The competition, created by CNBC and Allianz, aims to identify the entrepreneur with the best eco-business concept that is sustainable, responsible and innovative. A four-part TV series, hosted by CNBC presenter Steve Sedgwick, will track the progress of these three entrepreneurs, as they receive advice and mentoring support from top business leaders, including Dennis Jonsson, CEO of Tetra Pak, Jeremy Leggett, CEO of Solarcentury, Shai Agassi, CEO of Better Place and Martin Kupp, Faculty Professional at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT). The series premiers on CNBC across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia on 2 November, and the winner will be announced on 26 November in the series finale.
The Three Finalists
Matthew Holloway, with his concept of eco-friendly air conditioning named Artica. Holloway claims that Artica requires only 10% of the energy that a conventional air conditioning system would require to run, resulting in 90% CO2 savings in energy usage alone. Artica also uses no coolants, meaning HFCs (powerful greenhouse gases used in air conditioning) are eliminated.
Craig White has proposed to build carbon negative homes, schools and offices to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and their operational energy use. White believes that his company, Modcell, will make this possible by using renewable materials such as wood, straw and hemp, which have banked carbon through photosynthesis, creating homes that are domestic carbon banks. As he points out, the demand for housing across the globe is enormous.
Marco Cremona, with his concept of a water treatment system for hotels and large commercial buildings. Under the name The Hoter Project, Cremona aims to provide a solution that treats the water consumed in these buildings in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner. The system avoids pollution and also saves 80% of the water consumed by hotels and large corporations.
The finalists’ pitches are on The Good Entrepreneur website, and will be augmented with blog posts and comments in the lead up to the TV series.
The Good Entrepreneur website also offers support and advice for ‘green’ social entrepreneurs, helping take great ‘green’ ideas and transform them into solid, responsible business plans.
