In 2019, homes in use were responsible for 15 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. Although potentially off-set by savings elsewhere, this percentage is only going to have increased during the pandemic as we spent more time at home and it is likely to remain elevated as we move to a hybrid home/workplace working pattern in the future. As social landlords, housing associations are obviously obliged to do what we can by ensuring our assets help safeguard humanity’s future, rather than continue to contribute to climate crisis.
As well as making efforts to reduce the emissions from our homes, housing associations can help to reduce greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere. At Coastal, we have installed a green roof on our offices with the support of the Welsh Government. In addition to pollinator-friendly plants and shrubs, the office roof is now a fantastic break-out space for staff. We are also incorporating living walls in a regeneration scheme located on a busy roundabout, which will help to filter the air of particulates and help deal with some of the carbon emissions from traffic.
Across our estates, our sustainability and conservation co-ordinator has devised a Sustainable Estates Calendar, due for implementation this autumn. The development of this calendar proved that we can reduce environmental damage on our estates by 50 per cent through a combination of planting, pesticide choices and no-mow areas. It will help to ensure our estates are able to capture carbon as well as provide a safe haven for urban wildlife.
Adam West is research manager at Coastal Housing Association