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Crisis management, it would seem, is an all too human trait. Operating under extreme pressure, when our backs are against the collective wall of total ecological dysfunction, there will be a groundswell of public outrage at the indiscriminate greed and myopia that lead us to this sorry state. Collective fingers will be pointed at governments, industry and energy providers who knew all along exactly what they were doing (surprise!) but were making too much money to do anything about changing things. The powers that be simply hoped that the scientists’ dire predictions of global warming, resource depletion and widespread scarcities were exaggerated, and that by the time we run out of clean air and water the baby boom techno-whizz generation (conceived during the many power cuts) would have found a magic solution to pollution. Or maybe they thought they would be watching the show from front row seats in the hereafter. Until then, if indeed the end is nigh, let’s consume till we die! However, many reasonable people don’t agree with this approach and truly want to be “greenies” rather than “meanies”, but feel overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. What can we do about the thinning atmosphere, the shrinking rain forests, the garbage, industrial pollution, the chemical fiasco that passes for real food, the innumerable species being wiped out every year? The bad news is that there is much that is indeed beyond the control of you and me, unless you happen to be a politician, or the Head Honcho of a large oil or mining corporation. But if not, the good news is right here in your hands!
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The New Building Guidelines |
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Green Building Guidelines have been formulated and are in place in several municipalities. Whilst they are still voluntary, they will eventually become government policy, and compliance will govern the approval process. The principles outlined below will inform the way the built environment is designed and the choice of materials. However the concept of incorporating more ecoconscious techniques into conventional structures is a philosophy that is becoming more widespread, and ultimately will be mandatory. It is costly to retrofit, so anyone considering any type of construction should bear these principles in mind, and use them as the basis for all future enterprises. |
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Now that you’ve worked hard, taken c1are of the basics and own a lovely slice of comfort (well the bank probably owns it but you at least have a slice of the slice) - you can finally decide to change your NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) attitude to the more trendy YESBY (Yebo! Every Solution Starts in my Front Yard) alternative. Your home may well be your haven, a place of refuge for you and your family, where you like to lead a simple life. Well admittedly it bristles with more security than Pretoria Central Prison; people are continually harassing you by phone; the bell on the gate is constantly being rung by sundry flotsam, both phantom and all too real, and your cell phone bleeps non-stop with that latest of insidious privacy invasions, the junk sms. Then there is that wonderful form of protection, the alarm system. This is custom-designed to cost you a fortune and torment you on a continual basis. If it’s not the house across the way that is empty all day but has a faulty alarm that blares continually, it’s your kid who accidentally presses the panic button, or a slight breeze that rustles leaves against the electric fence. Just as you manage to stop the deafening racket and calm your hysterical pet, chaos erupts once again in the form of three armed response vehicles descending on your home simultaneously, demanding secret codes that you seem to have momentarily forgotten. |
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