Five of the nine winners of the British Council E-Ideas Competition outlined their projects to another full house at the June Green Leaders Event. A perfect follow-up to the May event exploring sustainble economic ideas, audience members heard from fledgling social and ecopreneurs (eco-entrepreneurs) about their vision for making the world a better place.

Looking to harness youth and enthusiasm, the E-Ideas Competition targeted young Japanese creators working on sustainable concepts, but needing a bit of a financial nudge to move their ideas from paper to reality. A total of fifty entrants answered the British Council's call, and made for a highly competitive field. Focusing on five broad areas - water, waste, energy, sustainable design, and transport - projects were selected for their practicality and sustainability.

The June Green Leaders event is just the first of many occasions the winners will have to showcase their ideas. Winners automatically become members of the British Council's Climate Leaders, a youth-based group working on ways to lessen the effects of climate change. Trainings, workshops, and events in Japan as well as overseas offer educational as well as networking opportunities.

This sneak peak gave Green Leaders attendees not only a first look at some of the winning ideas, but also a chance to sit down with the creators in small groups to learn about their work in more detail. Based on the enthusiastic response, the potential for sustainable, green growth feels extraordinary. Already looking towards next years competition, Huw Oliphant, Director of the British Council's Science and Environment Department, hopes to find companies interested in collaborating.

June Green Leaders Presenters

FUNFAM

Tsuneyuki Fujioka sees  FUNFAM's reusable bamboo tableware as an everyday means to connect people with nature. A fast growing, native plant, bamboo quickly renews itself with little maintenance, therefore lessening the need for other, harder to grow woods from sensitive natural areas.

Eco Quotient

Fun is what Simon Kawaguchi sees as the first step to getting people thinking and learning about the world around them. And he believes it's this kind of learning - enjoyable, fun, and interactive - that will result in a citizenry deeply attached to and aware of how their behavior impacts the environment.

Energy Literacy Platform

University student Shuichi Ishibashi and his team members literally believe knowledge is power. Strongly suspecting that if consumers knew how much energy they used they would reduce it, the team is creating a web service that does just that. Working on the prototype now, they hope to offer the full-fledged service in roughly three years.

SuiDo! (Water Do!) Campaign

Taking a hard look at the increasing trend toward bottled water, the SuiDo! Campaign offers a simple solution: tap water. By creating public oasis (e.g. water fountains), encouraging local government policies and actions in support of tap water use, and hosting events, SuiDo! hopes to increase public access to water and awareness of the environmental cost of PET bottle waste.

reTreads: Recycled Tire Sandals

While some people might see only a pile of garbage, Akiko Kawase saw resources waiting to be used. Crafting sandals from recycled materials, primarily old tires, she hopes to spin rubbish into economic opportunity for developing countries. And for the wearer? Increased global and environmental awareness from a shoe as good for the soul as it is for the foot.

Inspired?

Come on out to the next Green Leaders Forum on Monday, July 5th to talk about Green Energy and eQual Carbon! Mix, mingle and learn from others working and thinking about green topics, and catch up on some of the latest ideas to be had. RSVP's strongly recommended.

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GLF7 EVENT INFORMATION

AUGUST GREEN LEADERS FORUM (GLF7): Developing NextGen Green Leaders

Monday August 2, 2010 @ British Council from 7pm to 9pm (doors open at 6:30pm)

• DATE/TIME Monday August 2, 2010 from 7pm to 9pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
• ADMISSION FREE! Includes wine, soft drinks and snacks
• LOCATION British Council, Iidabashi Station
• MAP http://www.britishcouncil.org/japan-about-us-tokyo-centre-contact-details.htm
• TOPICS Social entrepreneurs, ecopreneurs, British Council's ClimateGeneration, Gen X/Gen Y leaders, TEDx Tokyo yz, environmental youthambassadors, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) International Youth Forum
• RSVP Due to the growing popularity of this event, places will be limited to 100 attendees. We ask everyone to please register here: GLF RSVP FORM (http://equalc.com/en/events/japan/125-glf7-registration).
• ATTENDEES 100 Green Leaders! Leading thinkers and practitioners from business, NGOs and government, as well as entrepreneurs, media, students, and those with a general interest in the fields of environmentally friendly and socially responsible green business, products and services, cleantech, innovation, and social entrepreneurship
• NOTE Photos and/or video of this event may be uploaded to Facebook, YouTube or other websites live or post event. Please advise at the door if you wish to be excluded.

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