ISSN 1847-6694
NEKTARINA DOUBLE (S)PACE ISSUE!
July 2013
It’s all about climate In this issue: Kelly Rigg on how you can help fight climate change; Katie Griggs on her experiences with Greenpeace New Zealand; Global Power Shift photo essay; Blogging in Bangladesh; Creating Art Underwater; Hector Sonon and Flemming Brylle art and much more
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“There will be lesser trees, fewer birds to chirp, more technology to give us an illusion of development. The pessimist me says this. We will have a just , fair political and economic system. Happy people all around who love environment, social justice and economic parity as much as they love their Blackberries or iPhones. My incredibly unrealistic optimistic self tells me that. The realist feels, there is going to be injustice, there is going to be societies that come out of them. But for every injustice done may it be environmental degradation, racial , political or economical there will be one or many who will stand up to it and fight for what is right for you, me and all around us. “
Priti Rajagopalan
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This is not a bedtime story In 2011 Nektarina Non Profit wanted to organize a series of European exhibitions of a Canadian environmental artist Franke James’s artwork. The exhibitions never took place, and this book explains what happened. This Grist.org article summarizes things and gives you an idea of what is in the book. 6
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Nektarina (S)pace July Reflections NEKTARINA (S)PACE IS A WEBMAGAZINE PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY NEKTARINA NON PROFIT, A NON PROFIT, NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION. WWW.NEKTARINANONPROFIT.COM ISSN 1847-6691 8
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Green Fest Call for Entries www.greenfest.rs Short and amateur environmental film authors from around the world can apply from June 24th until October 11th for screening on 4th International Green Culture Festival "GREEN FEST". Festival is being held under the slogan "Four colours of Green" from November 13th - 15th 2013 in Dom omladine Beograd, Serbia. The list of the selected films will be announced on official web page of the festival - www.greenfest.rs, where all the necessary information regarding the Call can be found. Organizer - Environment Improvement Centre conducts the festival with the support of City of Belgrade Environmental Protection Secretariat and Vip mobile company and in cooperation with Dom omladine Beograd.
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Call for amateur film is opened for all participants, with no age limits, and all applications will be considered if the shooting technique is totally amateur. The best films in this programme will be awarded in three age categories: Best film up 18 years, 18 - 27, and over 27 years. City of Belgrade Special Award will be delivered by Environmental Protection Secretariat representative. Awards within amateur programme are provided by Vip mobile. Call for short film is dedicated to all film professionals who shoot films on nature, environment and ecology. Two best short films will be awarded. International Green Culture Festival "GREEN FEST" is the biggest annual "green" event in Serbia. Over 250 films from more than 35 countries have been screened, over 60 workshops for students were held, over 30 artists and exhibitors were presented in the previous three year's reaching the total of over 15 000 visitors.
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This issue has been done in A4 format, and it is printable. However, we urge to consider your environmental responsibility before printing. Choose reading it online, or download it for free to your device and read it offline. 12
Nektarina (S)pace, Web Magazine Year 2, Double Issue # 11 & # 12, July 2013 Published by Nektarina Non Profit ISSN 1847 - 6694 Under Creative Commons License
Working together towards a sustainable future. www.nektarinanonprofit.com Nektarina Non Profit is a non governmental, non profit organization, and most of our projects are based on volunteer work. Our articles are a compilation of data (where we always provide the source) or articles / opinion pieces (in which case there is a by-line). We come from different backgrounds, and English is not the first language for any of us, so there might be an occasional flop :). If you are using any of our content, it would be great if you could link it back to us, and if you are using other people’s content (that you found in this magazine) please make sure to copy the source links we provided. Thank you! 13
This issue was done by shiny, happy people :)
Publisher: Nektarina Non Profit
Founder; Creative Director & Editor-In-Chief: Sandra Antonovic Editor-at-Large: Bettina Nada Fellov Contributors : Rianna Gonzales Renata Pumarol Kelvin Anthony Jean Paul Brice Affana Suresh More Priti Rajagonapal Radomir Kujundzic Livia Minca
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A very special “thank you� to : Kelly Rigg Katie Griggs and Muhammad Faheem Faruq Cover page photograph: Cornish Sky; Copyrights Sandra Antonovic Photo credits: Pages 4-5 Priti Rajagopalan Pages 22 - 35 Katie Griggs Pages 76 - 91 Muhammad Faheem Faruq Pages 94 - 111 UNICEF Pacific Pages 114 - 145 Steve McCurry Pages 184 - 185 Bettina Nada Fellov Pages 195 - 205 Radomir Kujundzic Pages 23 0 - 245 Bettina Fellov Pages 246 - 259 PimpMyPump Pages 260 - 269 Bettina Fellov Pages 270 - 287 Biljana Ilic Pages 292 - 303 Bettina Fellov Contributors: This could be you! If interested, email us to space@nektarinanonprofit.com Nektarina (S)pace is a volunteer project. 16
Nektarina (S)pace July Issue content has been developed together with:
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A letter from the editor:
#GetActive When we did our 2013 layout for Nektarina (S)pace we planned a summer hiatus for the months of July and August, and the idea was to resume in September. Our June issue had close to 1,5 million views (1,491,000 to be exact), over a 130 thousand more than our May issue. For a magazine that started less than a year ago, and is a volunteer project, that’s pretty amazing and we are all thrilled about it! THANK YOU ALL, every single one of you who flips through, reads an article or two, looks at the photos and enjoys the artworks. THANK YOU.
Being an editor in chief of a magazine that produces over 200 pages of content every month can be a challenge, as you sometimes need to make
dif-
ficult choices - what fits into this month’s issue, and what should be put on hold for next month, or the month after. This month was maybe more
challeng-
ing than previous ones, as we received so much fantastic, original content—we will share it all with you eventually, when the time is right, as they say.
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Well,
enough
from
me,
dive
in,
enjoy!
Our
is
space@nektarinanonprofit.com, and we’d love to hear from you too - what topics would you like to see in our upcoming issues. We would also be happy to consider any articles, photographs or other content you would like to send us.
Have a great July, everyone!
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A Woman Of Substance : Katie Griggs Interviewed by Sandra Antonovic
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Taking her European experiences in tackling climate change all the way to New Zealand, Katie Griggs shows us that environmental movement is very much alive and kicking. Nektarina (S)pace: You are a very British woman living in Berlin. Both Britain and Germany are very focused on climate change adaptation, renewable energy, green economy...How different is the approach those two countries have? Would you say they could do more or are they doing their best in setting up a good example for other countries? Katie Griggs: Actually I had a German grandmother who emigrated to Britain shortly after the second world war, so I am not quite as British as it may seem! But yes, having spent the first 30 years of my life living in the UK, and then in Germany for the previous seven, I have observed and appreciated the similarities and differences of the two countries I can call my “home” – especially with regard to environmental issues and low carbon living. Based on the people I have met here, my opinion is that the average German has a very deep awareness, understanding and appreciation of environmental issues. They have been brought up to understand seasonal food, the consequences of shampoo and detergents in the water system, the importance of
recycling and waste, have an ingrained “make-do or mend”
attitude and take as matter-of-fact the importance of community and common good - to name but a few. However I worry that the influences of consumerism and individualism are seeping in, but until they start thinking about abolishing the ban on Sunday shopping we are safe enough for now! On the other hand, the Brits
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have over the past few years started to embrace the low carbon lifestyle with the enthusiasm of a puppy leaping around with a new toy, and I mean that in a positive and complimentary way. When Brits get something in their hearts they go for it - without the suspicion or bureaucracy of the Germans. But when Germans decide on something they go for it and they do it well – we only have to look at the success of renewable energy – currently supplying 25% of German’s electrical power, whilst in the UK renewable energy makes up a measly 9% of the mix. And after all, that is one of the most important indicators of success. But both countries need to be doing far more if they are to be real leaders in the low carbon transformation and should actually be actively learning from each other: Germany could do with refreshing enthusiasm for the issue after so many years of being green and no-one listening, and the Brits need to be more serious about the issue and realise that their new-found love of recycling is nowhere near enough to solve the problem!
