with Pike + Bambridge to share tips on choosing an electric vehicle and how to go about installing a domestic charge point.

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

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."

Members of the CICV are now aiming to build the week-long green jamboree 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, 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.