Green Living Live Busts the Myths Around Going Green and Places Energy Solutions and Sustainability Top of the Agenda

Grand Designs Live has increasingly focused on energy efficiency and sustainability and launched Green Living Live at ExCeL London in May 22. Last week, the new show made its Birmingham debut alongside the popular build and design show. Green Living Live powered by myenergi offered a vital platform to eco businesses and designers that put sustainability and the environment top of the agenda and helped bust the myths around green issues for visitors.

At a time when the cost of living and price of energy is soaring, Green Living Live provided visitors with perfect place to discover more about embracing sustainability as well as energy and money-saving solutions in home design to guide consumers self-building and retro-fitting and turning their house into an eco-home.

A packed schedule of talks at the Sustainable Future Theatre, as well as dedicated eco-exhibitors and experts, aimed to debunk myths around going green and guided visitors in positive ways to discover a more sustainable way of living.

Tom Callow at myenergi delivered three fascinating talks on the Green Living Live Sustainable Future Theatre on ‘Helping households to achieve Net Zero’, demystifying energy and offering advice on solutions to decarbonise homes. His presentation referenced a recent Deloitte Sustainability and Consumer Behaviour survey asking consumers what they have done in the last 12 months in an effort to be more sustainable, which found that just 16% had switched to renewable energy sources or products. Callow said, “It was great to see such interest in the Green Living Zone at Grand Designs Live. It’s clear that those interested in building their own grand designs are now thinking equally about how to make them as green as possible, not just in terms of how they are constructed, but in how they then run as a home. At myenergi, we had some brilliant conversations with prospective customers over the course of Grand Designs Live, offering help and advice about how to decarbonise homes and transport.”

Powering the Green Living Advice Zone, OVO Energy offered visitors hundreds of free advice sessions with experts in smart meters, solar energy, EV charging and heat pumps. Alex Thwaites, Head of Zero Carbon Living from OVO Energy said; “It has been an extraordinary show; we've seen an overwhelming demand for information from visitors looking to start their journey to zero carbon living, and a genuine interest from people keen to not only explore money-and-energy-saving solutions but also environmentally friendly smart-tech options for their homes and lifestyles from wall and loft insulation to EV chargers and solar installation. All of our experts have been engaged in conversations all day, every day which has just been fantastic to see.”

For those without the space for solar panels, Sarah Merrick, founder of Ripple Energy showed visitors how owning a large-scale wind farm or solar park with thousands of others can transform the carbon footprint of your home and could lower your electricity bills. She said, “At Ripple, our aim is for a people powered revolution where you can own your own source of low-cost green electricity by sharing in a wind farm or solar park. One turn of an offshore wind turbine produces enough energy to power a house for two days.”

The Green Innovation Gallery, a popular new feature for Birmingham, presented a collection of six exciting green innovations created by up-and-coming new designers.

Vlamp by Aamana Bibi Nawaz – Vlamp is a unique combination of a vase and a lamp that brings a playful element of light and nature into the home. 3D printed from plant-based polymers derived from corn husks which are completely renewable and organic.

Bampack Table by Tobias Petras – A bamboo flat packed coffee table aimed at tackling fast furniture and bringing more awareness to areas most affected by deforestation. Utilising minimal materials, the table is sustainable and assembles easily without metal screws or glue.

Snoot by Harriet Almond – Snoot is helping to combat household food waste through a playful, analytical tool to instil confidence in judging freshness whilst also providing knowledge on using and preserving food. Built-in aroma detection identifies the volatile organic compounds that food releases as it degrades. Snoot interprets this data suggesting practical ideas based on the food’s exact current freshness.

Okapi by Angelica – Okapi is a set of hallway stools that encourages responsible building by encouraging children to change their shoes through incorporating elements of play into the furniture. The stool uses foam material made from shredded EVA foam from post-consumer trainer mid-soles.

Swarf by Madeline McKenna – Creating product solutions from non-recyclable waste generated by industry. This innovative Plastic Swarf light is made from waste created during a CNC process used in many product manufacturing streams and currently destined for landfill.

Hello Beautiful by Keeley Traae Designs – Keeley Traae is a designer based in Staffordshire, who creates unique collections using digital design technology. Each design begins with a pencil sketch followed by a digitally crafted 3D file which is then printed using the Fused Deposition Modelling method. All printing materials are made from renewable resources such as plant-based Corn Plastic which is biodegradable and commercially compostable.

Visitors also discovered a host of new and innovative products including eco-building materials, insulation, heating and renewable systems, furnishings, and electric car-charging equipment with pioneering brands on show including Tata Steel – Catnic, Ripple Energy, Cocobolo, myenergi, E.ON Energy, and TCA Solar.

Richard Morey, Director of Media 10 commented on the final day, “I am delighted with the reaction to Green Living Live in Birmingham and the response to our increased focus on sustainability, energy efficiency and money-saving advice. We are busting the myths surrounding green issues and making people aware of how easy it is to live a greener life. Consumers are genuinely excited to discover and learn about how they can reduce their carbon footprint, reduce energy consumption and costs, and do their bit to safeguard the future of our planet. Our experts and partners, including myenergi and OVO Energy, have given hours and hours of free advice to thousands of visitors over the last five days.”

The next edition of Green Living Live will take place alongside Grand Designs Live from 29^th April to 7^th May at London ExCeL.