Nektarina (S)pace: You spent four years with Virgin Money. Sir Richard Branson is an inspiration to many, particularly his dedication to explore and develop new, different and effective approaches in making a business (any business) more sustainable from a social and environmental perspective, and he seems to be able to translate his views and ideas into a corporate culture of his companies. Could you talk about your experience while working for Virgin? Katie Griggs: Working at Virgin Money straight out of University was the best thing I did. It was an amazing experience and what I learned there continues to 24
influence me today, probably in more ways than I actually realise. In my opinion, Sir Richard has found the secret of creating an environment where staff and customers feel valued. He keeps that at the heart of what he does, which means everything else falls into place. His more recent passion for finding a solution to climate change of course fits right in with his principles, just as it should any good business person with a long term vision. Nektarina (S)pace: The summer of 2012 you spent in New Zealand as a consultant for Greenpeace New Zealand. How did that opportunity arise and could you talk about your activities there? Katie Griggs: I was looking for a new assignment as I had just finished a project at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research called “Aufgeheizt�, that brought scientists together with young people to make animation films about climate science. By coincidence, an old school friend called completely out of the blue from New Zealand to get my help (finally an old-girls-network, hehe). Actually she had been struggling to fill the position for months and suddenly remembered that I had the right skill set and motivation for the job. It seemed like a crazy idea to leave my home and my husband to go as far away as you can possibly go for several months, but the opportunity of working for Greenpeace was too good to miss. My challenge was to increase the capacity of the call centre responsible for raising funds for Greenpeace New Zealand and because Greenpeace, are funded entirely by individuals (which ensures they maintain their campaign integrity and independence), this was obviously a huge responsibility.
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Nektarina (S)pace: Some people, even the environmentally conscious ones, don't particularly like the "Greenpeace approach", as it sometimes comes off as too aggressive. How do you see Greenpeace and the way they run their campaigns and activities? Katie Griggs: I worked with a fantastic team there and if I ever had any doubts about the organisation I certainly came away a very big fan, very impressed by their professionalism, organisation, capacity and togetherness. In the past few years I think Greenpeace has really upped its game in terms of online and offline communications - in particular the use of humour, visuals, interactive games and of course my favourite – fancy dress! You can never please all of the people all of the time but knowing what I know about the effects climate change is having already, for example according to the UN 300,000 people are already dying every year, I believe their campaigning is very measured. I met some of the volunteers who have risked their lives to occupy oil rigs or float alone in the sea to divert the path of an exploratory oil tanker and I am in awe. With these actions they have achieved some great wins that a petition or a demonstration would not manage to achieve. Nektarina (S)pace: This spring the planet reached 400 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere. Could you comment on that? Katie Griggs: We really do have our work cut out for us! Nektarina (S)pace: Do you think that people (an average Joe) are involved enough in climate change adaptation? What is needed for them to be more involved?
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Katie Griggs: There is no silver bullet to solve climate change – it needs to be tackled from all sides including governments, individuals, companies and organisations. The key point is that there is no need for anyone to wait – let’s all be leaders and trend setters, whether we are a government or a 9 year old child. Although the most powerful message I believe is that actually, in the past few years when I have drastically reduced my carbon footprint, it has actually made me happier. I found this a bit strange and certainly wasn’t expecting it but after looking into the psychology of happiness it all made complete sense – the traits of happy people are all by their very nature, low carbon. And by the way, consumerism is an anathema to happiness! You can read much more about it on the action for happiness website. Nektarina (S)pace: Many say that the environmental movement is/was a failure. What are your thoughts? Katie Griggs: Can you fail in something before the final whistle has been blown?! We are, however, now approaching that final whistle at an increasing speed and what we do over the next few years is crucially important to the
success or fail-
ure of human kind. The environmental movement has had many successes over the years in solving mainly single-issue problems in different countries, but the issue of climate change is far bigger than the environmental movement and therefore the responsibility for success or failure lies with each and every one of us. If all individuals started realising each one of us matters, and our actions are important, then we will start making headway. We need to stop thinking about everyone else and just concentrate on our own sphere of
influence at work, at school and at
home. We are all connected to thousands of people and have an influence over that network and can therefore influence massive change perhaps without even knowing.
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Nektarina (S)pace: What are you working on these days? Katie Griggs: I am just finishing up at eTukTuk, an e-mobility start-up in Berlin. It has been really great bringing electro-mobility to tourists and corporations in Berlin and other cities, however I have just been offered a position at Climate Analytics with Bill Hare where I will be project managing the SURVIVE project. I am looking forward to being part of the team of people supporting the small Island Nations and least developed countries at international climate negotiations. Nektarina (S)pace: What's next for you? Any plans? Katie Griggs: I am interested in making structural changes to my life to ensure that I focus on my own sustainability and resilience as well as that of my community – I am not sure what form that will take yet, but I am hugely inspired by the Transition Towns. I am also working with the clubmob team and a recent visit to an open cast brown coal mine in Brandenburg highlighted the need to support the local community in that region.
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Five Ways to Make a Difference in the Fight Against Climate Change by Kelly Rigg, Executive Director Global Call for Climate Action
Marjan Minnesma may be the most inspiring person you've never heard of, unless you live in the Netherlands as I do. A few years ago, Marjan got fed up with waiting on governments to act. As a citizen of a small, industrialized 30
country -- blessed with resources but riddled with challenges- - she realized that if we can't "do it" here, what hope do others have? By "doing it" she meant figuring out innovative approaches to greening energy and living sustainably, without succumbing to the old clichÊ that would have us shivering in the dark with the lights out. So she rolled up her sleeves and created the Urgenda Foundation (Stichting Urgenda). Urgenda has achieved some impressive results. They negotiated a group-discount on solar panels, making it affordable for thousands of people to solarize their homes and businesses. They took a similar approach to the introduction of electric cars in the Netherlands, enticing two major cities to buy them in quantity and establish a network of charging stations to service them. And once the charging stations were there, others started buying them as well. And that's just the beginning. Urgenda has an action plan all the way through to 2050. Her story shows how a single individual can make a huge difference. And huge is what we need right now if we are to make real headway in the fight against climate change. The International Energy Agency says that an additional $36 trillion must be invested in clean energy between now and 2050 to stand a good chance of keeping global temperature rise below 2° C (PDF). That's about $1 trillion per year, although the IEA also points out that for every dollar spent, we would save three dollars on energy costs in the future: Even if these potential future savings were discounted at 10%, there would be a USD 5 trillion net saving between now and 2050. If cautious assumptions of how lower demand for fossil fuels can impact prices are applied, the projected fuel savings jump to USD 150 trillion. 31
In other words, we shouldn't be fooled by those who argue it's too expensive to deal with climate change as it will save us money in the long run. If you're concerned about climate change, there's a good chance you're already doing many of the obvious things to reduce your own carbon footprint -- using energy-saving light bulbs, reducing meat consumption; buying locally produced food, and so on (see TckTckTck's personal action checklist of carbon reducing tips). These small steps are vital, but if you've ever had the feeling that your lifestyle changes amount to tiny drops in a very large proverbial bucket, I invite you to consider taking one of these 'Top 5 actions' to fight climate change:
1) Crowdfund Renewables Crowdfunding is an idea whose time has come. Like Marjan's idea of bulk purchasing solar panels, there are hundreds of crowdfunding opportunities that enable people to pool their money to purchase things which would otherwise be unaffordable. Kickstarter, Kiva and Indiegogo are some of the best known fundraising sites, and clean energy projects are now springing up all around the world, like this Indiegogo project to create solar drip irrigation in South Sudan.
SunFunder is another great example. For as little as $10 in the form of an interest-free loan, investors can help bring clean, renewable light and electricity to people in the world's poorest countries. For example this project in Uganda which seeks to raise $15,000 to purchase solar phone chargers and will help families earn as much as $40 additional monthly income from 32
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phone charging services. Another platform called Mosaic allows investors to contribute anywhere from $25 to $50,000 for solar projects, though unlike SunFunder it offers investors a return on their investments. As their website says, "With a 4.5% annual yield, you no longer have to choose between doing well and doing good."
2) Buy Climate Bonds The Climate Bonds Initiative reminds us that most of the urban infrastructure we take for granted -- from sewers and railways in the 19th century to the aerospace industry and highways of the 20th century -- were financed with bonds that provided safe and secure returns for the public: Bonds allow us to borrow against future economic benefits to allow for the investment needed now to deliver those benefits. Although the Climate Bonds Initiative is aimed at large-scale institutional investors, you can ask your financial advisor about investing in climate-themed bonds.
3) Pension and Mutual Funds Find out where your money is going, and become a shareholder activist. Solving climate change requires us to get our money out of fossil fuels and into clean, safe renewables. Here are three ways to help ensure your collective investments are put to better use: 34
Share Action provides an easy tool for emailing your pension provider to ask where your money is invested, and let them know where you stand on climate change, fossil fuels and renewables. The Vital Few an initiative of the Asset Owners Disclosure Project, also provides tools for targeting pension funds and points out that fund managers are legally bound to answer every letter from a member. Thousands of incoming letters would ratchet up the pressure and effectively force disclosure of damaging investment practices that many pension funds still use. As You Sow is a shareholder advocacy group which encourages companies to reform their environmental and human rights practices, and are particularly concerned about the carbon bubble. As a shareholder you can participate in their actions. But even if you hold shares indirectly through mutual funds, you can still make a difference by contacting fund managers and asking them to vote for climate-friendly action.
