Take an eco-challenge

monthly eco-challenge - 2008 archive

current challenges

December 2008 - part 1

Gift Opening

Open gifts with care and attention to the wrapping paper, ribbons, tags and boxes.  

The challenge is to see how much can be saved and put away for reuse during your next holiday season.

Did you know that paper can be ironed on a low setting if you find there are two many creases in it from a previous wrapping.

On the inside of sheets of paper write the dates when used and see how many years one sheet of paper can be used.  This can provide great entertainment in years to come as you remember gifts wrapped in the paper years past or simply how many years you’ve seen it come back in circulation.

Save tags and reuse again another year….saves time on writing out new tags and money buying new tags.

Ribbon can be added to new ribbons another year, can be reused as is, or added to children’s crafts.

Boxes often fold flat and take up little space.  If they can not be folded, take on the puzzle challenge to find out how many you can nest together.  Wrapping the parts of a box rather than the whole box itself saves the paper and has a prepared box for next year’s use.

Can you reuse any parts of pre-packaged gift items?

December 2008 - part 2

Write a note, email or letter to your politicians or sign a petition!

1. The annual global Climate Change Conference, this year from 1-12 December in Poznan, Poland, provides a good opportunity  to ask our politicians for more bold  actions  NOW . You can write directly to them or see the petition for example on The Big Ask to be signed before 11 December 2008.

2.  The proposal to build a new coal plant in Belgium provides another opportunity to act: You can ask for the project to be stopped either through email directly to your politicians or through signing a petition, see for instance the Greenpeace link on this website under be heard.

3.  More locally, in all supermarkets you can post your suggestions in a box (usually forms are available). Give them your suggestions (also in English) to impove things concerning packaging, organic food choice, tracability  etc.

Good luck and remember: you can make a difference!

November 2008

take a short shower!

Our challenge for November is not so difficult, but quite important!

1. A shower takes less water than taking a bath unless you shower for more than 8 minutes!

2. By taking a short shower you can save money, but also reduce the amount of precious drinkable water you use to wash yourself with!

3. One might think of timing a shower and a song or two might make it more fun (see also short shower songs and more tips on this link to the website of Do The Green Thing)

4. Try to reduce the flow of water either manually or by installing a very efficient high aeration shower head (which you can find in shops like BRICO for about 15 euro)

5. A thermostatic knob might also help to find the right temperature immediately so you do not loose water before you actually take the shower

Good luck with finding your favorite short shower tune!

October 2008

drink tap water!

This will be our challenge for October:

1. Tap water in Belgium is safe and needs to qualify to 55 EU and WHO criteria and you can read all about it on www.vivaqua.be in English (under "Practical Information")

2. At first it might have a chlorine smell/taste, but if you leave it for 10 minutes most of it has evaporated!

3. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice might make miracles as to the taste!

4. If you want to read about the impact of you drinking bottled water (waste, health, etc.) have a look at this article from www.emagazine.com

5. If you prefer to use a water filter jug (e.g. BRITA) only use very cold water and store it in the fridge if you intend to keep it longer than a day (max. 2 days in total!)

6. It is up to 100x cheaper than bottled water!

7. Imagine how much waste and transport you could avoid by providing each family member with their own refillable drinking bottle!

September 2008

get access to a weekly organic fruit and vegetable basket in your neighborhood!

There are many reasons to do this:

1. For your health: you will get a nice amount of fruit and vegetables every week, they are as fresh as they can be and they are organic and to say it with Michael Pollan's words: this is REAL food;

2. For the environment: buying locally reduces your ecological footprint avoiding food miles (transport of your food) - even the fair trade ones come by boat which is less polluting than airplanes - it reduces packaging (no plastic involved);

3. For your taste: nothing tastes as good as these fresh and organic treasures;

4. For the wellbeing of traditional farmers versus the big food industry: both the local ones and the fair trade partners in developing countries;

5. For biodiversity: some of the vegetables are almost forgotten and have become unavailable in our supermarkets, but taste lovely and are very nutritious.

You can have a look at our selection of addresses, recipe books, season calendars and later also a list of vegetables in English, by clicking here.

August 2008

get rid of all those plastic bags!

This is our very first challenge and these are some of our suggestions:

1. Reorganize you garbage: get one big garbage bin for the white (and other) official garbage bags in your kitchen and make sure you get a proper lid to close it, instead of using small bags to fill up a big one;

2. Make sure you get all kinds of reusable bags/boxes/trolleys: the ones provided by supermarkets, small thin bags to hide in your handbag and unfold when you need them, trolleys (some to be folded) and handy foldable boxes to leave in the car. It is such a nice feeling to be able to refuse all those plastic bags offered to you in the shops and at the market;

3. Try to buy fruit and vegetables in loose and big quantities (see next month's challenge);

4. Get a composting bin or compost place in your garden: this will reduce your (smelly) garbage.

5. Make use of "Tupperware" and similar boxes to store things in the fridge, to use for picnic and as lunch boxes.

current challenges

climate

University Studies

At the University of Antwerp you can study Energy and Climate as a post-graduate course. Click here to be able to download their flyer.

