Kevin McCloud's Eco Innovator Champions 2011

As the green agenda continues to muscle its way into mainstream consumer consciousness and tradesmen increasingly champion eco-building practices, British designer Kevin McCloud announces his 2011 ‘Green Heroes.' A cutting edge exhibit for London's Grand Designs Live 2011. Running from 30th April until 8th May in the Design Arcade of ExCel exhibition centre, ‘Kevin's Green Heroes' celebrates the very best, and very latest, in eco design innovations.

This year's exhibit features everything from interior products for within the home, eco lighting designs and furniture made from recycled materials, to public recycling and waste solutions and innovations for sustainable home build practices such as insulation solutions.

1. LIGHT READING BY LULA DOT

Lula stunning designs were motivated by a simple industry truth - there is currently no infrastructure set up to recycle the paper from books because the paper is low grade and the glue on the spine must be removed. More and more books are printed every year, read and then discarded. Even though many are taken to charity shops, they mostly go unsold. Approximately 10,000 books a week from one charity shop will go to waste. Lula has put these wasted books to effective use to create an attractive chandelier. Every page is folded in half, producing a circular arrangement which hangs around a ceiling light.

2. ANNA BULLUS GUM DROP BIN

Gumdrop is a clever little pink bin made with recycled gum. This idea was sparked when creator, Anna Bullus, noticed that, not only was gum treated as waste, but it was being wasted. After four months in the chemistry lab she created a new plastic polymer from this waste material that could be utilised in commercial moulding practices and produced the Gumdrop Bin. This bubble gum pink bin can be attached to lamp posts around the world to tidy up and enable us to reuse a global waste product and form a new habit that can change our environment dramatically - cleaner streets allowing Government ‘clean-up' budgets to be used elsewhere, less waste and lovely pink bins to cheer up grey streets around the world

3. NEWFORM ENERGY

Newform Energy's Hybrid Solar Solution is a world-first whole-house renewable heating and electricity solution. It combines hybrid PowerVolt PV-T and high efficiency water/water heat pump technologies in to a single efficient and reliable system. The solution boasts three major benefits:

* Solar heat is drawn away from the PV-T panel surface, which has the dual effect of maintaining electrical output at higher levels for longer periods and generating hot water at the same time.

* With the PV and Solar Thermal elements combined into a single panel, far less roof area is required than would be required for individual installations to generate the amount of energy.

* Lastly, in winter, the heat pump takes low grade solar heat and turns it into viable and affordable central heating.

4. ONCE A DOOR CHAIR BY CLAIR HEATHER DANTHOIS

Claire uses customers' surplus doors and window frames to assemble bespoke and innovative items. To minimise environmental impact, just a single steel cable is used.

5. PAVADENTRO BOARD BY NBT

The Pavadentro wood fire insulation board is especially designed for internal insulation of the exterior walls on old and historic buildings.

6. NOVACEM

Novacem has developed a new cement based on magnesium oxide. It is carbon negative; more carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed during the process than is emitted.

7. HAZELWOOD FURNITURE BY SEBASTIAN COX

When Sebastian Cox talks about his sustainable wood furniture, he references coppiced hazel as his primary working material. Coppicing is the art of cutting of trees and shrubs to ground level allowing vigorous re-growth and a sustainable supply of timber for future generations. Trees and shrubs that are cut down this way can produce shoots that grow over 30cm in a week and a coppiced tree can live many times longer than if the tree had not been cut down at all. Coppicing is a safe alternative that creates faster growing trees for sustainable forestry.

8. THE SECRET ENERGY TURBINE

The Secret Energy Turbine (SET) is a high performance and ingenious solution to the problems of local wind powered turbines. SET converts up to 40% of the wind energy electricity, and produces energy 24hrs per day even in the lightest wind conditions.

9. PROFI DECKING

UPM ProFi wood plastic composite (WPC) is the first industrial scale solution for waste off-cuts and trimmings from self-adhesive labels. The innovative production process utilises the cellulose fibres and plastic polymers that are surplus by products in self-adhesive label manufacture.

TICKET INFORMATION

Open 11am - 6pm, Saturday 30th April
Open 10am - 6pm, Sunday 1st - Sat 7th May
Open 10am - 5pm, Sunday 8th May

Weekdays (Tues-Fri) - Advanced £11; On the Door £15
Weekends (inc. Bank Holiday Monday) - Advanced £14; On the Door £18
Multiple day tickets (entry on two days) - £20
VIP Experience brought to you by Miele - £35
Platinum VIP Experience brought to you by Miele £70
Children (aged 15 or under) - Free (ticket is required)
Group Discounts for 10 or more. Call 0844 412 4650 for further details.

Book tickets now and save £4*, book online at www.granddesignslive.com, or call the 24 hour box office on 0844 209 7349 + kids go free.

18th April 2011