4) Vote with your Wallet Labeling is a time-honored tradition for helping consumers to vote with their wallets. The new WindMade label will allow consumers to identify organisations and products that rely on wind power in their operations or production. The technical standards for products qualifying for the WindMade stamp of approval are currently being finalized, so it may be a while yet before you start seeing it on the shelves. For the smartphone generation, Forbes reported last week on a new app that allows you to scan product bar codes and "Buycott" climate destroyers such as 35
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the Koch brothers. It also helps you identify the products of companies that should be rewarded for their good policies. Due to teething problems brought on by popular demand, you might wait a couple of weeks before trying to download it.
5) Join a Climate Campaign Since all of the ideas described above involve spending money in one way or another, I'll close with an appeal that is decidedly non-financial: get actively involved in a climate campaign. You can help spread the word about the science of climate change via RealityDrop, get your university or your state to move beyond coal, speak out against developing Canada's tar sands and shipping it via the proposed Keystone XL pipeline or tell world leaders to stop subsidizing fossil fuels and switch to renewables instead. Visit the TckTckTck Action page that aggregates campaign news and activist opportunities around the world and discover more ways to get involved. As carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere reached the dreaded new milestone of 400 ppm, we should all tear a page out of Marjan Minnesma's book. As she told me recently: If we want to, we can make change. It's really quite simple. Just go out and act. We know what to do! Everyone who cares about climate change, about the future of our children, needs to use their enthusiasm to inspire others, and take steps forward -- as many and as fast as they can.
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Get Inspired Global Power Shift is the starting point for a new phase in the international climate movement. On June 24-30, young leaders converged in Istanbul for a landmark gathering. 500 grassroots activists and leaders from around the world joined forces, shared skills and stories, and prepared for the next phase of the global climate movement. After leaving Turkey, these young leaders are fanning across the world to catalyze powerful national movements calling for bold climate action. Through a series of national summits and trainings, they will unleash a new wave of climate activism. Read more and get involved at http://globalpowershift.org. We did. If you need a bit of nudge, take a look at the amazing photo essay sent to us by Kelvin Anthony from 350.org . The photos are from all the facets of Global Power Shift - social, cultural and education. Photo credits (pages 34 - 65) and very special thanks go to: 350.org, Fenton Lutunatabua, Shadia Fayne Wood, and The Million Persons Project 42
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Muhammad Faheem Faruq The keyboard is my sword 70
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Helping one step at a time Nektarina (S)pace: You are an editor of BD Pollution. Could you please explain what BD Pollution is and talk about its content, goals and activities/ ideas. Muhammad Faheem Faruq: BDPollution started out as Pollution and its effects to the environment but considering the amount of words I would have to type every time I filled out a form or explaining it to people and for branding purposes, I decided to shorten it. BDPollution is a blog about anything pertaining to the environment. It highlights climate change, advances in the field of green technology, global conferences and summits, reviews on environmental products and so forth. It started in 2005 as a hobby and had one basic principle which was to make a difference. It was to create a positive impact on society, to inspire and motivate people in protecting our only home, Earth. It goes by its motto “Helping one step at a time�. The reason behind one step at a time is cause of the owner of the blog as in me who is generally slow with doing things or that is what most people like to think or say. 72
Initially, I wanted to cover the major environment issues of Bangladesh so that people around the world and Bangladeshis could realize that Bangladesh is being affected with climate change. In 2005, environmental issues were not that prominent and as local internet users were less, I decided to focus on I nternational news so that at least my readers would know what was happening in the global scenario. Occasionally, I would cover local news, which was published on the dailies on water pollution, land pollution, air pollution and toxic waste. The content is generally based on things I find interesting and what I think people might want to know. As I generally have a variety of interests, I try to diversity as much of the content as I can. However I try to keep the focus on aspects related to the environment. The knowledge I have gained over the many years blogging have helped me organize various events and campaigns. In 2009, I started off with introducing 350.org to university students through a seminar using BDPollution as a knowledge partner and main organizer, IEEE AIUB Student Branch (AIUB, the university I studied at) as an initiative of social responsibility on their part. Soon after that, I organized a seminar on Energy Savings. This was to highlight Earth Hour 2010. I have to thank Jumanah Shireen Khan, (she was then the branch coordinator of IEEE AIUB) for supporting my constant ranting about the environment. I would not have been able to organize these events if she was not there supporting me. I also feel cause of this; I was able to bring 10:10, the global campaign in reducing carbon emissions by 10% to Bangladesh in 2010. For 10:10:10, the Global Day of Doing, I was able to partner with many organizations based on the credibility BDPollution had given me. 73
I also have to thank Syed M.S.Zafar, as it was for his company, Bangladesh information Gateway Limited (BIG) Ltd, were we fully able to bring 10:10 to Bangladesh and open a country hub here. As I believe that actions speak louder than words and wanting to establish I individual social responsibility, under the banner of BDPolllution and a 74
supporter of 10:10, I did a walking challenge in the capital city, Dhaka, a distance of approximately 15kms. This was to prove that walking can be a means of travel within Dhaka city instead of using cars.
Nektarina (S)pace: You started BD Pollution when you were 19 years old. What inspired you? Muhammad Faheem Faruq: Yes I did start at 19. I was just preparing for my A’Levels. Hahaha, what
inspired me? As a child I always had this sense of
responsibility. I do not remember exactly but it began with an article I read or noticed. This article was about the environment in general. I am talking about something like in the early 1990s when I was in Dubai (I was born and brought up in Dubai for awhile before I moved to Bangladesh).Back in the early 1990s, there were massive campaigns against preservations of pandas worldwide, and how the ice melting resulted in animals loosing their homes. I guess that stuck in my head as a child and more that I felt responsible. As I started living in Bangladesh, I realized that there is lot more important things than just the social construct. But I felt I was young and could not do anything so I waited. During 2005, I fell ill with dengue and was stuck at home for a few months. I spent a few days thinking and remembered the article I read while I was a kid. At that time, the movie Batman Begins had come out. Yes I am a great comic fan and look up to characters like them no matter how fictional they maybe. So after watching that movie, the way it was portrayed I realized that Batman being one person was able to make a difference. It sounds extremely cheesy and corny for many, but human history has shown us that one person does make a difference if it is good or bad. People like Napoleon, Hilter, 75
Marther Luther king,the current President of USA, Barack Obama even a 15 year old Pakistani girl, Malala Yousafzai have made a difference. I guess that article gave me purpose and watching that movie had given me the push forward but I needed a tool. At that time, blogging had just started to take shape on the internet. So that’s when I came up with the idea of
starting up
BDPollution, that was my first step in making a difference, using the pen or in this case the keyboard as my sword.
Nektarina (S)pace: It seems that young people in countries like Bangladesh and India are much more involved in environmental and social issues than their Western peers. Why would you say that is? Muhammad Faheem Faruq: It is because countries like Bangladesh and India have a lot more socio-economic issues unlike Western countries. Examples like poverty, electricity, clean water, proper hygiene are some of the common major issues. In Western countries, people can depend on the public system to help solve environmental and social issues. In countries like Bangladesh at least I can say that the public system which are supposed to assist people in such matters are not able to due to various factors and hence the young people have become more involved in solving problems like environment or social issues.
Nektarina (S)pace: Bangladesh is often referred to as one of the countries most affected by the climate change (floods etc). Could you talk about environmental impacts and changes in Bangladesh? Muhammad Faheem Faruq: Bangladesh is recognized for being a low-lying 76
delta country and with sea level rising every year; it definitely is one of the countries affected by climate change. Flooding is very common during the monsoon season; everyone knows about it, it is like an open secret, and has become part of our daily lives. However with the changes in temperature and rise in sea level things are lot more different. Tropical Cyclones are more frequent, with their intensity
increasing every year. This results in
substantial destruction in property and livelihood of the people. As a agricultural dependant country as well, the damage to crops is unrecoverable. In terms of weather patterns, which I have been seeing for the last 16 years, there has been noticeable change. In Bangladeshi culture and our Bengali calendar, we normally are supposed to have six seasons. Now hardly any of the six seasons can be understood. During winter, there is hardly any significant drop in the mercury within the capital city. Probably every alternate year, a slight hint of winter is observed. Our summer this year has not started yet properly and it is already unbearably hot. I cannot imagine when summer comes how hot it is going to get. Basically in a nutshell, climate change has not only increased rainfall, rising sea level and tropical cyclones for Bangladesh, it has and will be affecting things like agriculture, water, food security, human health and shelter.
