The City’s My Clean Green Home pop-up in Green Point Urban Park was visited by City of Cape Town’s Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato, as well as the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Phindile Maxiti.
The exhibit gives visitors a chance to walk through a full size model of a net zero carbon home and experience what life could be like to live in such a home. A net zero carbon building is highly energy efficient, and fully powered from on or off-site renewable energy sources. You are encouraged to visit the exhibit.
Team Mahali, a group of recent graduates and young African professionals from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, designed the sustainable home as part of the City’s Cape Town Future Energy Festival.
The design was awarded first prize in the ultimate ‘clean green home’ design competition, which was hosted by the City in partnership with the Green building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). The brief for the competition was to design a net zero carbon home for display and exhibition purposes. Mayor Plato met with the winning team to hand over their award in December 2020.
The compact Clean Green Home pop-up is the epitome of the City’s vision for its energy future. The home gives visitors a chance to walk through and experience what life could be like in a net zero carbon home.
‘It is an honour to be one of the first to visit this special future fit home. It contains ideas and a vision that we could all benefit from, even small actions can make a difference, irrespective of our walks of life. As part of the City’s actions against climate change, we are aiming to be carbon neutral by 2050. The City has committed that all new buildings in Cape Town will be net zero carbon by 2030. While net zero carbon homes are seemingly challenging to create, the aim of the competition is to showcase the technologies and building techniques that already exist and which are becoming increasingly within reach of the average household. Team Mahali’s winning design incorporates solar power generation, passive cooling, rainwater harvesting, and an edible food garden,’ said Mayor Plato.
Carbon neutrality – what is it?
Carbon neutrality means introducing new technologies to completely clean up the fuels and activities that currently cause greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming, while enhancing our social, economic and environmental goals. In support of the growing global momentum to tackle climate change, Cape Town, along with other cities in South Africa and worldwide, has committed to achieving carbon neutrality and climate resilience by 2050 to keep global warming to 1,5˚C. One of the main contributors to global warming is greenhouse gas emissions from manmade sources, including buildings and transport, so reducing emissions by changing the way we live, work and exist together is vital for all of us.
‘The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the devastating economic impacts that global crises can have and has shown that planning for climate resilience and reducing emissions is increasingly important for all arms of government, institutions and businesses.
‘This is thus another exciting opportunity for our residents to see for themselves what is required to tackle our future climate challenges and opportunities. It is one thing to hear and read about climate change and the need for cities to be carbon neutral, and another to be able to walk around inside a net zero carbon home. This shows that not only do we need greater design solutions and innovation to ensure that we all become more sustainable and resilient, but that it is already possible and that households can take even small actions to increase their energy, water and waste efficiency among others,’ said Councillor Maxiti.
Take a virtual walk through the Clean Green Home pop-up – a first for a South African city
The My Clean Green Home virtual experience of this net zero carbon home design was launched on 29 January 2021. The digital walk through provides residents with the opportunity to learn about sustainable living and better understand their electricity consumption especially. This interactive, immersive educational tool which allows the user to experience a net zero carbon home is a first for a South African city and provides a wealth of information which users can use in their own homes.
WHERE: Green Point Urban Park, 1 Fritz Sonnenberg Rd, Green Point, Cape Town, 8051 (Separate entrance on the side of the Main Gate)
WHEN: 10:00 to 16:00 until 14 March 2021
INFO: Future Energy Festival | Save Electricity |
Strict access control and Covid-19 protocols will be in place to ensure the safety of all visitors and staff. As required by law, all participants are requested to wear a mask at all times.
See also Cape Town Green Map Have you seen Cape Town Green Map’s walk through Green Point Urban Park available on VoiceMap ?
NEWS FLASH from City of Cape Town when visiting Green Point Urban Park
Residents are reminded of the following measures that are in place when visiting the Green Point Park to comply with applicable Covid-19 protocols to manage access to the facility:
• All gates to the park will be open for access.
• Picnics are allowed.
• Opening and closing times: sunrise to sunset.
• Covid-19 protocols will remain in place, such as face masks to be worn at all times and social distancing of at least 1,5m. Visitors are to bring along hand sanitiser.
• The tot-lot, experiential garden, trim park, dog off-leash and play and fitness equipment has reopened. A security guard will be posted at each of these areas to ensure that social distancing is adhered to.
‘The Green Point Park is a very popular space and attracts visitors from across Cape Town and for this reason, it is important to manage the access to this facility so that it complies with applicable regulations. We request that visitors adhere to all the Covid-19 protocols and social distancing measures that are in place to help reduce the spread of the virus.
‘The Green Point Park offers more than just a park. It offers an “ecology park”, integrating principles of sustainable development and “smart living” into the design, construction and operation of the park.
‘The park currently contains the Biodiversity Showcase Garden, an outdoor labyrinth, an adventure play park, a wetland garden and water systems, open lawn areas and shaded spaces and a ‘tea in the park’ coffee shop, that is now open.
‘The new Experiential Education Garden proposes to add another feature of interest in one of the areas on the outskirts of the park that is currently underutilised as a natural grass meadow space. It promises to be a place of discovery and learning and will function as an outdoor environmental education space for engaging and activating all five basic senses, and exposing children to this interactive outdoor experience. Learners will hopefully learn new skills and challenge themselves to take responsibility for the environment and their actions,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos.
