The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), has revealed its new green building in Pretoria to an eager mass audience – but one person in particular was extremely pleased to see how R8 billion will be spent over the next 27 years to run the building.

Speaking at the building’s unveiling, President Jacob Zuma stated: “South Africa has relatively high emissions for a developing country and we should make the most of every opportunity to change this trajectory – hence we have since developed the National Climate Change Response Policy. With the opening of this building, we are showing a bold commitment to lower emissions as well as our commitment to the green economy.”

“Environment House” took two years to build, at a cost of R653 million, according to the DEA, which has stated that its previous office “no longer met the fundamental needs of the staff and was not a proper reflection of what the department represents”.

The building will make use of solar power for electricity demand and use rainwater for its irrigation and water in its restrooms, effectively resulting in a predicted 30% reduction on municipal water use compared to buildings of a similar size.

The South African government wants to significantly increase its reliance on renewable energy sources to ease current pressure being experienced on its current power reticulation infrastructure. The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme intends take advantage of alternative methods of generating electricity – aiming to tap into the resources of independent power producers and generate around 3 725 MW for the national grid, comprising solar, wind and hydroelectricity.

Naturally, the private sector has also jumped on the green bandwagon with several office parks installing rooftop solar panels to ease electricity costs.