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Green Innovators: De Stadsgroenteboer CSA

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By Tess Holmgren

Urban agriculture projects are becoming increasingly popular and viewed as agents for providing food security, as well as a creative way of greening urban areas. As more attention is given to finding innovative ways of growing food closer to and in cities, it is slowly becoming part of the public vocabulary with urban farms in cities including Amsterdam and Rotterdam. However, for many there is still a distinct separation between production and consumption of the fruit and vegetables bought at the shop. Not much thought is given to where and how these apples, or these oranges were grown simply because there is no need for it when supermarkets will supply close to anything in good condition. Among the people bridging this gap with the aim of reconnecting people with the land are the Amsterdam-based De Stadsgroenteboer team, who will lead our fourth Bootcamp session on Friday 24 May.

They have invited us to spend the afternoon at their 4000 square meter farm in the West of Amsterdam where they will be introducing the concept and philosophy of Community Supported Agriculture and its role in healthy urban food production. Those participating will have the pleasure of meeting the inspiring team behind the project, a chance to get their hands dirty and to later taste the fruits of their labour as a way of learning about community supported agriculture. In anticipation of this session, we spoke to Laura from De Stadsgroenteboer team to get a sense of what students can expect, as well as her ideas around healthy urban living.

Please tell us about your organisation, its inspiration and goals. We are a group people who have teamed up to grow vegetables on a small plot of land of around 4000 square meters in the west of Amsterdam. We try to grow as many kinds of vegetables as possible, currently I think we have around 62 different vegetables and we do everything organically. We are a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, which means we supply vegetables on a weekly basis during harvest season to local subscribing members. The opportunity for this project presented itself when the previous owner moved away and got in touch with two of our current team members about keeping the farm. We had a common dream of growing our own food, so in a sense we inspired each other. We had some previous experience, but not necessarily expertise – I guess that comes with the years – so there has been some trial and error in getting started. Our main goal and inspiration with this project is really to recreate a connection between people and the land.

Without revealing too much about what’s in store, could you tell us what we can expect from your participation in this year’s Green Student Bootcamp Challenge?I won’t reveal too much but students will spend the afternoon with us at the farm, which will involve some activities where they will get to experience the work we do first hand. It will also involve some kind of transformation of food, possibly from our own land. And we hope to introduce everyone to the philosophy and the idea of community supported agriculture so they get an idea of the history, the philosophy and the different styles of CSA that exist. And it will also involve a good deal of fun!

What do you hope participating students will take away from the experience? We would really love it if the experience of practicing agriculture on small scale together with other people inspires them to think differently about food. Especially in terms of its whole lifecycle and its value. On the flip side, it’s also inspiring and exciting for us to involve people in what we do, so I hope they leave with these feelings as well.

How do you see our relationship with nature and with our environment? This is a difficult question, and quite an individual one. I think it is always tricky to say: “this is us and this is nature” because we are all part of one big thing. In this sense I think it is important to phrase the answer in terms of what our role is in nature instead of what is our connection with nature. Because I think what is for us to figure out is how we fit into this big intricate puzzle as opposed to how we relate to the puzzle.

Has your work and/or research changed the way you lead your life? If so, how? Well, currently I’m living the life of a farmer, which is more a lifestyle than a job. You are up with the sun and go to bed early, you are constantly working with your hands and your body. In a way we are also constantly creating things which is very rewarding. I think your priorities change a little bit when you live like this so there has perhaps been a change in the way I lead my life, but more because of the nature of the work than a conscious choice.

What does healthy urban living mean to you? Cities are crazy. There is this constant access to anything you might need and there are endless options. There are midnight shops in case you get hungry, it never gets dark, there is always something to do and there are always people around. It can easily feel frantic and crowded. I think healthy urban living means finding your own path – your own balanced way of living – in which you are content and not at the constant mercy of the hectic pace of the city.

