The Word Magazine - March-April 2008 by The Word Magazine

volume 01 1 — issue 02 0

Ç ;G::

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

lifestyle Walking-the-walk

fashion Paper or plastic

Do not throw on the public domain.

belgium You say potato

— the green revolution issue —

design Materialize it

culture Plane Simple

Editor's Letter

Conventional wisdom would have it that a green-themed issue be accompanied by the customary global warming-scare talk and allround green fatigue. If you’re anything like us though, the mere mention of terms such as organic, bio, fair-trade and many others has you running for the nearest “eco-protection” pod. Indeed, their overuse and exploitation has been blatant, and, we believe, calls for a fresh perspective to be brought to the topic.

The Word Magazine Is Nicholas Lewis Editor-at-large Hettie Judah Design delphine dupont + pleaseletmedesign Photography Yassin Serghini Geneviève Balasse Erwin Borms Opération Panda

And fresh this issue is. The Word being The Word, don’t expect to read about DIY composting and “don’t print this email” campaigns; we don’t know about the former and, sorry folks, but rather laugh at the latter. Surely, we thought, we can do better. We, as a magazine, can look at the issue in a different light, presenting it in the forwardlooking, sexy and encouraging way it is evolving. Especially so in Belgium.

Writers Hettie Judah Stéphanie Duval Jacques Moyersoen Julien Mourlon Collette Hutchinson Géraldine Van Houte Mariola Heslop Séverine Vaissaud Nicholas Lewis

Bringing us to The Green Revolution issue. In the following pages, we meet a fashion designer who puts our seemingly green lifestyles to shame and discuss the importance of food provenance with passionate culinary types. We go vintage shopping in Antwerp, report on champion of the small and vulnerable Les Petits Riens and meet a design company revolutionising R&D. For the second in our “eyeopener” series, we asked photographer Olivier Cornil to capture his vision of Belgian pollutions of all kinds whilst for our fashion series, we pit the matt against the glossy, the subtle against the shiny and the bland against the bling.

Thank you’s Benoit Berben Alex Boshkai & Jen Paul Coerten Alex Delforce Christophe Derenne Tanguy du Monceau Antoine Geerinckx Benoit Lechat Anita Lixel Monika Mischalik Andy Round Vincent Vanhaleweyn

For those of you who still haven’t done so, remember to subscribe online at www.thewordmagazine.be/readers/subscribe to receive The Word’s every issue delivered at home. Or simply ﬁ ll-in, tear-up and post us the subscription form on page 77. You can also send me an email at n.lewis@thewordmagazine.be to ask for the magazine, tell us how much you love it or, better yet, if you have a party you’d like to invite us to… Keep wording wordsters. Nicholas Lewis.

The Word is published 6 times a year by Jampublishing SPRL, 107 Rue Général Henry Straat, 1040 Brussels Belgium.

Reproduction, in whole or in part, without prior permission is strictly prohibited. All stockist and price information is correct up to the time of going to press. The publishers cannot be held liable for any changes in this respect after this date.

On this cover Self Explanatory

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Contents Page

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Cover The Green Revolution Ad Lee Make History Ad Lee Make History Ad Zanotta Editor’s letter. No2. Contents Page No1 You’re Looking at it Ad San Pellegrino Contents Page No2 The page after this one. Ad ING The Diary Our Pick of Agenda Fillers The Diary Our Pick of Agenda Fillers - Belgium The Diary Our Pick of Agenda Fillers - Belgium The Diary Our Pick of Agenda Fillers - Belgium The Diary Our Pick of Agenda Fillers - Netherlands Ad Vlaams Radio Orkest The Diary Our Pick of Agenda Fillers - UK The Diary Our Pick of Agenda Fillers – UK Belgium The Green Papers Belgium The Green Papers Around Your Way The Green Mile Around Your Way The Green Mile Around Your Way The Green Mile Ad Aspria In Word The Magazine Trail In Word The Magazine Trail In Word The Magazine Trail Ad Ehsal Ed & Pat’s Greening the Women Ed & Pat’s Greening the Women Ed & Pat’s Greening the Women Ed & Pat’s Greening the Women Ed & Pat’s Greening the Women Ad Avakian Three of the Best Compressible Plastic Bottles Three of the Best Compressible Plastic Bottles The Institution Potato Man Potato Man The Institution Paper or Plastic The Fashion Word Paper or Plastic The Fashion Word The Fashion Word Paper or Plastic Paper or Plastic The Fashion Word Paper or Plastic The Fashion Word Paper or Plastic The Fashion Word Paper or Plastic The Fashion Word Paper or Plastic The Fashion Word Paper or Plastic The Fashion Word Paper or Plastic The Fashion Word Money Laundering Green Fashion Green Fashion Money Laundering Money Laundering Green Fashion