Nektarina (S)pace: It often seems that big carbon polluters (countries like USA, Canada etc) do not realize that we are all interconnected and that carbon emissions in one part of the world impact the entire planet. Could you comment on that? Muhammad Faheem Faruq: I really do not understand why the big carbon 77
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polluters do not realize this. I assumed with Hurricane Katrina, at least USA would realize this and take meaningful action. It is not like they do not understand the science behind this. Carbon trading is an example where shifting manufacturing/ productions to a developing country to reduce C02 emissions in one country but increasing it in another country just does not make sense. The outcome is the same. It is just another way of making money.
Nektarina (S)pace: Bangladesh is (also) one of the countries that Western countries use for garment factories. As much as those factories are a social issue - with regards to work conditions, wages and safety - they are also an environmental and
economic issue, in a way. Could you talk about that?
What are your thoughts when it comes to garment (and not only garment) factories and the relationship between Bangladesh and the "Western" world/ mindset/economy? Muhammad Faheem Faruq: I do not think I am the right person to answer this, so anything I say would only reflect my opinion and what I know. I understand that this question comes in light of what has happened in Bangladesh recently. So when referring to work conditions, wages and safety, considering one or two poor quality-based factories, one cannot deem all the garment factories to be the same. I feel international brands are also responsible as most of the time, the work is outsourced or given to a subcontractor. There are plenty of factories which provide excellent working conditions, proper wages and worker safety. I have personally visited some of the top garment factories and noticed one of management’s greatest concerns is working conditions, wages and safety. They know that these things affect their businesses and some owners have invested a lot of money to ensure that their 80
factories remain operational. In terms of environmental aspects I am aware of many garment factories that are shifting into greener productions. I myself have worked on one or two projects indirectly where factories are trying to establish LEED certifications. Methods like energy auditing, co-generation, retrofitting and renovation are being used. In terms of economic aspects, the garments industry is one of the largest contributors to Bangladesh’s GDP. They have created millions of jobs, alleviating a lot of people out of poverty. They have empowered women by giving them the opportunity to work and earn a decent living. I do not have any comments honestly regarding the relationship of garment factories between Bangladesh and the Western world.
Nektarina (S)pace: This spring the planet reached 400 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere. Could you comment on that? Muhammad Faheem Faruq: When I read the article saying that we had reached the 400 ppm mark, I was disappointed. People have being fighting very hard to make sure we do not cross that mark. Scientists, activists, even campaigners like 350.org, have put a lot of effort to make people aware and take steps. 2012 was recorded as the 9th hottest year worldwide. This shows that what we are doing is not enough. Green solutions that are being implemented are not enough or we are not considering Earth’s natural process in the equation something that we are not aware of. If we have managed to reach 400ppm, and if there are no major changes in 81
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international policies regarding climate change soon, then passing 450ppm or 500ppm will be a matter of time and we cannot come back from that. For me honestly the constant reminder that our future generations asking us why we did not try stopping it.
Nektarina (S)pace: Many people tend to get involved in recycling, saving energy etc, but it is not enough to reduce the global carbon footprint. What would you say is needed to reduce global carbon footprint? Muhammad Faheem Faruq: A lot of things need to be done to reduce global
carbon footprint. Recycling, saving energy and other green methods helps if it is does cumulatively, something like an automated controlled industry. In reality mechanizing the entire society like that is not something I would want. However I feel we need to turn to extreme engineering and innovative technology if we want to solve this problem. Research is being done on renewable sources like solar or wind to make them more efficient although if we could turn the extra carbon we produce into an energy source, we may be able to reduce the footprint. Carbon capture techniques are slowly being implemented but they are being stored away. As an example say instead of burying C02 underground, use that as a source of energy and the output generated such as the exhaust must be environment-friendly as well. Science and technology must take another giant leap in advancement to help us combat the carbon footprint. Things like carbon trading will not help solve our problems and initiatives like these should not be considered.
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Nektarina (S)pace: What is next for you? What is next for BD Pollution?
Muhammad Faheem Faruq: What is next for me? By profession, I am an Electrical Engineer and would want to build my career. I have worked on a few green projects regarding the industrial sector and I would want to continue with that if the opportunity arises, this time expanding my knowledge in green engineering. As for BDPollution, I want it to become the largest source of environment news, reviews so forth of Bangladesh. I have been blogging for more or less 7 years and now I want to turn it into a social business. If it sustains well as a business, I will eventually use it and expand my horizons in helping other social causes as much as I can. If possible use the credibility to influence environment policies as well. BDPollution should become a brand which inspires and give people hope. It should encompass on strong beliefs and morals. One of which should be before asking someone to change their habit, changing oneself would be the first step. It should give people the realization of individual social responsibility, that one person has the power to make a difference.
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“Being young does not mean we are insignificant.�
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Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Youth Pacific Conference (4 - 9 July 2013) Thirty young Pacific islanders aged from 12 to 30 years old gathered in Nadi today to discuss issues close to their heart and envision the future they want. The President of Fiji, His Excellency, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, opened the five day workshop supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
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Youth as Partners in Sustainable Small Island Development Leaders, today you stand again to discuss the major issues affecting our island homes in search for solutions. We would like to ask one question: “How long have we been in this same place, discussing the same issues and promising the same solutions?� We all know it is hard to solve the issues our islands are facing, but if the leaders of today partner with the leaders of tomorrow we CAN ensure a sustainable future. We are 29 youth from 11 Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), of diverse backgrounds, passionate advocates of sustainable development and agents of change. We are striving towards positive transformation of the Pacific. We represent the Pacific youth voice in the SIDS process. We have gathered to articulate the future we want: an inclusive, peaceful, and healthy Pacific where young people are partners in sustainable small island development. Our journey towards our future has already begun. 95
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We have identified four issues that are important to enhancing sustainable development of our small islands and future generations of Pacific Islanders. These issues are access to a quality education, youth employment, health, and climate change. To effectively address them, we need a solid foundation of good governance and freedom of information, creating an enabling and inclusive environment, free from crime, violence and discrimination, that provides equal opportunities for all. We feel that it is important to explicitly mention the issue of violence and discrimination, as it is not something we can be quiet about – it happens right across the Pacific. We want governments of the Pacific to foster strong partnerships with all stakeholders to adhere to a human rights approach to achieve our sustainable development goals. This approach should be inclusive of young people with disabilities, rural and outer island youth, young people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity, young women and young men. Educated Youth for a Sustainable Future We, the Pacific youth, need access to affordable and holistic education, where we are provided with the tools from an early age to become critical thinkers, active learners, innovators and strong leaders. We want to see an educational environment that provides greater opportunities for us by being less limiting and more inclusive of people living with different abilities and interests, as well as those in rural areas and outer islands. In order to achieve this, we need a system that understands the uniqueness and diversity of our Pacific Island cultures and languages and the rapid changes of the world in order to fully prepare us to step up and be proactive about the future we will inherit 98
from you, our leaders. As we face a changing climate, it is extremely important that young people understand the challenges that come with this. We would like to see environmental issues brought to the fore in the school system to increase awareness of its effects and the role young people can play. We are committed to taking a more active role in the provision of community outreach programs.
An Employed Youth Population Contributing to Sustainable Futures It is not easy being young in the labour market today. Pacific youth face the challenge of having limited opportunities for decent work. A gap between capacity and opportunity exists even for young people with qualifications. Failure to provide opportunities perpetuates the vicious cycle of poverty, crime and violence that prevails in our societies today. We believe that continuous investment in youth development is central to sustainable futures. We call upon the public and private sectors, in both the formal and informal economies, to provide decent work for young people. This includes enabling policy environments to cater for young people of all abilities and to prevent all forms of discrimination. With access to finance, skills-building and training, young people can create their own opportunities for self-employment.
