Green gifts
Until recently, there was a barren, paved patch of ground between the parking lot and the buildings belonging to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS). Could that not be made greener, staff members and students from the faculty’s Green Impact Team wondered in 2020. It led to the idea of a ‘FASoS garden’ in this spot: a green environment for relaxation and meeting up, which would also be good for biodiversity in the city.
It is here now. Last week was the official opening. The garden is not yet completely finished though. The Faculty Board paid for the design and the landscaping, but further planning and planting – things like seating, nesting boxes, fruit trees, insect hotels and a swing – are still to be installed. The required amount for these needs to be collected via – among others – crowdfunding, under the motto ‘The first seed has been planted, will you help our garden come in full bloom?’
It is possible – as a private person, but also as a department or team – to adopt a picnic bench for 1,500 euro or a garden bench for 500 euro; a mention on the ‘Garden Wall of Fame’ (still to be constructed) can be bought for a hundred euro. Those who have less to spend, can contribute by purchasing a FASoS stick-on tattoo (five euro) or a mug (ten euro).
Google prevents waste bill
Maastricht city’s waste policy – since 1 January, rubbish bags are no longer collected on a weekly basis but once every two weeks – has led to quite some commotion throughout the year. Since the change, dumping waste has become the order of the day. This prompted the city council to apply a stricter approach, including enforcement, which in turn led to additional unrest among inhabitants.
Two weeks ago we wrote here about an inhabitant of the city centre who had been presented with a bill of 171 euro for clean-up costs, because the city claimed that he had put his rubbish bag outside too late. An error, the man reckoned, because he works from home especially to be able to put the rubbish out on time. Submitting a complaint was not possible, because it is not a fine, it is a bill.
Nevertheless, the fault now seems to have been solved, de Limburger reports. Partly thanks to Google Maps. Because this app tracks the location of the phones, the man was actually able to prove that he couldn’t possibly have put his bag outside too late. He left for Germany before the pick-up moment and only came back the following day – a claim that he could support with data from his public transport chip card.
In doing so, he did reveal, by the way, that he put his rubbish bag outside too early, which is not allowed either. Because he was not accused of that, the city will scratch the clean-up costs. So, the bill can be binned – correction: put with the waste paper, which may be put outside once a month.
A different farmer every month
Before 2016, de universiteit van Wageningen – official name: Wageningen University & Research – used to be called the Agricultural University. Students are still living up to that name: two of them are in the 2023 Farmer’s Calendar. “The calendar was once started to show people that farmers are more than people who stand in manure all day long,” says Fabian van Grevenbroek to sister magazine Resource.
His personal motivation? Drawing attention to agricultural innovations. “Farmers and the agricultural sector are talked about a lot, but much less is said about innovations that can be used to solve problems. They are certainly available.” That is why this son of dairy farmers allowed himself to be photographed with low hanging trousers (there is a sexy photograph of a farmer every month – there is also a female version, the 2023 Female Farmer’s calendar).
Fellow farmer Rick Baats, who calls himself a part-time farmer (“If farmers go on holiday or there is a peak labour demand, for example during harvesting, I will lend a hand.”), is participating because of the positive attention for the life of farmers. “It is a good starting point for a talk about farmers and the agricultural sector.”