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Contents Page

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

Ad Frey Wille Vintage Shopping Top Tier Second Hand Vintage Shopping Top Tier Second Hand Vintage Shopping Top Tier Second Hand Vintage Shopping Top Tier Second Hand Cosmetics Beauty & The Green Cosmetics Beauty & The Green Cosmetics Beauty & The Green Ad Volvo Essential You Can’t See the Forest for the Trees Essential You Can’t See the Forest for the Trees Essential You Can’t See the Forest for the Trees Essential You Can’t See the Forest for the Trees Report What are You Hiding? Report What are You Hiding? Report What are You Hiding? Ad Tamarind Foods The Design Word Green Like a Laser Beam The Design Word Green Like a Laser Beam The Design Word Green Like a Laser Beam Ad Conrad Hotels Round Table Don’t Bite it, Fight it Round Table Don’t Bite it, Fight it Round Table Don’t Bite it, Fight it Round Table Don’t Bite it, Fight it Advertorial The Word & World Class Ad The Word Cross Border London’s Green Scene Cross Border London’s Green Scene The Word on the Street Dimitri Carez The Word on the Street Dimitri Carez The Word on the Street Dimitri Carez The Word on the Street Dimitri Carez The Word on the Street Dimitri Carez The Word on the Street Dimitri Carez www.thewordmagazine.be Ad The Word & Marriott Advertorial Damaged Goods Eye-Opener Damaged Goods Eye-Opener Damaged Goods Eye-Opener Damaged Goods Eye-Opener Damaged Goods Eye-Opener Damaged Goods Eye-Opener Advertisers Round-Up Advertisers Round-Up The Last Word Paper or Plastic? Plastic and Paper! The Last Word Paper or Plastic? Plastic and Paper! The Last Word Paper or Plastic? Plastic and Paper! Peugeot Ad Samsonite Ad

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The Diary

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The Diary

Our Pick of Agenda-Fillers

Belgium, poses four “poles” around which to enjoy the various events: Pure Energy, Independent People, Bad Tastes and Sagas…

Regional Expression

Drawing on a wide range of historical and contemporary works of art, the exhibition presents a raw-and-uncut view of Wallonia from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. Curated by renowned MAC director Laurent Busine, the exhibition showcases his own personal account of what “his Wallonia” is to him. At a time when the region seems to be lagging behind it’s artier and more dynamic northern neighbor, we gladly welcome any opportunity to learn a tad more about the country we live in and the historical background it is steeped in.

Iceland on the edge À From 15th February 2008 until 15th June 2008 ☞ Centre for Fine Arts & Ancienne Belgique, Brussels

www.bozar.be

The in-betweeners

Quantic Soul Orchestra, Het Depot (Leuven) - 22nd March 2008 Quantic do nu-funk, and they do it well. Four words: not to be missed. www.hetdepot.be

Welcome to the Edge

From Vikings and trolls to Bjork and giant geysers, Iceland is an oddity of a country, combining the most unforgiving of climates with an energetic and dynamic cultural scene. Bozar’s Icelandic festival puts these attributes on display, focusing especially on the tiny island’s considerable contribution to the arts: dance, cinema, literature and music. The exhibition does a good job of linking the island’s pure and unspoiled natural landscape to its contemporary culture and pro-

