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Britain’s Eco-Friendly Inventors Take the Lead.

Although once considered a slow starter when it came to green issues, recent research suggests Britain has turned itself into a world leader thanks to a new breed of eco-friendly UK inventors.

It seems Britain has entered the top six in the league for most environmentally friendly inventions, following hot on the heels of Korea, Germany, America, and China. The world leader is Japan. The statistics were published by the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) as they launched a competition to encourage other ‘green’ inventors to step forward.

Aimed at young inventors (9-11 yrs), ‘Cracking Ideas 2008’ is a national competition set to attract the keenest and greenest inventors of the future.

The Minister for Intellectual Property, Baroness Delyth Morgan, added: “The UK is proud of its innovating tradition and our work on energy saving devices. Cracking Ideas keeps us at the forefront of this vital field.”

Here’s a reminder of some of Britain’s most successful eco-friendly inventions:

THE ECO KETTLE - designed by Brian Hartley, allows you to measure precise amounts for boiling (a cupful for example), giving an energy saving of up to 30 per cent.

SKY GARDENS – Particularly in the London area, Green Roofs are a uniquely English invention designed to turn the roofs of buildings, especially office blocks, into attractive "sky gardens" – they can even help improve surrounding air quality.

GREEN AIRCRAFT - Boeing and Airbus are already working on flying-wing projects – a concept first developed by Frederick Handley Page in 1961. The reduced drag and light weight can considerably reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

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