Interview with Oliver Heath

Oliver Heath: Living the Green

Oliver Heath lives and breathes sustainability and it's fair to say he really puts his eco-credentials where his mouth is. The former star of BBC One's Changing Rooms and co-owner of interior eco-design company Blustin Heath has not only completed an environmental refurbishment of his own home in Brighton but founded his own website EcoCentric to offer ethical and eco-friendly products to buy online.

Oliver is far from the stereotypical eco-warrior- not a dreadlock or sandal in sight. For our interview today he's immaculately turned out in jeans, shirt and a coat which (he is at pains to point out) is made from recycled materials. There's no reason, according to Oliver, why sustainable living should be at the expense of the aesthetic. He says:

"I believe that design should come ahead of sustainability. Design should not be compromised by sustainability but instead benefit from its influence. We're at an exciting point at the moment; ten years ago the environmental movement was led by quite radical people and was somewhat frowned upon. Now, environmental changes are clearly starting to happen with people trying to reduce their carbon footprint. The environment is becoming an integral part of the creative culture, in food, clothing and creative interiors. It's now a viable and exciting alternative. There is a culture of sustainability now, it's not just a guilt thing but another way of living that is better, healthier and saves you money!"

It is Oliver's passion for environmental issues that led him to team up with Surrey's major waste minimisation campaign "There are 3Rs in Surrey: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" for a "green office makeover" competition. All Surrey businesses were invited to submit their workplace for a sustainable makeover by Oliver and his team. The lucky winner will have either their reception area, recycling centre or coffee break area transformed in a stunning, but environmentally sustainable way and have a totally free green waste audit of their business. He's also offered signed items for sale via the Princess Alice Hospice shops in Surrey as part of a drive to reduce waste by raising awareness of the great second-hand items that can be found in Surrey's charity shops and encouraging residents to donate useable items to charity shops or reuse schemes rather than throwing them away.

Oliver will also be offering support and advice for Surrey residents with hints and tips on how adopt sustainable design in their own homes.

As Oliver puts it:

"I was really impressed with the 3Rs campaign and particularly by the surreywaste.info website as a comprehensive source of information for people. With the 3Rs campaign we can see how we can act both as individuals and as part of a wider community. And it's simple and easy for people to do, slotting around their normal lives rather than requiring them to make major changes.

"The idea of the green office makeover competition and other business waste activity from the 3Rs campaign is to encourage businesses to put environmental thought into everything they do. Our winner not only demonstrated a sense of enthusiasm for being green but showed that they can and want to do more. Hopefully, we'll be able to show how easy it can be and offer hints and tips such as an eco-community board or intranet site where colleagues can swap unwanted goods."

In his own company, Oliver employs the services of the Paper Laundry who pick up paper waste, cardboard and old office equipment such as PCs. And Oliver has praise for other companies and organisation making strides to be green including Honda, Toyota, People Tree and even a fellow designer Lisa Whatmore, who is building a name for herself designing chairs made of patchwork materials. He also admires flooring and carpet makers Interface. And his must-have eco-gadget? The Electrosave meter (available via his website www.ecocentric.co.uk) which measures how much energy your home is using at all times. Oliver describes it as "the secret life of your home". He says:

"There's a growing awareness of moral and ethical issues like the environment in many organisations and a real interest in investing in renewable sources which is really exciting to see. And there's also a creative trend for designers using scraps of material to co-ordinate colours. I recently did an interiors makeover for a TV programme where we covered an old 1970's sideboard with strips of wallpaper and it looked beautiful."

Oliver has also taken his eco-message into schools in and around his home town of Brighton, working closely with local schemes to create an "Eco-schools" programme, develop "Eco-Ambassadors" and use pester power to raise awareness of environmental issues.

And the green guru shows no signs of slowing down with a book on sustainable design out in the autumn, a new series of "Dream Homes" on ITV, a stand at the Good Homes Show and a new range of low-toxin, breathable eco-paints about to be launched in Homebase. He's also finding time to move house and (in his own words) "be a good dad".

For more on the 3Rs campaign, please visit www.surreywaste.info.

OLIVER'S TOP TIPS FOR GREEN LIVING

• The internet's a great resource for green living tips, www.surreywaste.info is a great place to start.

• It's about making little changes not major upheavals: bags for life, products with less packaging, recycling and reusing more.

• Put environmental thought into everything you do. Consider what the consequences of all the choices you make are in terms of your impact on the environment.

• Use companies like Paper Laundry to recycle paper, card and other waste from your office.

• Use charity shops and reuse schemes such as Swap-it Surrey (www.swapitsurrey.org) to find clothes and furniture or dispose of unwanted items.

• Cut down on packaging as much as possible.

• Reduce the number of plastic bags you use by swapping for bags for life.

• Before you throw anything away think about how it could be reused or recycled.

• Get creative! Can old clothes be used again for soft furnishings or patching?

• When buying products make sure they're durable and can be used again and again.