Visual Titbits

If we had to choose between a DVD-night or a club night, chances are we’ll opt for the former (although we’ll probably give-in to the urge of going-out later in the evening after all…). Brussels’ Short Film Market, showcasing all there is to see in, you’ve guessed it, short films, is the perfect occasion to gear up for a good night (or even a couple of days if you so wish) of visual goodness. With an international and national competition for fiction and animated movies as well as screening of grandees such as Kusturica and Polanski’s first steps, all we now need is our bucket of popcorn.

www.abconcerts.be

Treasures old and new from Wallonia À Until 18th May 2008 ☞ Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels

11th edition of the Short Film Market À From 25th April 2008 until 4th May 2008 ☞ Cinema Vendôme, Petit Théâtre Mercelis and Place Fernand Cocqplaats, Brussels

www.courtmetrage.be

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The Diary

www.labelle-exhibition.com

An emotionally-charged experience for the artist himself, this exhibition retraces his voyage in search of lost childhood memories. Beginning his trip in Istanbul, Philip Herbet crossed the black Sea in an ancient Ukrainian cargo ship arriving in Odessa to continue his long-winding eastern journey. Ukraine, Russia, Byelorussia and Kazakhstan all form the basis for this study of some sort which embarks the viewers on a journey of their own. Being big fans of photography, and having a thing or two about what the eastern part of Europe has to offer, we’re convinced this one will only help to increase our sense of intrigue and amazement.

Art World Juggernaut

Following on from the success of its 25th edition last year, Artbrussels is back with a vengeance. A wider mix of galleries, a stronger selection of work and a growing offering of off-theradar, satellites initiatives, make this year’s edition the de facto art world rendez-vous. From London’s Albion to New York’s Luxe and Brussels’ Crown galleries, this is a must for all you art-consuming, Saatchidreaming, opening-party-going arty-types out there.

www.artexis.com/ artbrussels/home.htm

Peat, salt and moondust À From 22nd February 2008 until 29th March 2008 ☞ Aeroplastic Contemporary, Brussels

www.aeroplastics.net

Artbrussels À From 18th April 2008 until 21st April 2008 ☞ Brussels’ Expo, Brussels

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Salt City

Whilst some artists are easily classifiable into art categories, others simply don’t fit into any of these preconceived moulds. Khan & Selesnick are of the latter type. Their work can only be described as being at the crossroads between photography, painting, sculpture and ingenuity. They tend to shoot large-scale, intricate landscapes, obtaining a certain atmosphere in their photographs more usually associated with films. We like things that don’t quite fit in and their work is no exception.

Labelle À From 11th April 2008 until 13th April 2008 ☞ ACB Factory, Brussels

Art Gives you Wings

Wow, is the only word we seemed able to utter when we got word of this new initiative. Bringing together an extremely well-curated selection of fashion and furniture designers, illustrators, food stylists, painters and photographers’ work, Labelle’s main aim is to promote and support young and local talent. Going further than your usual culture for the masses exhibitions, standardized furniture and clothes sold by the kilo, Labelle gives, before anything else, priority to creativity, passion and beauty. With ofﬁce favorite Pol Quandens and photography wiz-kid Olivier Cornil exhibiting their latest work, this is one you’re sure to see us at!

Festival Belgikolor, Atelier 210, 28th March Organised by the people behind the Laid-Back radio show, this night promises to bring a much-needed breath of fresh air to Brussels’ cultural scene. On the menu: live paintings, DJ’s, exhibitions… and a pound of funk. www.belgikolor.be

Eastern Promise

Eastern Rhizome, Philippe Herbet À From 12th March 2008 until 27th April 2008 ☞ Espace Contretype, Brussels

www.contretype.org

The Diary

Paul Klee – Theatre here, there and everywhere À From 1st March 2008 until 11th May 2008 ☞ Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels

www.diamantmuseum.be

www.momu.be

An Artful Sickness

Looking at the causes of sicknesses and the effects they have on people and their social lives, the exhibition brings an artistic perspective to a deep-meaning question: what is sickness? Drawing on the likes of Ensor, Spilliaert and Dumas, it approaches a complex and sometimes slightly high-browed subject in the most expressive of ways. From headaches and syndromes to diseases and social stigmas, the exhibition gives an arty and original take on the most uncommon of themes.