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Healthy Young People for a Sustainable Future We, as Pacific youth are concerned with three aspects of health: sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR); mental wellness; and physical health. Young people need to have stable and healthy lives to earn a living and contribute to Pacific island development. The SRHR issues that we face are sexually transmitted infections, HIV & AIDS, teenage pregnancy and sexual violence against women and children. Pacific cultures often prohibit sexual health and sexuality being discussed openly in families, communities and schools. There are also alarming rates of suicide among our youth population attributed to inadequate coping skills, poor emotional management and substance abuse. Furthermore, there are high rates of non-communicable diseases (NCD) that can be addressed by responding to behavioral risk factors that are present amongst youth. Young people need greater access to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health information and services. School curricula needs to incorporate both the social and biological aspects of SRHR at age-appropriate levels from preadolescence. Young people need safe spaces to be creative and artistic and to openly talk about their issues and views to foster healthy emotional development. Child, adolescent and youth nutrition needs to be urgently promoted to reduce the risk of NCDs, especially for islands that are more dependent on imported and unhealthy food. We would like to work with governments to: develop accepting and inclusive communities of care for all young people; overcome cultural barriers by 102
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developing and delivering peer education programs on sexual and reproductive health; and involve young people in carrying out communication strategies with our peers. Young Pacific Climate Change Warriors Pacific SIDS lie at the forefront of climate change impacts, sea-level rise, extreme weather patterns and ocean acidification, largely due to the continued burning of fossil fuels by developed nations. Young people in the Pacific need to be best equipped when responding to climate change because we live with its impacts. Children and youth have demonstrated an active role in climate change solutions even with limited resources. We believe creating a partnership with our governments, civil society, regional organizations, the private sector and donor agencies will enable us to contribute effectively to policy development and social mobilization at grassroots, national and regional levels. We can lead major educational and awareness activities using and preserving Pacific cultural knowledge and skills. While we acknowledge the efforts of our governments to tackle this global crisis, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management projects and policies must be inclusive of children, youth and persons with disabilities from the very beginning. We support the move towards better integration and coordination of state agencies to improve disaster risk management and climate change response. We need our countries to lead the way and move towards 100% renewable energy and invest in the creation of ‘green jobs’ for young people. The answers 106
to alternative sources of energy are already available. We believe that information about climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation measures should be made easily accessible and understandable through a variety of media forms. We will work to create a unified network of youth climate leaders in the region, continue with environmental advocacy in our schools and communities, and cooperate with governments and other stakeholders in leading climate solutions. We are part of the solution. In closing, we would like to share the following story told to the younger generation by the Toeaina (elders) of Tokelau.:
“The canoe is central to Tokelauan society. Every extended family has one. The canoe provides food and transport. Any family that has no canoe is considered destitute, and others will help until that family obtains one of their own. This canoe is considered the property of the whole extended family. Anyone who tries to own a canoe for his own private use is thought to have no love for his kin. So this canoe binds the family together as a unit. A canoe made of Kanava tree lasts for years and can be passed on from generation to generation. The person who sits at the end is a Ulu Hina (Grey Hair), a person who has knowledge in caring for his or her community, but the canoe is powered by the energy of the young people.� The story of the canoe reminds us about sustainable development. We are all family on this great canoe of the world, journeying together towards a better future. It sails under your guidance as we paddle with our passion. 107
STEVE McCURRY Celebrating Multiculturalism Through Photography
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's all in the eyes ... The face tells he history, but the eyes recount he latest chapter.“ Nick Adam 109
Born in Philadelphia in 1950, Steve McCurry studied cinema and history at The Pennsylvania State University. After working at a local newspaper for two years, he decided to go to India and compile his first real portfolio of travel pictures. After the publication of his first important work on Afghanistan, he began working for some of the world’s most prestigious magazines: Time, Life, Newsweek, Geo and National Geographic. Posted to a thousand war spots, such as Beirut, Cambodia, Kuwait, former Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan, Steve McCurry has always gone straight to the front line risking his life in order to witness the effects and consequences of conflict around the world. Member of Magnum since 1985, award-winning photo journalist Steve McCurry is the author of the famous report on the girl who became the worldwide icon of the Afghan conflict on the pages of National Geographic. Not only is Steve McCurry one of the greatest photography masters of this century, having several times won the World Press Photo Awards, a sort of Nobel Prize for photography, but he is also a model to be followed for a wide public, and especially young people, who through his photographs find a way of seeing our era and, in a sense, “recognize themselves”. Each portrait captures a complex universe of experiences, stories, emotions, pain, fears and hopes. “I have learned to be patient. If you wait long enough, people forget the camera and their soul begins to soar towards you”, says McCurry. A National Geographic veteran, always on the move, more often to be found in some parts of Asia than in America, Steve McCurry has made travel his way of life: “Because travel itself, learning about different cultures, gives me joy and gives me endless energy. www.stevemccurry.com 110
Steve McCurry is an American photojournalist best known for his photograph, "Afghan Girl" that originally appeared in National Geographic magazine.
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The exhibition “Steve McCurry. Viaggio intorno all’Uomo” displays over 200 photos, an anthology of McCurry’s entire production, with many of his most famous images. In a sort of “journey around man”, the exhibition opens with Discovery: a great gallery of portraits that McCurry’s lens has captured in the span of his long
experience, and continues to do so with every trip he takes. Among the
veils serving as the backdrops of this gallery, each visitor will be able to explore his own itinerary through a series of cross-references that join the many men and women from the furthest reaches of the Earth. Examining the traces of an even more rarefied human presence, we venture into the Vertigo of war, pain and fear, which McCurry has documented with the same emotional participation. In the fallowing room, the visitor will instead find a world of Poetry where man redeems himself, approaches nature and the spirit, and recovers the joy of living. Surprise and Wonder characterise the fourth section where we find the most curious and unexpected images where man regains the gaze of childhood and enchantment with life. The final leg of the “journey around man” will be Memory with the projection, hosted in the Magazzini della Cordicella, of a National Geographic documentary that tells the story of the search for Sharbat Gula, the little Afghan girl, twenty years after the meeting that gave birth to one of the most famous photographic images in the world.
The project The last roll with images taken using the last Kodak film, his recent trips to Cuba, Thailand and Myanmar, the spectacular series of images dedicated to Buddhism, a selection of photographs taken in his recent and numerous stays in Italy, in Venice, Sicily, Rome and L'Aquila. 113
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Flemming Br
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The Most Unknown Artist in the World By Bettina Fellov
Working in the gallery sometimes we really need to have out of the gallery experiences and we went for a cup of coffee at Flemming Brylle´s atelier and gallery. Flemming is 77 years old and a very charismatic man still going strong and still having the passion for art. Flemming Brylle studied at Academy for Free and Merkantile Art in 1955 and after his studies he has been working with sculptures, paintings and industrial design. He has had a huge amount of exhibitions and the latest public exhibition was in Galleri Aigu Bruxelles in Belgium. That is the reason why he calls himself “the most unknown artist 142
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of the world, a title I guess no one would challenge him to get. Since 1992 Flemming has been working with huge decoration tasks for international businesses – sculptures and industrial design. The art collection of Flemming
During Flemming Brylle´s career he has been very productive and he created a tremendous amount of art pieces. Art made for him created based on his muse, formerly his wife who was a costume designer and newly his girlfriend Merete educated an architect. Besides his muses he is inspired by his own diary notes made on canvas. Flemming Brylle´s pieces of art has been kept as personal belongings and has been stocked in a huge atelier in Dragør as he in sight wants to have his collection in one location or sold to an art collector. His collection consists of 510 paintings, 2000 sketches for projects, lithographs, bronze sculptures, industrial designs and intellectual rights to those pieces. Through Flemming Brylle´s art you will sense memories, experience and messages as you see he masters to change his way of working and his tools. Flemming does not want to be a frozen artist with a signature without content. That perception for own art has created his collection over the last 21 years. The passion working with renewal, explains the spontanous changes of styles and a complete lack of predictability in his work. “A freedom very few artist vouchsafed”, according to Flemming Brylle. ”Homo ludens”, the inner playing child. According to Flemming Brylle this child is the reason changing art styles from huge decorations with a good pay 145
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off to producing big paintings, smaller graphic art pieces, industrial works and heavy bronze sculptures. Asking Flemming Brylle how he kept so productive through all those years, he tells: “The opinion from the Academy; Flemming Brylle will definitely do the complete in everything he does though if it is of his interest. According to Flemming art has so many possibilities expressed in words, stretches, forms, colors, contents and messages. As a ”bon mot” or an expression in English of the good word, it is of Flemming´s opinion that art is the only thing that documents live.
Flemming Brylle has an enormous need of performing art and the muse of his life has been his wife Helga in more than 50 years and lately his girlfriend. To those women he has exposed his art to be confirmed in his performance, as Flemming says: “It is better having delusions of grandeur than false modesty”.
Flemming Brylle opens his house, atelier and gallery every Saturday and Sunday 1:00-4:00 pm or when having an appointment and he is selling out of his huge collection. Every month has a new theme, the theme for July is “Believe in metaphors and metaphors in believe in God”. As Flemming is still painting and still makes sculptures, the gene of his business is a bit worn. He works hard and often in his atelier that even selling his art does not reduce his stock as he produces art constantly. Talking with Flemming he accidently said; “It is not fortunate to be very potent if demand does not follow”.
