Learning about energy efficiency with the Energy Bike
This photo was taken at the London launch event for the Big Green Challenge. The lime green contraption is the Energy Bike - an exercise bike that enables people to power electrical appliances with their legs.
The concept behind the Energy Bike is that the more energy an appliance uses, the more difficult it is to pedal, giving people a very physical lesson in energy efficiency!
We’re used to seeing facts and figures about how much energy can be saved through small actions like switching to energy efficient lightbulbs and leaving appliances on standby, but creativity and fun can also play a role in educating people about energy efficiency. I think the same principle applies to putting carbon savings into practice, so if you’re thinking about entering the Big Green Challenge, think creative!
Last week, we held our regional event for London and the South East at NESTA headquarters here in London. Speaking at the event, Sarah Teather, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, said:
“The Big Green Challenge is an excellent initiative and I am honoured to be involved at the very beginning. I am sure that some very exciting and effective ideas will come out of the prize and look forward to seeing what communities in London will achieve.”
You can see a webcast of the event, including an inspiring case study and reminder of the rules, here.
Big Green Challenge events update
We held our first Big Green Challenge event in Birmingham on Friday. It was brilliant to see people there from a range of different groups and organisations. People who attended said they found it useful to find out more about the Big Green Challenge, and enjoyed meeting other people working on ideas to reduce C02 emissions in their area. Some people starting talking about the potential for collaborating on ideas, and one attendee laid down the gauntlet to the rest of the UK by saying that he felt positive a group from the Midlands would win…
The next event is in Bristol this Friday (9th November). I included links to sign up to most of the events in my blog post of 24th October. To register for the events you can either follow those links or sign up to receive an invite for your nearest event and get future updates on the Big Green Challenge.
We’ve now added three more event dates to our schedule:
London - 28 November
Scotland - 4 December
Sheffield - 6 December
Spaces at each event are limited so make sure you register.