If you’d like to join our cooking-in-nature workshop with De Stadsgroenteboer, please mail us before Wednesday 22 May to book your space: gsbc@greenlivinglab.org

For information on how to join the De Stadsgroenteboer CSA, visit their website: https://www.stadsgroenteboer.nl

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Programme: GLL Netherlands Tour

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Students from all universities and colleges are welcome to join, from any study course. See how you can participate & book your space below.

*Friday 3 May, Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam, 14.00 – 17.30

‘Where Life Begins: Soil & Seeds’, with the Green Living Lab & Commonland

Lecture:  Commonland tell us how restorative solutions can reverse the degradation of the land and water systems that are the basis of life on earth, and bring back prosperity to both people and planet.

Green Living Lab Workshops: 

Composting – build healthy soil while making profit from waste. We’ll show you how to turn your kitchen waste into rich compost with a worm hotel.

Sowing Seeds – a guide to growing healthy plants at home.

*Friday 10 May, University of Groningen, 14.00 – 17.30

‘Gifts from Nature: Inspiration & Wellbeing’ with Green Office Groningen & Guests

Tour: A meeting with product designer Tjeerd Veenhoven at his studio to hear how he is inspired by the natural world to develop sustainable products including Palmleather, a plant-based replacement for animal leather, plastic and rubber, and AlgaeFabric, a raw textile material made from algae.

Interactive Lecture: “Links between pro-environmental behaviours and wellbeing” by Steph Johnson-Zawadski, Environmental Psychology PhD, University of Groningen.

Green Living Lab Workshop:

Seed Balls – cheering up grey urban environments for people and pollinators with seed balls full of native herbs and flowers.

*20 spaces exclusively available for University of Groningen students for €5,00 per student.*

To register as a University of Groningen student, please contact Green Office Groningen: greenoffice@rug.nl 

All other students, please contact: gsbc@greenlivinglab.org

 *Friday 17 May, Utrecht University, 14.00 – 17.30

‘Interconnectivity in Nature: Forests & Mycelium,’ with Green Office Utrecht & Guests

Workshop: Forests, with IVN & the Tiny Forest initiative. Exploring the role of urban forests for a healthy city,  and learning how a Tiny Forest can be realised on campus or in the neighbourhood.

Workshop: Mycelium & Mushrooms, with Fungi Factory. We’ll hear about the magical world of mycelium, how Fungi Factory’s circular enterprise utilises mycelium to turn waste into profit, and we’ll be challenged to grow oyster mushrooms at home with a Fungi Factory grow-kit.

*20 spaces exclusively available for Utrecht University students for €9,50 per student.* 

To register as a Utrecht University student, please contact Green Office Utrecht: greenoffice@uu.nl before Thursday 16 May.          

All other students, please contact: gsbc@greenlivinglab.org

*Friday 24 May, Amsterdam West, 14.00 – 17.30 

From Farm to Table: CSAs & Cooking Workshop in Nature, with De Stadsgroenteboer CSA & UvA Green Office
We visit this newly established CSA to hear about the role of CSAs in producing healthy food for urban populations. De Stadsgroenteboer team met while studying gastronomy in Italy and they will share their love of tasty fresh produce with us from farm to table, as students are invited to get their hands in the soil to harvest and then cook together.

Cooking Workshop: Expect to get your hands in the soil and to cook with fresh veggies from the garden.

20 spaces exclusively available for University of Amsterdam students for €15,50 per student.*

To register, please contact: gsbc@greenlivinglab.org before Friday 17 May.

*Friday 31 May, Rotterdam, 14.00 – 17.30 

‘Creating Cities for Healthier Futures,’ with Hannah Wright & Jorn Wemmenhove, Humankind

City Tour: Exploring how our urban surroundings influence our well-being, with urban planner Hannah Wright and tactical urbanist Jorn Wemmenhove, Humankind.

Includes a visit to the largest and loveliest productive roof-garden in Europe, De DakAkker.

20 spaces exclusively available for Erasmus University Rotterdam students for €5 per student.*

To register, please contact: gsbc@greenlivinglab.org before Monday 27 May.