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Following the footprints of Hector Sonon By Bettina Fellov Lene ElkjĂŚr and Hector Sonon (Benin) Photos Hector Sonon and Lene ElkjĂŚr.
Hector Sonon showed up in Galleri Art Fellov at the vernissage last months and deciding following his footprints I am now sitting at his table in a small and beautiful summerhouse. Hector Sonon is a famous cartoonist and illustrator from Benin in West Africa. His has received several awards and his career actually started winning a national drawing competition that Unicef arranged. He was then only 12 years old.
Talking about that competition, you clearly see the sparks in
Hectors eyes while telling about the experience being at national television with his drawings as a 12 year old boy.
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Hector is born in October 1970 in Cotonou in Benin in West Africa. He started his professional carrer in 1987 as an autodidact newspaper cartoons in the first independent newspaper in Benin “La Gazette du Golfe�. Hector has been working with satire in the press for more than 10 years. He has worked with Belgian, German, French and Italian NGOs with information - education, health, environment, water and hygiene campaigns, etc. Hector has worked with illustration of textbooks for Benin's Ministry of Education. Hector has released a series of comics and illustrated a number of children's and youth books. Latest publication is comic book 'Toubab or Not Toubab' (White man or white man ...) on the publisher Casterman, in Belgium in the autumn of 2012.
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Hector has received several international awards in Italy and Algeria Through Hectors career he has been working with his skill of drawing in many different ways, he has worked with NGO´s with information about education, environment, water, hygenics etc. Right now he is working on a campaign targeted at young girls and women to prevent too early pregnancies. Hector Sonon is engaged in social matters and politics and worked through his career with Italy, Begium and France to help supporting people in West Africa. He is particular interested in children´s education, water and through his drawing he sets focus on social matters that he thinks should be addressed.
Hector has work with illustrations of textbooks for Benin´s Ministry of Education. Hector Sonons latest publication is a comic book “Toubab or Not Toubab” (Whiteman or not white man..) which is based over a famous novel written by Jean-Claude Derey
I this period Hector Sonon I working on illustrating African jazz music as Copenhagen Jazz Festival is in July, and there will be a lot of African musicians in Copenhagen. You can read about Copenhagen Jazz Festival in the article about festivals.
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Benin Benin, the ancient kingdom of Dahomey, is situated in West Africa between Nigeria and Togo. It was one of the most powerful kingdoms in the 18th century in Africa during the reign of King Béhanzin with its formidable female warriors called Amazons. Like Ghana and Nigeria, Bénin practiced the slave trade with the Portuguese and the French who set up their posts along its coast at Ouidah in Porto-Novo and Cotonou.
Covering an area of 112,622 km2 with a population of 9 million people, it is composed of 40 ethnic groups speaking twenty different languages. The political capital is Porto-Novo. Colonized by France, Bénin achieved independence on 1st August 1960. In 1972, the country opted for a Marxist regime after the military coup. In 1990, Bénin became one of the first African countries to make a non-violent transition to a pluralistic democratic system. Bénin is also the land of voodoo, traditional worship still very present in the lives of Beninese people. It has been exported to Brazil, Haiti and Cuba with the deported slaves. Bénin is a secular country with three major religions: Christianity, Islam and voodoo. The Benin vibrates of a rich intellectual and artistic life. It’s also called the Latin Quarter of Africa. 168
Le Bénin Le Bénin, l’ancien Dahomey, est situé en Afrique de l’ouest entre le Nigéria et le Togo. Il a été l’un des plus puissants royaumes au 18ème siècle en Afrique sous le règne du roi Béhanzin grâce à ses redoutables guerrières appelées amazones. Comme le Ghana et le Nigéria, le Bénin a pratiqué la traite négrière avec les portugais et les français qui avaient installé leurs comptoirs le long de ses côtes à Ouidah à Porto-Novo et à Cotonou. D’une superficie de 112,622 km2 avec une population de 9 million d’habitants, il est constitué de 40 groupes ethniques parlant une vingtaine de différentes langues. Sa capitale politique est Porto-Novo. Colonisé par la France, le Bénin a obtenu son indépendance le 1er août 1960. En 1972, il change de régime et va opter pour le Marxisme après le coup d’état des militaires. En 1990 le Bénin est devenu l’un des tout premier pays africains à faire une transition non violente vers un système démocratique pluraliste. Le Bénin, c’est aussi la terre du vaudou, culte traditionnel toujours présent dans le quotidien des béninois et qui a été exporté au Brésil, en Haïti et à Cuba grasses aux esclaves déportés. Le Bénin est un pays laïc avec trois principales religions : le christianisme, l’islam et le vaudou. Le Bénin vibre d’une réelle vie intellectuelle et artistique très riche. On l’avait d’ailleurs surnommé le Quartier Latin de l’Afrique. 169
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Bettina Nada Fellov Life as an inspiration 178
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Bettina I never met Bettina. Not in real life, anyway. But she is like family to me. Her name is the same like the name of a small island town where I used to spend my summers with my grandfather and the rest of my family. There was something extremely comforting about those summers, and there is something equally comforting about Bettina. She is one of the strongest and bravest people I know, and one of the most gentle too. Not that long ago, when we agreed she would be the editor-at-large of Nektarina (S)pace, I asked her to send me a paragraph of her biography, and this is what she wrote:
Bettina Nada Fellov was born in Beiruth and grew up in Dragør a small village close to Copenhagen, Denmark. Bettina is graduated biologist from University of Copenhagen and in 2003 she finished her master in environmental management. Bettina has been working with non-profitable housing associations and municipalities in regards to environmental maintenance of housing areas covering tenants, householders and staff maintaining the housing areas. Through her work in housing areas Bettina discovered that formation of habits is based on cultural, educational and national background. Being ever curious Bettina has learned to the important question of understanding people: Why do you do like that? And the answers are almost always:
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I do like that as my family taught me to do so I don´t know I do like this to prevent infections, to prevent xxx
According to Bettina people inherit habits and often live with them without questioning them.. Changing habits is about understanding why people do as they do and showing the ways of another way of doing and presenting the gains of changing behavior. Besides working as consultant Bettina has newly opened Gallery ART Fellov, which you can follow in this magazine on a monthly basis. Bettina works as external censor at Metropol Højskolen in Copenhagen where she is censor in several semester and bachelor subjects as service management, health and safety management, catering management, environmental management, health communication etc. As volunteer work Bettina has lately been Chair at 10:10 Denmark though giving the seat to Echo Li Chajon Bettina still work for 10:10 Denmark being their treasurer. In her leisure time Bettina amongst other things enjoys teaching teenagers in cooking healthy food and has been writing poems for decades.
Bettina wrote many books, and one of them we are presenting in this issue.
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This manual outlines the practical management strategies of a project called “From A to Mimersgade Area”. The aim is to empower people to change consumer behaviour, to respect the environment and to integrate people across cultures and within different minority groups in today’s Danish society. Processing the project involved utilising different strategies and tools which will be presented to the reader in this document. The project “From A to Mimersgade Area” is a project aiming to work with employment, environment and integration simultaneously. The project is about educating unemployed women in environment friendly housekeeping and maintenance and sending the women back into their local areas to mediate the new knowledge to other families living there – in this case the area around Mimersgade in Copenhagen. Throughout this document “mediate” is defined as “to be the medium for bringing about a result or communicating information”, whilst “mediation” is used in the sense of “an intercession or friendly intervention, usually by consent or invitation” (Webster’s Dictionary). Giving the unemployed women training in environment friendly housekeeping and in communication resulted both in
behaviour changes
amongst the families the women visited and in giving the women a springboard to the job market or education system in Denmark. As many project managers, politicians and locals showed an interest in how to work with employment, integration and environment at the same time, I decided to write this manual.
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adomir Kujundzic he Age of Adriatic hoto essay
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July Events in Galleri ART Fellov 4th of July El Camino at 7:00-9:00 pm Are you considering having a trekking? For example a camino and do you want to prepare and know more about the practical stuff trekking, do you like listen to adventures and want inspiration? Anne-Marie Lauterbach Eilersen will tell about her experiences doing the El Camino in Spain and Portugal. Anne-Marie has trekked Camino France’s, 800 kilometres from France to North Italy, the trekking took 29 days. Camino Portugues from Lisbon through Portugal to Santiago de Compostelle, this Camino was 615 kilometres and took Anne-Marie 22 days.