Fiestival Maelstrom, Espace Senghor, 4th and 5th April 2008 Two-day jamboree of poetry, slam, literature and music in the heart of the European quarters. Opening night includes a screening of award-winning documentary “Attikamekws Identities”, directors Corentin Adolphy and Gaetan Saint-Remy’s thought-provoking feature on the plight of Amerindians in Quebec. www.senghor.be

Diamond Divas À From 11th April 2008 until 8th June 2008 ☞ Antwerp Diamond Museum, Antwerp

Diamonds in the Rough

With this prestigious exhibition, the Antwerp Diamond Museum invites visitors to enjoy remarkable jewellery once owned by some of the greatest divas of all time. Worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Elisabeth Taylor or Nicole Kidman in fi lms, during award ceremonies or on the red carpet, these diamonds were flown in from prestigious private collections, world renowned auction houses and museums. In true Hollywood style, the presentation is inspired by classic movies like High Society and To Catch a Thief. Rarely-seen diamonds worn by Hollywood’s fi nest...what more could a woman want?

Moi, Veronique. Branquinho, Toute Nue À From 12th March 2008 until 17th August 2008 ☞ Antwerp Fashion Museum, Antwerp

www.bozar.be

Bare Naked

Véronique Branquinho graduated from the Royal Academy of Antwerp in 1995. She presented her first women’s collection in Paris in 1997, with her men’s collection debuting in 2003. A flagship store in Antwerp quickly followed, and it is now hard to imagine a Belgian fashion scene without her. For the past 10 years, she has surprised everyone with her singular take on fashion. Now, Antwerp’s Fashion Museum dedicates a retrospective to the designer’s work. Through a combination of film, photography and music, the exhibition is the opportunity to take a sneak peek into the magical and ambiguous world of the designer. A must for any selfrespecting fashionistas out there.

Accepted Kleetectic

Accepted Kleetectic Part of Bozar’s international program of bringing to light innovative and singular figures of 20th century modern art, the centre’s Paul Klee’s exhibition is a fitting tribute to one of the most forward-thinking artist of his time. The fi rst major retrospective of its kind in Belgium for the past 60 years, the exhibition mostly presents the artist’s work in which his love of shows – be them opera, theatre or puppet ones – can be witnessed. Perfect for those Sunday afternoon family outings!

Sick. Between body and mind À Until 27th April 2008 ☞ Museum Dr. Guislan, Ghent

www.tussenlichaamengeest.be

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The Diary

…Belgium,

The Netherlands

National Pride

www.design.museum.be

14 — THE SECOND WORD

www.vangoghmuseum.com

Access is the Key

Photography books sections always seem to be our ﬁ rst port of call upon entering an art book shop. And, in the past year, American photographer Taryn Simon’s recent book - An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar - was the only one that seemed to stand out from the lot, in our view at least. Gaining access to some of the most bizarre and conspiracyinspiring American places from JKF Kenny’s Contraband Room to a Research Marijuana Crop Grow Room in Mississippi – Simon combines ﬁ ne art photography and photojournalism to present some of the most intriguing prints we’ve seen in a while. A must! Taryn Simon – An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar À From 18th January 2008 until 6th April 2008 ☞ Foam Gallery, Amsterdam

www.foam.nl

www.abconcerts.be

Nedda El-Asmar: Bare Essence À From 9th February 2008 until 27th April 2008 ☞ Design museum Gent, Belgium

John Everett Millais (1829 – 1896) À From 15th February 2008 until 18th May 2008 ☞ Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Antipop Consortium, Ancienne Belgique, 14th April 2008 Part of AB’s Domino ’08 festival – which highlights the alternative, lesser known and less obvious genres in music – Antipop descend on Brussels with West coast rapper Busdriver. Renowned for their heavy bass lines productions, smoky lyrics and dark vibes, Antipop is experimental hip-hop at its best.

