Enviro Entrepreneur Summer School

Ecoaesthete has just returned from the Enviro Entrepreneur Summer School run by QED Consulting (with help from various kind sponsors) at the University of Keele.

One can’t say much because of confidentially but all 30 or so attendees were passionate environmentalists with fascinating concepts or existing businesses.

We were treated to some delightfully inspirational talks from more established entrepreneurs:

• Kelly Atkins from Carpet-Burns spoke about the last few years founding her business selling Heat-Treated Carpet, a wonderful material she accidentally discovered — as perhaps so many have — while thoughtlessly ironing some clothes on the carpet. In a patented process, after heat-treatment polypropylene carpet into a tough, water-proof, rigid material that retains the original carpet patternation. Cheaper than vinyl, it provides a funky, environmentally friendly alternative to other external and internal floor coverings.

• Mark Shayler, a serial entrepreneur with seemingly endless energy, spoke about his motivation and experiences in business. His environmental product design consultancy Eco3 are making interesting strides into changing industry’s design culture (in light of new EU rules).