Carbon Reduction E-idea
Empowering eco visions
A new initiative called E-idea is helping young eco-entrepreneurs to develop innovative environmental projects and businesses to benefit communities in the Asia Pacific region. Graham Meller reports
T
he British Council and Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) have formed a highly innovative initiative to run and promote a project called ‘E-idea’ (
www.e-idea.org) which has been designed to attract, encourage and assist young eco- entrepreneurs to develop environmentally beneficial projects and businesses across the Asia Pacific region.
E-idea is providing environmental innova- tors with the training, support and capital needed to develop projects that will engage the widest audience and have the greatest possible positive effects on sustainability in their communities. Almost 900 applications were received from Australia (where the pro- ject is titled “The Big Green Idea”), China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. From these, 40 winners (dubbed ‘E-idealists’) have been selected, each of whom will receive seed funding grants as prizes to help address
significant local and regional
sustainability challenges such as transporta- tion, waste reduction, energy reduction and efficiency, and sustainable design. The E-idea has set itself the ambitious target of supporting a new wave of entre- preneurs across Asia who see that profit and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive. In effect, E-idea provides an out- standing platform that brings people together and provides what every young entrepreneur with a good idea needs: attention and funding. Both LRQA and The British Council hope that through E-idea, these eco-entrepreneurs will help create a smarter and cleaner future, and inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
32 | Sustainable Business | January/February 2012
Huw Oliphant, British Council Project Manager for E-idea, shared his thoughts on the importance of all parties providing con- tinued support to the winners. He said: “The British Council believes that this is particular- ly important because these eco-entrepreneurs will be ‘change-agents’ in tackling climate change, leading by example in showcasing the business opportunities available in the green economy, sharing sustainable practices within their communities and engaging with peers and decision makers at local, national and international levels.”
For LRQA, the significant financial con- tribution to the project is only a part of their commitment. The real value is being able to mobilise the expertise of their people coupled with their global infrastructure and network-
“E-idea provides a platform that brings people together and provides young entrepreneurs with attention and funding”
ing opportunities. “Helping organisations to improve their environmental performance has always been a core activity for LRQA, so we are also providing mentoring and guidance for the E-idealists.” says Simon Batters, E-idea project director and Vice President LRQA Japan and Korea.
In a testament to this pledge, both spon-
sors recently hosted a three-day workshop where the winning 40 E-idealists convened for a regional training and networking event in Indonesia. During the event, they partici-
pated in a two-day workshop conducted by professional trainers which culminated in a public-facing event to share their E-ideas. The event not only gave the E-idealists the opportunity to network with potential busi- ness partners but also provided them with valuable mentoring.
Huw Oliphant talked about the role of
British organisations in driving climate change mitigation projects. He said: “As one global British organisation working hand-in-hand with another, the British Council and LRQA send a powerful message about the UK work- ing with the world to create a more sustain- able future. As the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, stated during the E-idea launch cer- emony in January 2011: ‘We believe that an effective response to climate change is essen- tial to our security and prosperity. We believe the most successful economies of the future will be built on low carbon growth.’ E-idea is supporting this global challenge.”
How it started
In 2008 LRQA became involved with a pro- ject at the British Embassy in Japan celebrat- ing 150 years of trade between Japan and the UK and were introduced to the British Council. It quickly became apparent that both organisations shared a common objective to promote sustainability in the region. Initially, the two parties organised an environmental competition for university students in Japan. The initial success led to the development of the E-idea, an initiative that is now being looked at as a potential global project. John Rowley, regional director Lloyd’s
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36