6th of July at 3 pm. Launch of the underwater gallery with an opening speech. There will of cause be an opening speech though who is going to give it, we don´ t know yet. If there will be other speakers we don´t know either. One thing is for sure we will find out. The Underwater Gallery will be open every Saturday and Sunday in July at 3:00-6:00 pm.
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7th of July Paint workshop for children. galleri ART Fellov and Siuzanna Profeta are having a paint workshop for children between 5-10 years. Suzanna will teach and we will assist her. The children will learn about colors and how to plan and compose a painting. It is going to be a fun day, where the children can be creative and enter the color univers to bring proudly home their own piece of art. Materials and juice is included in the prize, though children should wear an old t-shirt or an apron in order to protect their close. 13th and 14th at 10:00-5:00 pm of July Flea market In the garden of Gallery Art Fellov we will have a flea market. You should be able to make a good bargain. We still have available stand at the prize of 300 DKK a day. It is possible to buy a cup of coffee, a bear or a soda and the children coming can use the trampoline and other toys.
25th of June An evening consisting of barbecue, socializing and having a cozy time. We will arrange barbecues in the garden though participants have to bring their own food. The gallery will arrange service, charcoal and whatever belongs to a barbercue event. It will be possible to buy beer, soda, coffee etc.
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Frida Vesterdorf
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Gallery Art Fellov will expand to the sea bed of the Sound with an underwater gallery. By Bettina Fellov Photos: Poul Hein
Having had our second vernissage some men asked us if the gallery was only for
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We tried to figure out how to get men exhibiting in the gallery and we called different artists though none of them could do an exhibition in July. Suddenly the phone rang and Jesper Kikkenborg was in the other end of the line. He had an idea, it was something about him painting under water in coorperation with Gallery ART Fellov, he asked us if we were interested and of cause we wanted to hear more. Thanks God - he said, he would come by within 15 minutes as our imagination ran away with us. Were we going to have a swimming pool in the garden, an aquarium or what was it all about? Jesper Kikkenborg is an underwater artist and did paint under water before, Jesper ahs been painting professionally for many years. Besides underwater artist Jesper Kikkenborg is a film and tv photographer alson underwater and he is educated marine biologist. Arriving Jesper Kikkenborg told us that he wanted to try to paint oil paintings underwater on the Sea Bed of the Sound 216
and asked us what we thought about expanding the gallery to an underwater gallery in July. Then we could take up the paintings from the sea, dry them and do an exhibition with those paintings in August in Gallery ART Fellov. It only took one second to decide, of cause we want to expand to an underwater gallery. What a great idea. Quiet simple idea and easy to pull off until, our creativity started to take over.
Having an underwater gallery, it should be possible to snorkel to the gallery if anyone wanted to meaning that the placement of the gallery was very important as we needed people to access the gallery without risks of being run over by boats. Talking about people snorkeling we got the idea of streaming the underwater gallery to a screen so people could see the gallery without going into the water. Having a streaming why not, make the streaming worldwide, so people all over could follow the magic of painting under the water. Life streaming worldwide is at this point possible though not yet knowing how it might be with commercials or maybe without, though we are still working on the solution that would not mean pay per view for you or for us. At this point we do not know where it ends though we will stream worldwide
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First of all we had to build our website to have a platform to the stream and not only a website but a full website in Danish and English. Calling VizArt Profilizing, a company designing websites explaining the project and asking them if they would help pro bono they accepted. So website was solved though we still had to do all texts. Next step was graphics we needed a banner to promote the happening and a sign on the harbor so people can see where the event takes place. We called KLS Grafiske Hus A/S and asked them if they would help us out and we succeeded having a banner and a sign, pro bono. 217
Knowing KLS Grafiske Hus from before we knew they would provide the high class sustainable solutions and we wanted to do the work as sustainable as possible. Now calling the Mayor of Dragør, Allan Holst, to see if we could have some support for the marketing as we still needed to figure out how to stream the event, we got a small amount that could cover half of the streaming. Another partner agreed to lend us a screen for people on the harbor to follow the underwater gallery without having to swim or snorkel to the gallery.
Starting promoting the event we did a test to have photos for the press and to make sure that it would be possible to paint under water. Jesper Kikkenborg and his father Erik Kikkenborg worked for days to prepare cameras, painting gears, diver equipment etc. Poul Hein our local photographer agreed once again to help out taking the photos and Amanda Fellov and Simon KjĂŚr Bjerg came as volunteers to test if it was possible to snorkel around the underwater gallery. Having tested conditions according to our event with the underwater painting we adjusted a lot and realized we needed to have a plan for when media can come and do underwater photos as people snorkeling around the water would whirl sand and seaweed from the bottom of the sea and thereby reduce visibility underwater.
Having asked Simon KjĂŚr Bjerg to test the snorkeling we suddenly remembered that Simon works in a computer store and is quiet good with computer stuff so he supported us with advice about streaming which has been a great help.
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We are working on worldwide streaming with advice from Simon, we are working on performing and hopefully we will find a solution with or without commercials broadcasting. We will see. Anyway we will do whatever to broadcast worldwide. Everything set we could send out the first press release and having Dragør Yacht Club on board we also had a place to hang up information and a place to host our screen to public to follow the underwater painting. We even managed to get help from our local carpenter Kim Grønning to set up the sign at Dragør Yacht Club and to take it down again after the event. Kim Grønning even offered his help setting up a banner in the garden of Gallery ART Fellov.
Though we ran into a problem, according to rules private initiative and companies are not allowed to hang up banners in properties belonging to the
municipality,
so
we
had
nowhere
to
hang
our
banner.
Having a debate for 10 minutes to find a solution on that problem we decided to dig some posts down in the garden of the gallery as the gallery is situated on the main street of Dragør and many people and tourist will pass. All planned we are ready to perform with huge help from our friends and local stakeholders and as Camila Lærke Lærkesen offered her help as press coordinator we are working to do a script how to handle the press and how to handle the event. Solvej Lind volunteered to be in charge in Dragør Yacht Club where the screen will be standing. Thanking everyone who helped us out, an underwater gallery and atelier was planned and will be executed in less than 4 weeks. 219
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Art in the Sound By Bettina Fellov
As he really loves doing art he made one painting for a start standing on the bed of the Sound it can´t be more profound He choose to paint a single eye watch it when revealed in sky painted by colors in a net out of sea the eye was wet The eye just has to be dry though it didn`t even cry it was a day full of joy paint, a latter and a buoy
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Festivals By Bettina Fellov
Summertime means festivals and in Denmark we have a lot of different festivals. Some festivals are about art, some are about Vikings or historical events and some are about music. Festivals are very different in size, some like a huge garden party and others gather thousands of people.
Torslunde Festival is a very small festival and is only 13 years old. I have been going to that festival many times as it is a small and cozy festival. Torslunde festival started with an idea of throwing a huge garden party and the funders Søren Larsen and Helle Gammelgaard had been out listening to some music with some friends with whom they got the idea of throwing a huge garden party where every one of the four implicated could invite 50 people each. Having the image of the garden party they started to find musicians that could play and Eyvind Starch from Norway became one of the first hired musicians and he came back year after year to play at Torslunde Festival.
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The recipe for doing Torslunde was in the beginning a field which belonged to a local farmer, Henrik Hansen, a tent, beers and 2-3 bands playing music, and in the beginning the four of them were cooking chili con carne for their guests. Nowadays the festival expanded to be over two days and with music both days and several more bands and there are 500 guests on Fridays and on Saturdays. As the festival grew the intiators had to outsource some of the task to make the festival running and local sausage bar bring a food stand every year and the local village association of Thorslunde has taken over barbercue and that stand is manned with volunteers. Jimmy Strandberg, one of the owners of a local catering and teambuilding company called “Kogekonerne� meaning cooking wives, works as volunteer with his partners to cook food to all the festival guests.
The whole community is actually involved some works to set up tents, some works to manage the bars and there is a backstage crew and the children and young teenagers are responsible for selling the tickets.
Being at Torslunde Festival this year I got the experience of listening to hard rock played by Alex Nyborg Madsen Band, Blues by Hard Barging Blues Band and pop-dance music by Moonjam. Loving all three kind of music it is easy to have the feeling of winning in the lottery. Hard Barging Blues Band has for a while been the house orchestra of Torslunde and do take over in a small stage when there is a change of band on the huge stage. You can sense the locals gathering around the house orchestra and they really do the blues so it is impossible to stand still. The very close contact with the audience and the desire to lift the traditional blues a bit up according to mood terms has 228
developed this extrovert kind of blues to what could be called urban-blues. The nerve of Hard Barging Blues Band is clearly funky and shaky though not corny or damaged and the experience and skills of the band are expressed in a way leaving room for enthusiasm.