Carbon Offset

If you want to you can offset you carbon footprint whenever you take an airplane or even to offset your car. Many companies offer to invest your money into green projects, like planting trees or installing solar panels in developing countries. We will offer you a list of them and we start with a few:

GreenSeat

This is one of the off set companies. Their website www.greenseat.nl is also available in English. You can fill in the details of your flight and they calculate how much you would pollute and how many trees need to be planted in order to compensate for your pollution. You can choose to off set your CO2 only or your total pollution. They have different off set projects all over the world and you can have a look at them on their website.

TerraPass

Does the same and you can visit their website: www.terrapass.com/buy-carbon-offsets

organic basket

What is an organic basket?

Some bio/organic farmers prepare a selection of their vegetables and/or fruit on a weekly basis which can be picked up at a fixed location on request. These baskets are composed of mainly locally grown vegetables/fruit, but sometimes (e.g. in winter time) the local ones are complemented by some bio (often fair trade) ones from abroad. The local ones are harvested and selected by the farmer and each week. One does not know beforehand which vegetables or fruit one will get, but it always is a nice surprise completely in harmony with the seasons and freshly picked. They just taste delicious!

Each farmer has their own delivery/pick-up points, a fixed price per basket and the pick-up hours depend on the agreement with the shops/cultural centers where they are delivered. Some call themselves Collective Buying Associations. You can either take a membership or order a basket a week before hand. Please bring your own bag or tray!

Where are they available?

reason2.be

reason2.be provides organic, seasonal produce from Belgian farms. Their website is in English and they offer free delivery. They also offer other organic products including baby food and toiletries and have additional services such as a recycle and exchange club for books and toys and will even take away your glass recycling when they deliver your food basket.

Den Diepenboomgaard

Den Diepen Boomgaard makes such baskets. You can already have a look on their website www.diepenboomgaard.be and under "Afhaalpunten" you will find all the addresses of their delivery points in Brussels. In this case they have chosen the Flemish Community Centers as pick-up points or some schools. Or you can contact them by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call them on this number 02/270 00 05.

Bio3

You can also check www.bio3.be and again click on "Afhaalpunten" at the bottom of their homepage (or click here for a direct link). Or contact them directly on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone 051/20.28.85.

Natural Selection

Shop selling clothes of organic material, but also a pick-up point for the organic fruit and vegetable baskets, Chaussee de Waterloo 616, 1050 Brussels, Tel: 02/345.10.88, open 10h00-18h00, www.natural-selection-clothing.be

Voedselteams

There is a Flemish network so called food teams "Voedselteams". Here you enroll in a weekly membership for a fixed period. Their website is www.voedselteams.be and when you click on "Wat is een voedselteam?" (top left) and then on the link "een bestaand team" you can see whether there is a team in your neighborhood. Recently these Voedselteams also opened a pick up point in Tervuren at the International Montessori School in "Savoorke" in Bergestraat 24. It might be easier to contact them by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 016/31 65 99 or their contact person in Tervuren: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you want to know more details have a look here.

GAS - Groupe d'Achat Solidaire

GAS – Groupement d'Achat Solidaire have a website in French: www.gas-bxl.collectifs.net . You can either join an existing group (Anderlecht, Ixelles/Schaerbeek, Linkebeek, Watermael-Boisfort, Woluwe Saint Lambert) or you can help to start a new group in a new area. When you click here you get a direct link to start a new group. We will write more about them later.

Les Amis de la Terre

Another network of these collective buying groups are organised by the French version of Friends of the Earth. You can have a look for yourself and we will tell you more about them later: www.amisdelaterre.be

Le début des Haricots

Then there are urban organic collective gardens organized by an association called the Start of the Beans, "Le début des haricots". In their set up you give a credit to the farmer on an account and he/she can then better plan the harvest needed: www.haricots.org with a part of their website in English! More info will follow.

Cookitude/L'Atelier du Tanier

Here you can order a package of organic food items for 2 persons to cook a meal. Different pick-up points.

If you want to see more organic shops and markets click here.

Recipes

Some of the veggies have been long forgotten, but are very nice indeed once you know how to prepare them! The list of recipes and recipe books will be posted here and we start with:

- The Silver Spoon (Phaidon), a recipe book based on the Italian kitchen with lots of vegetable recipes and can be ordered on Amazon or at English bookshops like the Treasure Trove in Moorsel (Tervuren).

Translation of food names

Here you can find a list of food names in three languages (Dutch/English/French)!

Season calendars

If you want to buy your vegetables from the supermarket or shops it might be difficult to know which vegetables and fruit are in season. Season calendars give an overview of the local seasons of the vegetables and fruit available here in Belgium. They are either in Dutch or French, or both of them, but you will also need the names in Dutch or French when you do your shopping.

