Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa June/ July 2019 | Page 32

RESIDENTIAL
5 ways to make your
home eco-friendly
With World Environmental Day hosted
this month, we take a look at a few
ways to make your home greener.
BY ISHANI CHETTY
M
ore individuals across the world are becoming in-
creasingly environmentally conscious in an effort to
curb rising temperatures of the Earth’s surface and
the impact of gas emissions.
Home owners are able to contribute positively to this by
making slight changes and improvements in their household.
“
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) spokesperson
Andrea Weiss explains that
households contribute to energy
consumption across the country.
World Environment Day
takes place on 5 June 2019
and is aimed at tackling air
pollution and its impacts
on the planet along with
addressing the current state
of our environment.
World Environment Day takes place on 5 June 2019 and is
aimed at tackling air pollution and its impacts on the planet
along with addressing the current state of our environment.
According to the United Nations, household air pollution
30
NASA has recorded the rising temperatures of the Earth
surface and since 1880 the temperature has increased by an
estimated 16.72 °C.
JUNE/JULY 2019 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
Greenhouse gases are the main
culprit to rising temperatures and
include the effects of carbon
dioxide, methane and nitrous
oxide. Due to a rise in population,
industrial
mechanisms
and
various technologies, the rate
of greenhouse gas emissions are
increasing at an alarming rate.
Construction and architectural
technologies are moving towards
implementing more sustainable
concepts – from the use of green
façades to going off the grid with
its own water source.
“
“Overall the 18 major
metropolitan areas and secondary
cities in South Africa consume
about 37% of the country’s
energy, making them key drivers
of change and players in South
Africa’s economy – but this
refers to all activities and not
only households. Urban areas
account for 46% of national
electricity consumption, 52%
of the country’s petrol and
diesel consumption, and 32% of
country’s energy-related, green-
house gas emissions.”
created by indoor burning of fossil fuels, wood and other
biomass-based fuels used to cook, heat and light homes
has caused 3.8-million premature deaths. In a positive step
towards change, 97 countries have increase the percentage of
households that have access to cleaner burning fuels to “over
85 percent.”
From small to big scale, a range
of changes to your household can make a positive contribution
to decreasing various gas emissions. These changes can also
save home owners money, decreasing basic costs while helping
to save the planet.