When the pandemic strikes, people are forced to live their quarantine days inside their homes. It has been said that the temporary shutdown of the world's economic activities has caused the ecosystem to heal, with carbon emissions reduced significantly. Meanwhile, electricity usage is highly increasing and domestic waste is piling up due to the worlds' population staying inside their houses. According to the State Electricity Company (PLN), there's a 6 percent increase in Jakarta's electricity consumption in April 2020. With the increasing amount of electricity bills, more people are realizing the urgency to change their homes into sustainable ones. But what does a sustainable home look like? And how do we own it?
A sustainable home is not a new concept. Since the climate crisis is getting more severe, more people are advancing the sustainable housing movement to start the change from the personal level. But the pandemic has triggered the growing demands for sustainable homes, especially in Jakarta, even when the property market plunges.
Essentially, sustainable homes are housing that was built and operated in the most resource-efficient way possible, with minimum impact on the environment. Resource efficiency can be achieved through elements such as electricity usage, water conservation, and waste management. A sustainable home is always possible. But how can we achieve it in a city as dense and as bustling as Jakarta? Especially, when millennials are struggling to buy a property?
Many people think that building a sustainable home is expensive; it requires eco-friendly materials such as eco-paint, green flooring, solar panels, and a high-tech sustainable water system. But being sustainable doesn't always mean replacing part of your house with newer, more expensive, green technology. Sustainability starts with our ways of living. Living in sustainable homes is possible, including in Jakarta. Here are some options to find your own sustainable home:
- Buy your own sustainable home
More property developers are providing green housing, like Anugerah Kasih Investama dan Wika Gedung that built modular houses. Modular housing has proven to be energy and waste-efficient. If you prefer to live in vertical houses, you can opt for eco-friendly apartments such as Woodland Park, Verde Two, or Samara Suites. Eco-friendly housing is relatively more expensive because developers are still building them for pilot projects.
- Build your own sustainable home
Yes, you can build your own sustainable home and decide which material you want to use for your home. There are plenty of architecture firms that are more willing to help you design sustainable houses. Catering to millennials' financial conditions, more firms are now providing a cheaper alternative to build your own house compared to buying a property.
- Change your ways of living
Remember, the basic concept of a sustainable home is resource-efficient. You can start by saving electricity and saving water usage in your own house. You can also try to manage your waste by turning them into compost or start reducing domestic waste by minimizing plastic and food waste.
(ANL/DIR)