You can download a season calendar and hang it in your kitchen (you can choose your favorite one e.g. Velt: click here to download in pdf fromat, or another one from BODC/OBCD click here, or the one from OIVO/CRIOC right here) or you can order a nice handy, small hard copy for you handbag by phone 02/775.75.75 at the Brussels Environment Institute or by contacting them through their website www.ibgebim.be (click on "contact")

For our list of Organic Food Shops and Markets click here

Presentations

• Hints Classes of American Women's Club Belgium, Rhode-Saint Genese, 2009 and 2010
• 3 at Welcombeek, British military spouses, Sterrebeek, 2009-2010
• 20 at international schools as preparation for our tree planting events in 2010 and 2011

Workshops

• Wildlife workshop, with our expert, at Savoorke, Tervuren, October 2009 and 2010
• World Water Day, water experiments, for Serve The City – Brussels, March 2010
• Composting, with master composters, private garden, Kraainem, June 2009 and 2010
• 12 workshops on several topics at Savoorke, IMS, Tervuren, 2009-2011
• 2 workshops on recycling at US Tri-Mission, Brussels and Evere, 2011

Fairs

• Environmental Fair IBGE/BIM, Cinquantenaire Park, Elsene, June 2010 and 2011
• 4 fairs for EC Welcome Day, Berlaymont, Elsene, 2009-2011
• Christmas fairs: 2 at IMS and 2 at BSB , Tervuren, December 2009 and 2010
• Irisfeest, Woluwe Saint-Pierre, May 2010
• Stand at Lester Brown presentation at EP, Brussels, May 2010 and May 2011
• US Embassy volunteers day, Brussels, 2010
• 3 Expatica fairs, Autoworld, Elsene, 2009 and 2010
• 2 days, Welcome Fair, The Bulletin Group, Area 42, Schaarbeek, 2009

Other events

• Tree planting events, Neerlinter 2010 and Gooik/Oetingen 2011
• Clean-up the World event, Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, September 2010
• Nature Walk with Biloba forest guide, Watermaal-Bosvoorde, October 2010
• Earth Day celebration, with Lokilino, Tervuren, 2010
• Biodiversity Quiz, in cooperation with Friends of the Earth, Brussels, May 2010
• Car sharing events to Bioplanet, Mechelen 2009-2010
• Peace Day celebration, Giant Peace Dove building of recycled material by kids, for the
• Jane Goodall Institute, Tervuren, September 2009 and 2010
• Organic wine tasting event, with R99, at British Commonwealth Women's Club of Belgium
• Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, February 2010
• Several Energy Saving Events, Elsene, 2009-2010

Internal events/meetings:

• Recruiting events (volunteers or interns), team days, planning meetings (including students)
• Preparation and feedback meetings on tree planting event, Helping hands events, packing
• information folders, Board meetings

Cooperation established with

• Vereniging voor Bos in Vlaanderen (forest association)
• Beehive associations (Apis Bruocsella and the beekeepers assocation of Flemish Brabant )
• Natuurpunt (nature organization)
• Embassies of UK and Slovenia
• Jane Goodall Institute Belgium
• Vogelbescherming (bird protection)
• Serve The City Brussels
• Brussels Environmental Institute (IBGE/BIM)
• Universities, several
• UNEP Brussels Office
• UNRIC
• MOS, Green School logo
• International schools, several
• Lokilino (eco-toys shop with workshops)
• Turtle Wings
• Transition Towns Tervuren
• Agenda 21 Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and Molenbeek
• Biloba vzw
• Friends of the Earth, Brussels
• Youth movements, JNM and Girl Guides
• Friends of Amma
• Gardener's Club of Brussels

Cooperation with companies

• Levi Strauss Co, since 2011
• Lokilino, since 2010
• Reason2.be, since 2008
• Druk in de Weer, since 2008

Grants

• King Baudouin Foundation, BreXpat III, 2009-2010

Outreach

• Distribution of Info Packs: ca. 800
• Monthly newsletters
• 2 getting started guides
• Mailing list: about 1000 subscribers, including schools and embassies
• Launch of Facebook and Twitter in 2010
• Fairs (see above) and other Networking activities, e.g. at Greenweek

Articles in other magazines

• Expatica, several articles, Award Expatica Belgium Best Blog in 2009-2010
• Away Magazine: 3 main articles + 6 columns with challenge and events 2009-2010
• Small Talk, BCT, monthly article
• Danish Magazine, monthly article
• Brussels Newsletter of 19 communes, 1 article
• Woluwe Saint-Pierre Newsletter, 1 article
• Australian-New Zealand, newsletter, several

Interviews

• The Bulletin, e.g. the Green issue 2011
• Changemakers in Brussels, by Polly Akhurst of The Hub, 2011
• Newspaper articles related to our tree planting events (2010-2011)

Sales for others

• Jane Goodall Institute, several items
• Vogelbescherming, bird association, several items
• Earth Policy Institute, books by Lester Brown
• Apis Bruoscella , wild flower seeds

Other: Status of non-profit organisation ASBL/VZW since April 2010