“If everyone got free WiFi with every tree they planted, we wouldn’t have the problem of climate change.”

The City of Cape Town, in partnership with Eskom and the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA), launched Cape Town’s Energy Efficiency Forum (EEF) in 2009 to assist commercial buildings and operations in improving their energy efficiency.

A landmark new R157 million green office development by Growthpoint Properties in Umhlanga’s booming Ridgeside precinct is nearing completion and has become Durban’s first 5-Star Green Star SA rated building.

With the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) certifying the first housing projects in the country using the EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) residential green building tool, currently in pilot phase, the council is now set for a major rollout of green building ratings in SA’s residential property sector.

South Africa’s top rated Green Star SA buildings and leading green building professionals were announced in the Green Star SA Leadership Awards 2015 at the annual Green Building Convention in Cape Town.

Property Point, a Growthpoint initiative, is growing green innovation by linking entrepreneurs with South Africa’s green building leaders at the 2015 Green Building Convention in Cape Town this week.

Growthpoint Properties has targeted boosting its solar energy generation capacity to over 6MWp by mid-2016 to become one of the largest generators of rooftop solar power in South Africa.

Solid Green Consulting has successfully facilitated 20 Green Star SA certifications with the Menlyn Maine Pegasus building marking this milestone.

The greening of Joburg's public spaces has become a trademark of the JDA's public environment upgrades. The agency has also taken the lead in a number of park upgrade and creation projects across the city.

While the ‘green revolution’ in residential property, unlike in the commercial sector, is still in its infancy, rapid strides in technology and increasing awareness of the potential cost savings and reduced environmental impact are making good sense to more and more home owners – and home buyers, says Pam Golding Properties.