Diarmuid Gavin developed the global garden and eco-house in partnership with Christian Aid.
Diarmuid Gavin, award-winning garden designer and star of the BBC's hit TV show Home Front, has worked with Christian Aid to design a dramatic feature at the October Grand Designs Live NEC show, on 6-8 October 2006. Diarmuid's Christian Aid-sponsored Global Garden will transport visitors from the heart of England to a green and global village. It aims to raise people's awareness of the impact of climate change on some of the world's 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.
Diarmuid Gavin, who recently visited Kenya with Christian Aid to see examples of life-saving climate-adaptation projects in action, said: 'This is 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. This is a message that simple solutions work. It was a real joy to see projects like the multi-storey garden which conserves soil and water. In a country like Kenya, where droughts are a real issue, it makes me hopeful that people are using agriculture to take on changes to the climate in ways that are going to work.'
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 biogas 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 Aid's work by 'purchasing' 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.
When you buy one of the items in the Present Aid catalogue the money doesn't necessarily buy that item. In order to make sure your gift has the maximum impact, our partners and Christian Aid choose the gifts most needed by poor communities across the world. But we guarantee your financial gift will be put straight into one of the following closely related funds: energy, emergencies and disaster preparedness, agriculture and livestock, health including HIV, water and environment, education, training and campaigning on behalf and throughout the developing world.
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For press information, pictures or case studies, please contact Kate Wills on 020 7523 2446 kwills@christian-aid.org or Emma Wigley on 020 7523 2321 ewigley@chistian-aid.org
For more information on Christian Aid, and this project, please visit www.christianaid.org.uk/ecohouse from September.
Tickets to Grand Designs Live, which runs 6-8 October at the NEC, Birmingham cost £16 on the day, £12 in advance and can be obtained by calling the 24-hour box office on 0870 166 0437 or by visiting www.granddesignslive.com
Notes to Editors
1. Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in more than 50 countries. We act where the need is greatest, regardless of religion, helping people build the life they deserve
2. Christian Aid's climate change work: Poor people are on the frontline of climate change and are already feeling its effects. Christian Aid is working to help them adapt as their climate changes. But action is needed in rich countries to cut carbon emissions in order to avoid future climate chaos, which could kill millions across the world. Christian Aid is calling on the UK government to reduce Britain's carbon emissions by three per cent each year by setting a 'carbon budget' alongside its financial budget. The agency is also challenging people in Britain to take action to curb their own emissions by saving energy and switching to renewables.
3. Christian Aid is a member of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition and supports its aim to build a massive movement that will create an irresistible public mandate for political action to stop human-induced climate change.
4. Grand Designs Live is based on the talkbackTHAMES series for Channel 4, which is presented by design guru Kevin McCloud. The event, which has evolved into a spectacularly vibrant show and changed the face of the interiors exhibition industry forever, aims to inform, excite and inspire visitors to create their own 'grand design' - with everything they need from around the world available to purchase under one roof.
5. GRAND DESIGNS LIVE - whether you're buying a cushion or building a home, it's a Grand Design! Grand Designs Live is made up of five sections: GRANDBuild, GRANDGardens, GRANDInteriors, GRANDKitchens+Bathrooms and DESIGN Shopping Arcade - catering for a broad spectrum of visitor requirements.
Where: Hall 5, National Exhibition Centre (NEC) Birmingham.
When: Friday 6 October 2006 - 10am-7pm; Saturday 7 October 2006 - 10am-7pm; Sunday 8 October 2006 - 10am-6pm
For further information visit www.granddesignslive.com
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