In our previous issue, we talked about Design Flanders and its relentless pursuit of the promotion of Flemish design. Well, one of its protégés, Nedda El-Asmar, has just been named Belgian Designer of the Year for 2007, and rightly so we say. With commissions from the likes of Hermes, Gense and Puiforcat under her belt, the silversmith-come-designercome-artist has been rewriting the rules of jewelry designing ever since graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. We told you we loved her work and we continue to do so. This one most deﬁnitely has our vote.

Brotherly Love

From time-to-time, we like to escape from the madness of the contemporary art world for the serenity and conﬁdence of the old classics. And that is exactly what to expect from Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum’s John Everett Millais exhibition. The leading painter of the PreRaphaelite Brotherhood, Millais was reputed for advocating a return to simplicity at a time when the Renaissance had all put rejected the principle, making him somewhat of an unlikely ‘enfant terrible’. Now, him and the Brotherhood are feted for their back-to-basics approach. We always said less is more.

The Diary

& United Kingdom.

Movement Grandees

When art is an expression of certain persons’ outlook on life, the result can sometimes be fraught of subjectivities, distorted judgements and, put simply, bad taste. Not so for the Dada movement, created by artist Marcel Duchamp, photographer Man Ray and painter Francis Picabia. The movement’s artistic expression revolved around jokes, a sense of irony, iconoclastic gestures and a sometimes coded interest in sexual relations and erotica, which the exhibition does a good job of bringing to light. With some of the work on show in Europe for the ﬁrst time ever, a trip to London wouldn’t be complete without a quick stop at London’s Southwark station, home to Tate Modern.

Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia À From 21st February 2008 until 26th May 2008 ☞ Tate Modern, London

Mind the Gap

We love initiatives whose principal aim is to bridge a gap between two worlds. And “Brussels meets Brighton” does just that, bringing together art collectives from London, Brighton and Brussels. Held in London Bridge’s membersonly The Shunt Lounge, this showcase brings together a range of multimedia artists from Brussels, Brighton and London for what is guaranteed to be a melting-pot of cross-border creations, collaborations and improvisations. Live music, puppetry, video and sound installations, photography and slam poetry are amongst the many artistic techniques celebrated at this week-long gathering. The ﬁ rst of its kind, we can only hope these “gettogether-improvise-and-create” jamborees will one day actually cross the border and settle in Brussels for a week…

www.tate.org.uk

Cartoon Characters

It seems London’s art scene is being overtaken by an undercurrent of idiosyncrasies, absurdities and playfulness. And Barry Reigate’s ﬁrst London solo show is no exception. Reputed for his stupidly funny sculptures, paintings and drawings, Reigate presents riotous and carnivalesque work sure to awaken the sternest of souls. Steeped in personal emotion – Reigate was taught to paint and draw by his father, who made cartoons and drawings as a means to communicate with his children when in prison – whilst not afraid to laugh at himself, we love Reigate’s work as it exudes a child-like impulsiveness we only wish we still could allow ourselves to have. Happiness À 14th March 2008 until 20th April 2008 ☞ Paradise Row, London

www.paradiserow.com

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'Brussels Meets Brighton: The Meta-Hub' À From 30th April 2008 until 3rd May 2008 ☞ The Shunt Lounge, London

www.shunt.co.uk

The Diary

Prize Time

We couldn’t possible dream of having a London diary without mentioning one of our favourite galleries in London: The Photographers’ Gallery. Situated in the heart of London’s West End it has, over the past few years, been responsible for showcasing new photographic talent and highlighting the best in international photography. Its Deutsche Borse Photography Prize recognises a photographer whose work is geared towards the social and political aspects of society. With ofﬁce favourite Alec Soth a previous prize winner, we strongly recommend this one to any selfrespecting photography-buff.

