The REAL green solution

There is much media hype about building “green” and going “green”. But not all people think beyond the energy-efficient light bulb, or energy-gathering solar panel that they install and/or use in their homes.

There is so much more to being truly “green” than the final product, such as the entire manufacturing process, and the recyclability of the product at the end of its lifespan.

I sat down with a most interesting international green building expert, over a cup of coffee at the Sandton Hilton Hotel last week. Jan-Henk Dekker is the area manager for Verosol, an internal sun control solution available through Aluglass Bautech. Verosol is a Netherlands-based company that believes in complete green building solutions, from the beginning of the process to the end of the product’s life cycle.

Specialising in a fascinating metalised fabric, which is a combination of PVC and aluminium, Verosol has created solar control blinds that represent the true principle of “green”. Available in a number of options, from vertical roller blinds and panel tracks, these products bring you “energy savings, thermal comfort and visual comfort.” Basically, the transparent, reflective nature of the material controls heating and cooling in a room, lowering costs significantly by harnessing the natural power of the sun. This reduces CO₂ emissions caused by air-conditioners or heaters, thus lowering the greenhouse effect.

Jan-Henk said that the current big trends in sustainability include energy-saving, lowering one’s carbon footprint, recyclability, and the use of sustainable products; the awareness of which are being driven by rising sea levels and temperatures.

Something to think about though is that often, “so-called ‘sustainable’ fabrics like cotton and biodegradable plastics from corn use about 10 000 times more water to produce (and have a huge impact on the eco-system if we grow corn for making plastics instead of for food for people and animals) than if we use polyester. Polyester has a less catchy green image but if we think further, it is much greener!” says Jan-Henk.

So what should we be considering then to look at total impact? Jan-Henk suggests: using natural daylight effectively; maximising on the view to the outside of a home or building; overall reduction in energy in a building; the building’s proximity to public transport; redirection and use of rainwater; solar panels; and windows (pivotal to a total green solution as this is where heat enters and escapes a building; and then creating a solution to decrease the cooling load).

Jan-Henk suggests that we need to look for solutions that are sustainable; test our sustainability values and see where the gaps are. That way we can complete the total-impact focus, meet the international standards, and be sure that we are “truly green”. Verosol has a super tool on their website to calculate savings. Find it here:

I was lucky to be able to see and feel Verosol’s fascinating fabric – aside from being aesthetically pleasing, it is durable and recyclable, and comes in an array of colours. But what amazed me the most, is that it is flame-retardant and self-flame-extinguishing. How this works is that mini-explosives are built into each yarn at a micro-level, so as the flame moves the explosives ignite (I wouldn’t even be able to see or hear it), use up all the oxygen around the flame, thus preventing it from spreading. Amazing!

Verosol works through our local Aluglass, based on shared principles of total green solutions – Aluglass imports the products from abroad, and assembles them locally. Contact Aluglass if you would like to find out more about saving on energy when it comes to internal solar protection and do your complete bit for our environment.

Many thanks to Jan-Henk for sharing his passion for environmental solutions! Check out our exclusive podcasts with Jan-Henk here.