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Don't miss the final of the Green Dragons' Den at Ecobuild
The long list of ten entrepreneurs competing for Ecobuild’s annual Award for Innovation in Sustainable Design & Construction has been announced.
Soon to be whittled down further by a panel of judges – led by Tim Smit of the Eden Project – only three finalists will get to present their products and business plans to the ‘green dragons’ at Ecobuild live on 26 February. The winner will also benefit from a package of funding and business support worth over £10,000, courtesy of sponsor Burdens Environmental.
All the action will take place in the UKGBC Arena at Ecobuild, home to a series of lively, entertaining and often controversial events, intended to look at the influences on design and construction in a different light – and it's all free to attend when you visit Ecobuild.
Also in the UKGBC Arena:
- Mayor of London Ken Livingstone will be taking part in the Building a cooler London debate with rival mayoral candidates Boris Johnson and Brian Paddick. The three will be airing their proposals for London’s response to climate change and participating in a discussion chaired by James Naughtie of Radio 4’s Today programme.
- RIBA Question Time – RIBA President Sunand Prasad discusses Designing green – the future or financial folly? with fellow architects Sir Terry Farrell and Ted Cullinan, and later, in conversation with Rafael Vinoly of Architecture PC.
- Founder of Radio 4’s Costing the Earth’s and BBC Environment Analyst, Roger Harrabin, chairs The Environment in the Arena, including Energy – secure and clean and green which considers the optimum balance of renewables and low carbon energy sources in the drive for cleaner, greener and more secure supplies.
- Great debates – Eco towns: Brown’s great green gamble or policy greenwash? chaired by Nick Raynsford MP, formerly Minister for Local and Regional Government in the ODPM and Green property or greenwash? hosted by the British Property Federation.
All the attractions, debates and seminars take place on the exhibition floor at Ecobuild, which makes it convenient to combine the events you choose with the relevant products and services from Ecobuild’s 500-strong exhibitors. For ease of navigation, the Ecobuild website www.ecobuild.co.uk provides DIY 'tours' of the key themes, listing all the exhibitors, seminars, conference sessions, attractions and special events relevant to that theme.
Look out also for the political keynotes – Yvette Cooper MP, Minister for Housing will be speaking – and the debates and discussions featuring well-known names such as Janet Street-Porter and Wayne Hemingway certain to give a lively and spontaneous edge to your Ecobuild experience.
Ecobuild takes place on 26 – 28 February 2008. Entry to Ecobuild and all its attractions, seminars and keynotes is free. Register at www.ecobuild.co.uk