EXPERTS in the design, urban planning and residential development sectors exhorted real estate companies and end-users to go green as the impacts of climate change, the ensuing pandemic, and other crises are here to stay.
“A greener future, I think, for the residential sector is inevitable. So there’s no other way to both heal our planet and make our spaces more livable. So I’d like to challenge everybody to start now in making our spaces green,” Astrata Consulting Inc. Director Jonathan John Maldupana said during the webinar, entitled “The Future of Housing is Green,” organized by Colliers Philippines, in partnership with Subdivision and Housing Developers Association Inc., last September 1.
“It’s time to recognize that our planet’s life support systems are now at a breaking point. We see it with all the unprecedented crises in terms of climate, the way our children are being alienated from nature with technology, [etc.]. Overcoming all the challenges require, as they say, a paradigm shift on how we think, on how we live, and how we do business. So, hopefully, we all start being more mindful of our actions today for our children and for our children’s children,” added Rockwell Land Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Valerie Soliven.
Their call for immediate action as regards the greener and more sustainable housing sector in the country was in response to the United Nations Climate Action’s report that the science clearly shows that for humanity to stop the worst effects of climate change, global temperature increase needs to be limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. At present, the earth is about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s, and emissions continue to rise.
“To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C, emissions need to be reduced by 45 percent in 2030—that’s about seven years and four months from now—and reach net zero by 2050,” Gigi Limguangco, associate director for residential services at Colliers Philippines, said of the study.
This presents a bit of complication for the real estate sector since data show that 40 percent of carbon emissions come from the industry, of which approximately 70 percent are produced by building operations and the remaining 30 percent come from construction, she noted.
“So in order for us to transition to a net zero world, a huge transformation must take place to how we produce, consume and, in the case of real estate, build our homes. It is for this reason that the design, property development, and construction industries are always on the lookout for solutions that will decrease carbon emissions and improve efficiency of how we build homes,” Limguangco pointed out.
While this has been successfully implemented in commercial and industrial properties, the best practices and learnings needs to be applied also to the housing sector.
Rockwell Land, for instance, follows the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED requirements in all its commercial developments. In fact, 98 percent of its existing buildings use the no flow water features, recycle water, and utilize renewable energy, bared Soliven.
“What we’re doing now is we’re doing energy modeling for all our future projects because the goal is to be net zero in 2050. So that’s quite important for us,” she said.
Going green is everybody’s business
FOR Metroscape Enterprises Inc. President Jake Lazo, who has 21 years of experience working in the real estate industry, going green is not only for the elite or high-end developers but also for those involved in the low-end or socialized housing.
“Now, I can say that it’s already a myth or a misconception because going green is not an expense but an investment,” he debunked the notion of such as being expensive. “You will definitely shed out money in the first investment. However, the value of this expense will diminish in time because of the return and the value that you will get for the investment.”
For socialized housing developers to go green, Maldupana suggested the local government units to talk with their Local Planning Development Council in the next update of their zoning ordinance so they can suggest what incentives they would like to have for implementing green strategies.
At the national level, on the other hand, Lazo recommended the government’s adoption of the initiative of 29 states in the United States by giving incentives to people who want to install renewable energy like solar panels in their houses.
“The cost of installing this system will be divided into 25 years of payment with 1 percent of interest for your monthly or annual payment. So I think if we’re backed up by our government, that will greatly help in saving the environment,” he said.
While most real estate players now incorporate green strategies in their projects, it’s also high time for homeowners to follow suit at home and they must change their mindset to save the environment first rather than the savings that they will gain from doing so. Agreeing with him, Soliven urged them to reduce their carbon footprint at the comfort of their abodes by maximizing the use of energy efficient lights and appliances, as well as utilizing ecologically green materials in building or designing their houses.
“During the lockdowns, most of us have lessened the global warming by becoming plantitas or becoming plant collectors. So we’ve seen this as a trend to everyone doing green wall landscapes, growing vegetable gardens, or turning wastes into compost or fertilizers for the plants. These initiatives are really good starting two years back and until now. So I hope they can continue such practices,” Soliven said.
“Sustainability in residential design and construction is a combination of good design, proper execution and preventive maintenance. If these three points are being considered in every household, I think again, no matter how small you think you’re doing, as long as you’re doing something, you really are helping the environment,” Lazo added.