Christian Aid’s grand design for eco living
-04/09/06
An award-winning garden designer
Christian Aid’s grand design for eco living
-04/09/06
An award-winning garden designer is to work with Christian Aid to design a dramatic feature at the October Grand Designs Live NEC show, on 6-8 October 2006.
Diarmuid Gavin, and star of the BBCís hit TV show Home Front, will transport visitors from the heart of England to a green and global village or ‘global garden’.
It aims to raise peopleís awareness of the impact of climate change on some of the worldís poorest communities, as well as give them eco tips for their homes and gardens.
Grand Designs Live is based on the successful talkback THAMES series for Channel 4, presented by design guru Kevin McCloud. The eco-home and garden are inspired by Christian Aid-supported communities around the globe. They will feature four separate displays, representing how different communities are dealing with the consequences of climate change and protecting their environment.
Commenting on his involvement, Diarmuid said: “This looks like being one of the most exciting and challenging projects I’ve undertaken. The idea of sustainable living is becoming more important, both here and around the world. To create a garden which reflects that with Christian Aid for Grand Designs is a fantastic idea.”
Visitors to the display will get a feel for life in Honduras, Central America, where people are tackling deforestation, and preparing for increasingly intense and frequent hurricanes and tropical storms. Bangladesh and Indonesia are spotlighted in the Asia section, which looks at the implication of rising sea levels and flooding. While in Africa the focus is on preparing for potential drought and food crisis in Kenya and Malawi.
The display will show how communities in the developing world are embracing an eco-friendly way of life. Eco-design features include walls that are built using sustainable techniques that not only safeguard the environment but also protect their inhabitants when disaster strikes. The Honduras home features a strengthened rammed-earth wall, insect-repellent decorative paint taken from local plants and tree replanting. In the Asia section, visitors will experience a home raised on stilts to avoid flooding featuring biogass and emergency assistance packs. While in Africa the homes include ventilation systems, rain-water collection and solar panels.
Christian Aid is encouraging people to take action on climate change by reducing their own carbon emissions and pressing governments to take action to stop global warming. To highlight this work, the final part of the display will tell visitors how they can adapt their own homes and gardens here in the UK to make them more eco-friendly.
People will also be able to support Christian Aidís work by ëpurchasingí a virtual Present Aid gift, some of which are featured in the home, including tree saplings, disaster-survival kits and solar panels. These are gifts that keep on giving by helping people in developing countries to prepare for the challenges of the future.
Christian Aid’s grand design for eco living
-04/09/06
An award-winning garden designer is to work with Christian Aid to design a dramatic feature at the October Grand Designs Live NEC show, on 6-8 October 2006.
Diarmuid Gavin, and star of the BBCís hit TV show Home Front, will transport visitors from the heart of England to a green and global village or ‘global garden’.
It aims to raise peopleís awareness of the impact of climate change on some of the worldís poorest communities, as well as give them eco tips for their homes and gardens.
Grand Designs Live is based on the successful talkback THAMES series for Channel 4, presented by design guru Kevin McCloud. The eco-home and garden are inspired by Christian Aid-supported communities around the globe. They will feature four separate displays, representing how different communities are dealing with the consequences of climate change and protecting their environment.
Commenting on his involvement, Diarmuid said: “This looks like being one of the most exciting and challenging projects I’ve undertaken. The idea of sustainable living is becoming more important, both here and around the world. To create a garden which reflects that with Christian Aid for Grand Designs is a fantastic idea.”
Visitors to the display will get a feel for life in Honduras, Central America, where people are tackling deforestation, and preparing for increasingly intense and frequent hurricanes and tropical storms. Bangladesh and Indonesia are spotlighted in the Asia section, which looks at the implication of rising sea levels and flooding. While in Africa the focus is on preparing for potential drought and food crisis in Kenya and Malawi.
The display will show how communities in the developing world are embracing an eco-friendly way of life. Eco-design features include walls that are built using sustainable techniques that not only safeguard the environment but also protect their inhabitants when disaster strikes. The Honduras home features a strengthened rammed-earth wall, insect-repellent decorative paint taken from local plants and tree replanting. In the Asia section, visitors will experience a home raised on stilts to avoid flooding featuring biogass and emergency assistance packs. While in Africa the homes include ventilation systems, rain-water collection and solar panels.
Christian Aid is encouraging people to take action on climate change by reducing their own carbon emissions and pressing governments to take action to stop global warming. To highlight this work, the final part of the display will tell visitors how they can adapt their own homes and gardens here in the UK to make them more eco-friendly.
People will also be able to support Christian Aidís work by ëpurchasingí a virtual Present Aid gift, some of which are featured in the home, including tree saplings, disaster-survival kits and solar panels. These are gifts that keep on giving by helping people in developing countries to prepare for the challenges of the future.