 *Friday 7 June, TU Delft, 14.00 – 17.30

‘Nature-inspired Innovation,’ with Green Office Delft & Guests

Workshop: Biomimicry Nederland invites us to look to nature for sustainable solutions, and tells us how nature’s design genius is inspiring innovation for a healthy world.

Lecture: Dr. Ingrid de Pauw teaches at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering TU Delft, and will tell us about her research into nature-inspired design, as well as its applications.

Interactive Lecture: Dr. Bertus Beaumont, teaches BioLogic at the Department of Bionanoscience TU Delft, and will tell us about the course’s focus on how biological principles can be applied to achieve green technological solutions.

We will meet BioLogic students, and hear from them about their entry for the Biodesign Challenge, a global challenge for university students to envision future applications of biotechnology.

*20 spaces exclusively available for TU Delft students for €5,00 per student.*

To register as a TU Delft student, please contact Green Office TU Delft:  info@greenofficedelft.nl before Monday 3 June

All other students, please contact: gsbc@greenlivinglab.org

*Friday 14 June, Amsterdamse Bos, Amsterdam, 14.00 – 21.00

Trees & Us: Trees & People in a Healthy City.

A tree expert will tell us about the role of trees and urban forests in creating a healthy city. We’ll also go on a bird safari and explore what edible delights the forest has to gift us.

To attend, please contact: gsbc@greenlivinglab.org before Monday 10 June. 

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Ways to Participate & Costs

All participants required to be students  & advance payment required.

1) Full Programme (8 sessions):

€85 per student, including workshop materials. Apply before 29 April: gsbc@greenlivinglab.org

2) Individual Sessions:

€17,50 per session. Please book here:  gsbc@greenlivinglab.org

3) University of Groningen, Utrecht University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, TU Delft & University of Amsterdam Students:

We have reserved 20 spaces at a discounted rate for local students at sessions taking place at the University of Groningen, Utrecht University, Rotterdam, TU Delft & in Amsterdam.

Please contact us for information on how to book your space with discount: gsbc@greenivinglab.org

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Green Students on Tour!

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Netherlands Tour 2019

This year’s Green Student Bootcamp Challenge is going nationwide, as participants set off on an inspirational tour of the Netherlands in May and June.

This is the 4th year of our experiential learning programme for higher education students in the Netherlands. We are both delighted and proud that our graduates from previous years are helping to organise this year’s programme and will lead some of our workshops!

On Friday afternoons, 14.00 – 17.30, in May and June, sessions will take place at diverse locations in the Netherlands in partnership with educational organisations, experts, entrepreneurs and innovators all working to create solutions for a healthier and greener world.

Inspiration from Nature

The Bootcamp Challenge brings students from diverse universities in the Netherlands together for one semester to learn how to make healthy lifestyle choices in balance with the natural world. Our immersive green learning experience takes a holistic approach to student health and wellbeing, as students are encouraged to relax in nature, feel connected to the natural world by acquiring both knowledge and experience, and reignite the joy and wonder of the natural world that we all shared when children.

A Rich Learning Experience

Just as in nature, we see that increased diversity in the group of participants leads to a richer learning experience for the group as a whole. We invite students from all study backgrounds to take part, and no prior knowledge of the course content required. Students learn from experts, entrepreneurs and each other as debate and sharing knowledge and experience is actively encouraged throughout.

Applied Learning 

We introduce students to diverse themes with a focus on exploring the links between our health and wellbeing, with that of our environment and our world. Students are given weekly challenges to be completed at home or as a group, and based on knowledge from previous sessions. In this way, students are asked to apply knowledge in a practical sense immediately. Students share their learning experiences in an online forum, so they also can learn directly from each other.