Isa Genzken À 3rd April 2008 to 17th May 2008 ☞ Hauser & Wirth, London

Deutsche Post Photography Prize À From 8th February 2008 until 6th April 2008 ☞ The Photographers’ Gallery, London

www.hauserwirth.com

www.photonet.org.uk

Tragic Beauty

Hauser & Wirth‘s recently inaugurated London outpost, on the city’s Piccadilly, brings Isa Genzken’s work to town. One of last year’s most talked-about artists, Genzken’s sculptures bring a fresh take on contemporary reality as we know it. Described in 2007 as the world’s most important artist by Monopol magazine, we especially like her ability to make statement objects in the most magical and abstract of ways. We all agree the world we live in could do with a pinch more beauty and it seems Genzken is the artist entrusted to serve us some. A must for all you frequent channel-hoppers out there.

What We’re Giving Away 3 pairs of tickets to Quantic Sould Orchestra @ Het Depot, 22rd March 2008. 2 pairs of tickets to Jools Holland @ Ancienne Belgique, 4th April 2008. 2 pairs of tickets to Bettye Lavette @ Ancienne Belgique, 8th April 2008. 3 pairs of tickets to Girls in Hawaii @ Het Depot, 12th April 2008. 5 pairs of tickets to Short Film Market @, 25th April to 4th May 2008 What you need to do

Email your name and postal address, plus that of 15 of your friends, to n.lewis@thewordmagazine.be. Clearly mention the name of the concert/festival you wish to win tickets to in the email’s subject line. CONDITIONS - until tickets last. Addresses provided should all be for different persons and cannot apply to the same address. Applies to Belgium only. Normal conditions apply.

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Belgium

The Green Papers — A unique view from the moon, hordes of northern urban bike riders, quaint city bio markets and an abundant fresh water source. Belgium lives green, the Belgian way of course. Over the next couple of pages, we bring you the small, the great, the Belgian and, well, the green. Writer Nicholas Lewis

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01.

Highway Illuminati

It was once said that Neil Armstrong, whilst moon walking back in 1969, could see three things: Paris’ Eifel tower, The Great Wall of China and, wait for it, Belgium’s road network. Indeed, Belgium is one of the only countries in the world to illuminate its sprawling highway network in such a far-reaching way. Out of a total of 1,747km of highways - 869km in Wallonia and 867km in Flanders – more than 1,500km of these are illuminated. Each region is responsible for its own parcels: keeping Flemish highways lit up costs the taxpayer € 3.5million per year whilst Walloons end up forking-out about € 5million per year. Energy-use is even more staggering: 0.25% of Wallonia’s total annual energy consumption is swallowed up by its highways whilst Flanders is closer to the 0.18% mark. Although both regions are adopting innovative ways of reducing their highwayrelated energy consumption - sodium-based light bulbs and turning off certain sections at speciﬁc times being some of them – a total black-out is far from being on the political agenda. And rightly so we say. Switzerland has its immaculately kept airports. Germany has its highway-racing cars. Holland has its bicycles. London has its black cabs. And Belgium has its illuminated highways. Sometimes, some things don’t always make for the

greenest, or most responsible of countries, but they make the country nonetheless.

02.

City-Scapes

This was an instant hit the minute we set our eyes, or more exactly our ears, on it. It is original, it is well-thought of and, wellmade. The idea is simple: you are given an appointment at a precise location in the city, from where an audio tour, downloaded onto your IPod or MP3 player, starts guiding you through the city’s streets. Using a combination of narrative, musical and other ingenious sounds, d.tours manages to take its listeners into a universe of its own, imbued with local knowledge and insightful anecdotes. With extensive audio guides to various different neighbourhoods in Brussels, and others planned for Barcelona, Paris London and even Mumbai, this one is going global. And so it should be. www.d-tours.org

03.