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Roskilde Festival In this summer 30th June to 7th of July Roskilde festival will be going on. Roskilde Festival is the biggest Festival in Northern Europe and have around 100.000 guests gathered in tent camps around the many staged from which music will float constantly. Roskilde is also in a field though the size of the field is 1,576,000 m2. In Roskilde there are 600 camping squares with approx. 100 tents and 10 pavilions. Roskilde is really professionalized and even then the festival has organized itself counting 32,000 local volunteers. Roskilde has a good reputation nationally and internationally and as the world´s most famous artists often play their music at Roskilde Festival it is well visited. Amongst musicians sharing their music in Roskilde this year are Rihanna from US, Kraftwerk from Germany, Metallica from US, Volbeat from Denmark and many, many other bands. For more bands follow the link: http://roskilde-festival.dk/music
Roskilde Festival is not just a music and culture festival, Roskilde Festival is a nonprofitable organization which values is based on social responsibility that seems to be most important part of their DNA.
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Roskilde Festival has been working with environment strategically since the beginning of the 90s and have been expanding the environmental work with sustainability. Through many year Roskilde has been measuring the festival´s consumption of water, electricity, garbage, deposits on bottles and the sorting of waste in fractions. In the 90s Roskilde implemented a deposit for plastic beer mugs and cans and they established their own train station in order for people to arrive to the festival easily. Roskilde festival 2013 focuses on sustainability within several subjects e.g. Food, transport, waste, LED light, audience activity and art and the festival have an Sustainable Zone. In regards to food they developed a new ecolabel for temporary events meaning
more
local
commodities
and
less
food
waste.
According to transportation Roskilde Festival owns 32 electric vehicles and has set up common transportation from Norway and Sweden for guests. In 2013 Roskilde also initiated a carpooling program. Waste is collected in corporation with audience in “Your Clean Camping� which is a happening and competition between different camps in Roskilde. Camps cleaning up their area will daily be rewarded with beer and the most cleaned camp in the period from Sunday to Wednesday will be rewarded with a party, beer and a DJ.
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According to consumption of electricity Roskilde do have LED-lights. On Sustainable stage the light is 100% LED cutting down 70% of the consumption of electricity on that scene. All scenes in Roskilde do use LED-light. At The Sustainable Zone at Roskilde Festival, they work together with Technical University of Denmark focusing on innovation within sustainable solutions as frying oil generator, from urine to electricity, bio cooling and how to establish a waste fraction called screws. This short introduction to two festivals in Denmark and having Copenhagen Jazz Festival coming up in July, I will keep in the loop of festivals in the next issue, as I want to report, how Roskilde Festival´s sustainable program functions in practice with 100.000 people at the scene.
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Projects we like:
Pimp My Pump Pimp My Pump is an aristic urban initiative in Zagreb, Croatia, where a group of urban artists is “re-doing� old (usable) water pumps. You can see more of their creativity and find out more about the project on their Facebook page.
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Using the local area as food chamber By Bettina Fellov
Living by the coastline I always used the marsh as my food chamber and as my free store of herbs. As it is season for harvesting in the marsh in the Nordic countries, I am letting you in some of the thing I use to harvest during summer. First of all there´s the flowers of camille. I used to harvest the flowers of health reasons as camille has an antiseptic effect. While my kids were small I have been using camille to prevent inflammation in their mouth while teeth growing. I made gaze covers for red bottoms and I made bath for my children to prevent inflammation when their skin were sour and camille I have been using for rinsing the eyes of my children when they got sty. Nowadays I still harvest camille occasionally using camille to gaze covers if I got any wounds and for rinsing my eyes. Not having Camille in house I sometime use thymes especially for bathing kids and in periods having a flu or a cold, thyme the seems to help drinking it with lemon juice and miel. The elderflower season is the one I really love. Elderflower juice taste wonderful, it has the flavor of summer and dipping the flowers in pancake batter and eating only the flowers after being fried is a mouthful of heaven. Elderflower recipes can be found on the internet. Plantain I started using from my garden and later on I collected plantains in woods, meadows or marches. I only use plantain in dips for chips or boiled new 254
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potatoes. When mixing plantain with sour cream, salt and pepper, and a few drops of lemon it tastes really good. The Mirabella plum is not at all ready yet though they can even be used green when pickling them with oil, garlic, chili or other spices they can be used instead of olives, actually a kind of Nordic olive. If you live long away from a march or meadows, you might have a wood or park in your neighborhood and you could collect different weeds from there and even bring them back to your balcony and grow them there. Last week I went to a park with my daughter as she wanted to collect plantain, nettles and ground elder. The nettles and the ground elder she is going to use instead of spinach in salmon pies, as steamed spinach and in lasagnas and the ground elder she will use for pesto instead of basil. She wanted to take all weeds to grow on her balcony as she could save money and she is starting to practice to become a poor student.
Actually in Denmark there is a website where people can share information about nature as food chamber and even in Copenhagen there is a lot of food in the city parks. http://urbanagriculture.dk/?p=832
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Biljana Ilic: My o Photo
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own private garden, Essay
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Hands on laundry By Bettina Fellov
I never met a person that loved doing the laundry though I met several people who had different opinions about how to do the laundry. There are so many aspects of doing your laundry and I will share my consideration about the process. First of all it is about the washing machine, there are several things to consider buying or using the washing machine. As cold water washing powder is available on the market it is a good idea to choose a washing machine that can adjust water temperature to at least 10 or even 0 degrees. That could contribute to saving energy, reduce CO2 emission and even save money. Maybe cold water washing powder is not available in all countries but as existing it will find its way to all countries. Secondly it is a good idea to examine if it is possible to adjust centrifugation as wind and sun can be used to dry your laundry outside. And reducing revolutions of centrifugation will mean reducing electricity consumption saving money and diminish CO2 emission. The last consideration it is to look at the overall energy and water consumption and for sure you can find machines in your neighborhood with energy labels or energy arrows if not you can examine energy and water consumption and compare different washing machines. Having a functioning washing machine there some tricks to maintain the washing machine, so it will work better and longer: 286
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→ Washing clothes at low temperatures it prevents bacteria growth in the machine if you occasionally choose to wash at higher degrees than 60°C. → Remember depending of the hardness of the water in your local area to descaling your washing machine the cheapest way might be to add colorless acetic acid in the soap draw or directly in the machine. Do not add too much as your laundry will smell like pickles. Using a little vinegar in every machine you wash, according to my experience, the clothes feel softer and you might not feel the need of fabric softener. → Drying of the rubber ring at the door after each wash would retain it for a longer time. → The lack of water supply to the washing machine often result in people calling for experts to solve, though often it is caused to the tap to be calcified and just needs to be open and closed for many times to loosen up the calcification. Having your water installation with a ball-o-fix, according to my experience that is the same, find the tool that fits the ball-o-fix and do the open-close gymnastics and see if that would solve your problem. By the way it is the same procedure with dish washing machines and toilets that suddenly lacks water. At least try it first, if it does not work then it might be time to get help. → In all washing machines there is a welt filter, the one we know about when buying a washing machine and reading the manual and the one we always forget operating our washing machines. As I lack the gene of cleaning the welt filter, I discovered that my clothes even with high centrifugation were still quiet wet. Consulting the manual 288
of washing machines there were a guide to clean the welt filter and according to own experience clothes in the machine gets better centrifuged cleaning the welt filter monthly. →When choosing washing powder, it is possible to choose washing powder that is concentrated, meaning that instead for example a three kilo package it is possible to buy 1 kilo package concentrated meaning that consequently energy spend transporting washing powder from the factory to any house hold can be diminished and thereby have an effect on CO2 emission from the means of transport.
In the consideration choosing washing powder there is the possibility amongst other possibilities to choose: - washing powders having eco label - cold water washing powder - washing powder without perfume
Other issues not addressed in this article though will be addressed in later issues is the chemical content of washing powders.
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Links & Image Sources
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php? fbid=487747411299749&set=a.272658686141957.63954.272308546176971&type =1&ref=nf https://www.facebook.com/photo.php? fbid=386004744837945&set=a.162734817164940.27911.129370207168068&type =1&theater https://www.facebook.com/photo.php? fbid=600963979937052&set=a.545133395520111.131122.212514318782022&typ e=1&theater http://zachmyrow.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/myrow-think-before-youprint1.png https://www.facebook.com/photo.php? fbid=10153115493675107&set=a.188069385106.246713.178362315106&type=1& theater
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