Partners 2019

This year sessions will take place in Groningen, Delft, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Amsterdam, where we will welcome new partners and meet some amazing partners from previous programmes. We’ll learn about the interconnectivity in nature from IVN ,  Tiny Forest and Fungi Factory, hear from De Stadsgroenteboer about the role of CSAs in urban food production and how to cook healthy plant-based meals, learn of innovative solutions inspired by nature from Biomimicry Nederland and TU Delft, about trees and their role in a healthy city from City of Amsterdam ecologists, and visualise the healthy city of the future with tactical urban planning experts Hannah Wright and Humankind.  Other partners include Green Office Groningen, Green Office Utrecht, Green Office Delft, De DakAkker, Studio Tjeerd van Veenhoven, Commonland, and Duurzame Student.

A big thank you to LemonAid and ChariTea for sponsoring the programme!

Monday 29 April

There are have limited spaces available, and a short application is required. Applications are to be received by Monday 29 April. To request an application, please email us: gsbc@greenlivinglab.org

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3 Stagiaires voor 2019 Gezocht!

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Het Green Living Lab is op zoek naar 3 gelukkelingen die een GLL stagiaire in 2019 willen worden! In 2019 gaat onze holistische onderwijsprogramma het Green Student Bootcamp Challenge op tour door Nederland om innovatieve duurzame & groene projecten te ontmoeten. Wij zijn ook bezig om een nieuwe locatie te ontwerpen en nieuwe onderwijsprogramma’s te organiseren. Dus een heleboel leuke klussen!

Graag horen we voor 30 november van enthousiaste studenten tussen 20-28 jaar, met een goed beheersing van Nederlands en Engels, die over oplossingen voor een gezonde samenleving willen leren.

Voor meer info: info@greenlivinglab.org

 

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The Class of 2018 have Graduated! Green Student Bootcamp Challenge 2018

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We celebrated a beautiful finale to this year’s Green Student Bootcamp Challenge , where students first went into our organic garden to investigate our resident insects.

Led by Dr. Cor Zonnveld, an ecologist at Amsterdam University College, students learned about the classification, anatomy, and habitats of insects. It was clear that some did not like the idea of insects at all, however, after spending time with Cor in the garden and looking at insects closely with curiosity and wonder, they learned to appreciate our insect friends and their important place in our ecosystem.

Students then harvested from our garden and dived into the kitchen to made delicious vegan food to celebrate their graduation. As a special graduation gift, students were presented with pots of soil from our garden, symbols of fertility and of our care for the living ecosystem of The Green Living Lab location. Our graduating students learned through the course of the programme that life begins in the soil, and that looking after our soils by building fertility is essential for a sustainable world.

We hope this class of 2018 will now go forth to help make a healthier greener world in harmony with nature. In fact, we are pretty sure they will. ?

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The Green Student Bootcamp Challenge 2018 has begun!

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The Green Student Bootcamp Challenge 2018 has begun!

Week 1 saw us welcome students from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam University College, University of Amsterdam / Universiteit van Amsterdam, AMC Amsterdam, Utrecht University, TU Delft & HvA – Hogeschool van Amsterdam

Students learned all about seeds, including the intelligent design of seeds & ingenious seed strategies for survival & dispersal. They learned how seed balls can brighten up urban environments with native flowers, as well as offer food to pollinators, & made seed balls for their new careers as guerrilla gardeners!

Then it was time to get busy sowing seeds for our nursery. Students have been challenged to take some seed pots home, germinate the seeds, nurse them into healthy baby plants, and bring them back to grow in The Green Living Lab ‘s organic garden. We are looking forward to hearing how they get on with their prospective plant parenthood!

At the end of our 10 week programme, the participants will make a vegan feast using the plants they have grown in our garden.

A big, enormous thank you to Sameena & Amanda for contributing such wonderful wisdom & passion for seeds to this first session!

Thank you to all of the GLL team including Sarah, Fae, Arthur, Sheila and Luke, who were behind the scenes making sure everyone had a great initiation to learning in nature !

#gsbc2018 #greenhealthystudents #healthyurbanliving

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Applications now Open for the Green
Student Bootcamp Challenge 2018!

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APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!

We are excited to announce the 2018 Green Student Bootcamp Challenge programme!

