#495 Erkenningsnummer P708816
august 30, 2017 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu current affairs \ p2
Self-cleaning office
politics \ p4
A company in Antwerp scoured the world to find the perfect microorganisms for their new cleaning products – which do the work for you \7
BUSiNESS \ p6
innovation \ p7
Classroom across the world
education \ p9
art & living \ p10
Cutting edge
A salon on wheels is offering free hair care to the homeless and those on low incomes because ‘everybody likes to look nice’ \ 11
Flemish educators are travelling around the world to exchange teaching strategies with their counterparts in developing countries \9
In good hands
‘Port heroes’ keep an eye on Antwerp’s ecological and economic future Mieke Kooistra More articles by Mieke \ flanderstoday.eu
As the port of Antwerp prepares to expand across the Scheldt river, a new campaign has recognised locals who protect the environmental and economic interests of the region’s residents.
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ow do you sell the idea that expanding a major sea port is good for everyone, especially when it is surrounded by villages, farmland and fragile nature reserves? By linking it to various development goals such as jobs, nature, housing and recreation, explains an agency responsible for the development of the area around the port of Antwerp. Through the Havenhelden (Port Heroes) campaign, Ontwikkeling Havengebied Antwerpen (OHA), or Development Port Antwerp Area, is spotlighting individuals who contribute to these goals, from creating mini biotopes or guiding nature walks to organising port tours equipped with iPads. The port introduces the public to these “port heroes” working behind the scenes online and via an email newsletter. One of them is Rene Maes, a retired dockworker, who has dedicated his life to the preservation of local wildlife. “Growing up, I wasn’t interested with toys,” says the 60-yearold. “I played with chickens, pigeons and other creatures. Later, I became interested in the flora and fauna around the port of Antwerp, and I decided to get involved in conservation projects to protect them.” In 1978, while employed by the Antwerp Port Authority, Maes founded Natuurpunt Wase Linkerscheldeoever, dedicated to the conservation of the natural areas and open spaces on the left bank of the Scheldt river and the surrounding villages. He was determined to protect the fragile nature around the expanding port, but, as its employee, he faced a dilemma. “To avoid a conflict of interest, I would take time off work during the difficult negotiations,” he says. “In the end, we managed to save 200 hectares of valuable wetlands.” Since his retirement, Maes has been working as a guide and volunteer at the Waasland nature reserve, where, he says, he gets to indulge his passion for nature and wildlife. Waasland, stretching between Antwerp and Ghent, contains some of the largest brackish tidal marshes in Western Europe. It’s home to Liparis loeselii, a rare European wild orchid with glossy yellow and green leaves, and grey seals that come here at low tide. “This is a unique piece of wetland,” Maes says. “When you see how beautiful it is, you realise that the work we’ve put into saving it – it’s all been worth it”. For his 40-year efforts in nature continued on page 5