Six "E-ideas to save Vietnam" were announced on Aug. 24 in Hanoi as the result of an initiative launched by the British Council and the Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance at the start of May.

The winning ideas were not only good for the environment but also for the economic development of Vietnam , and each one will be awarded 5,000 USD to help get started.

Among the winning projects, Excavatus stunned the judges with the idea of monetising earthworms from cow dung while helping a rural district to solve their chronic problem of pollution caused by the excessive amount of cow excrement. The project was built on the important fact that earthworms consume dung and in turn provide rich nutrients when used to feed chickens, birds or fish.

Vertical Garden is a brilliant idea that will help create a unique organic vegetable garden while addressing the urban problem of lack of space. Vertical Garden will provide vertical panels with built-in water systems for an area as small as 5 square metres, allowing it to accommodate 750 pots of vegetables or plants. The project impressed the judges as the all-in-one system is ready to be put on the market.

"Environmental protection should be started in urban areas which are most affected by climate change and global warming. This system will help our towns become cleaner and greener," said company representative Nguyen Van Quy.

Other winning ideas included a digital forum for sharing ideas to develop organic agriculture, recycling plastic bottles to create green space in schools and producing organic fertiliser out of domestic waste.

" Vietnam is one of the countries most at risk from climate change, and with urban expansion faces more environmental concerns than most. Against this backdrop, we want to help through initiatives such as E-ideas," said British Council in Vietnam director Robin Rickard.

The E-ideas programme was launched in seven countries across Asia including Vietnam , with the aim of finding creative ideas to protect the environment and prevent climate change./.