GSBC Flyer Front

We’ve included more hands-on workshops this year than ever before; from foraging & cooking with wild plants, learning to grow veggies at home, urban composting with worms, growing mushrooms, fermentation, to learning to design from nature’s patterns. It is going to be a lot of fun learning together in nature!

We are delighted to announce educating partners including BiomimicryNL, Mamotok , The School of Nature, Green Office VU, Pangea Amsterdam University College, Le Compostier & HvA – Hogeschool van Amsterdam

There are 10 sessions, always on Friday afternoons from 14.00 – 17.00. The first session is on Friday 6 April, & the programme ends with a graduation party created by participating students on Friday 15 June.

Cost: €65 per student (with valid student card) for 10 sessions, including all workshop materials & vegan snacks and drinks.

Applications to be received before Monday 2 April. All students (18 years + ) are welcome.

For information and an application form, please email : gsbc@greenlivinglab.org

#gsbc208 #greenhealthystudents #healthyurbanliving #natureisaclassroom

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Participate in the Autumn Semester of the Green Student
Bootcamp Challenge!

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This year we created 2 semesters for the Green Student Bootcamp Challenge 2017 programme in order to cover an extended growing season and to give more students the opportunity to take part.

It’s now possible to sign up for our autumn semester, beginning on Friday 8 September with a worm hotel workshop by Le Compostier so you can experiment with recycling your organic waste at home. 

Spring Action: Our spring semester included 5 sessions with experts on themes including germination and growing plants at home for food,  sowing seeds in the city for people, plants & pollinators, permaculture, biophilic design & integrating nature with urban planning, tiny homes, a creative cooking action with rescued “ugly veggies”,  and lots of time was spent learning to observe natural patterns and processes in our organic garden. With help from spring semester students our organic garden is now packed full of veggies and we look set to enjoy a bumper harvest when making vegetarian food for the students’ graduation party on 6 October.

Summer Challenge: Green Student Bootcamp Challenge students have been given several challenges to complete over the summer months that can be completed wherever they are. One of our summer challenges is a collaboration with the crowd acting platform CollAction, where students are tasked with organising their very own crowd action project, to be completed in September. We’re looking forward to seeing what the students decide to do in order to effect positive social action.

Autumn: Our autumn programme includes sessions with experts on composting, life in the soil, growing mushrooms at home, how to take initiative, textile recycling, the circular economy, smart use of urban natural resources including rainwater, a tour of an innovative green roof & The Co-creation Challenge, where students will work together to create functional beauty at the Green Living Lab location.

The autumn semester has 5 sessions on Friday afternoons (14.00 – 17.00) on 8, 15, 22, 29 September & the graduation day takes place on 6th October.

Applications: All university students are welcome to apply, from all study disciplines.

Cost:  €35 per student for 5 sessions (the entire autumn semester) or €9,50 per student for individual sessions.

If you’d like to participate we’d love to hear from you! Just email us at  info@greenlivinglab.org for info on how you can join the Bootcamp party!

#GreenHealthyStudents #GreenLivingLab

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Green Student Bootcamp 2017!

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Please read English below.

Mooie beeld van de sfeer van ons ‘Green Student Bootcamp Challenge‘ onderwijsprogramma vorige jaar, gemaakt met liefde door deelnemende VU student Lea Grosse.

Ons 2017 programma wordt gelanceerd op vrijdag 12 mei & wij nodigen universiteitsstudenten uit om hen plekjes nu te reserveren.

Inspirerende partners in 2017 zijn inclusief Youth Food Movement Nederland,  Le Compostier & meer!

Voor info, neem contact met ons snel op: info@greenlivinglab.org

 

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Lovely impression of the vibe during our ‘Green Student Bootcamp Challenge‘ education programme last year, made with love by participating VU student Lea Grosse.

Our 2017 programme will be launched on Friday 12 May & we are now welcoming university students to get in touch to reserve their places.

Inspiring partners in 2017 include Youth Food Movement Nederland, Le Compostier & more!

For info, get in touch with us at: info@greenlivinglab.org

#groenegezondestudenten #greenhealthystudents #healthyurbanliving

 

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