The green spaces that cover the walls of the house are beautiful and very tempting. But an idea can be too expensive, and not everyone will bring it to life. In order to encourage city residents to take part in the project on greening building facades, the Brussels authorities decided to give them a discount on utility bills in the amount of 75% of the total cost of the work based on bills or supporting documents.
How to solve the problem of greening cities
The city authorities of the capital of Belgium provide this environmental “bonus” to all residents who adorn the facade of their house with climbing plants. The maximum amount is 100 euros.
There is only one such bonus for a five year period. The list of creeping plants permitted for use for this purpose is defined and publicly available.
The initiative is not new. Many cities are trying to find solutions to environmental problems and involve residents in the greening process. So, the mayor’s office of Paris gives people free trees to plant in their garden or in the courtyard of buildings. Dunkirk allows residents to use public places to plant plants.
On its official city website, the Brussels City Hall recalls the benefits of landscaping the facade of a building with climbing plants. It:
- facade protection against moisture;
- improvement of thermal insulation and sound insulation of the building;
- microclimate improvement - cooling and humidification of air around the house;
- air purification - dust and other pollutants settle on the leaves;
- enrichment of biodiversity - the appearance of food and shelters for insects and birds;
- decoration of the urban landscape.
This is not the only privilege for Brussels residents who are concerned about improved habitat and the environment.
The authorities also offer a variety of bonuses to those residents who buy an A +++ refrigerator or rainwater harvesting plants.