Veggie-in-the-City

Farmers markets seem to have taken on a whole new meaning lately. Whereas at its core, the concept thought to bring fresh, organic and affordable produce to us city slick-

The Green Papers Belgium

ers, most farmers markets gradually evolved into the remit of the elite, rarely fulﬁlling their original purpose. Not so for our pick of the moment, the Bio Market in Brussels’ Ateliers des Tanneurs, whose bookshop’s owners we interviewed in our previous issue. Taking place every Sunday, the market’s sole purpose is to promote bio produce in Brussels, offering a direct link between growers and consumers. And with potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages and beetroots going at country-side prices, what we wonder needs to be done for such markets to take the lead once and for all? Either way, see you there… Every Sunday, from 10.00 to 16h00 58, Rue des Tanneurs 1000 Brussels

04.

People’s Best Friend

Telling you most of the northern end of the country is in love with bicycles is like telling you Belgians drink beer and eat fries. Duh would probably be your quickest reaction. Indeed, riding a bicycle in Flanders is steeped in local culture for as long as we can remember. Be it because of its proximity to bicycle-loving Holland or the region’s relative ﬂatness, the Flemish people have been riding bicycles ever since day one. And they have reasons to.

Flanders has more than 6,495km of cycling paths whilst Wallonia scores a measly 1,558km. And, as with most things, it all boils down to the cash. Flanders’ budget for the promotion of bicycle mobility has more than doubled in the past couple of years, reaching a staggering € 25,5million whilst Wallonia only manages to block € 4.5million for its two-wheelers. This, however, wouldn’t be making justice to the latter’s recent attempts at catching up with its northern counterpart. Brussels and Walloon politicians are, realising the rewards a scheme such as Paris’ Velocités can bring, waking up to the benefits of a more engaging and encouraging bicycle policy can have and are finally finding the necessary budgets to promote and ultimately increase bicycle use in their respective fiefdoms. We can’t wait for the days when our cities will be crawling with even more Gazelles, Skepphults, Minervas and Kettlers… just don’t expect us to be meeting advertisers and distributing the magazine on them.

05.

the past year or so, religiously going to this source, on the outskirts of Brussels, with empty glass bottles, neatly packed in a basket, waiting to be fi lled. Nestled in the kind of country village we defi nitely would like to see more of on our weekends, this little fi nd might just give us the right reasons to do so. We loved the sheer back-to-the-roots nature of the whole process and wished that these kind of sources could be found closer to home… And for those of you eager enough to know where it is, we’ll have to ask our friends if we can reveal their little secrets. Drop us a line at wewrite@thewordmagazine.be and we’ll see what we can do.

Back to the Source

When a friend of ours told us about a fresh water source he and his girlfriend went to to ﬁ ll-up on their week’s supply of water, we knew we just had to go and check this one out for ourselves. This couple has been, for

THE SECOND WORD — 19

Around Your Way

The Green Mile — Reputed as one of the world’s greenest cities, we simply had to tell you about the parks we rush to at lunchtime, those we prefer to keep a secret and those we still need to discover ourselves… Writer Julien Mourlon

20 — THE SECOND WORD

The Green Mile Around Your Way

I usually write about music and art but when The Word asked if I’d contribute to their “Green Revolution” issue, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to write about another one of my favorite pastimes: walking. I am what some might call an urban cat, constantly roaming the city in the hope of discovering something new behind every corner. I love getting myself lost in the city’s many side streets and alleyways, which is often when I stumble upon something worth remembering. And Brussels, trust me, has a lot to remember… The ﬁ rst thing would be its plethora of green spaces. Well aware that my beloved city is home to a wealth of urban green oases, I set out to rediscover them and bring you the best of what is only my limited selection…

01. + 06.

its wide green spaces and its fantastic views over Brussels. It also is more rural, untidier and wilder than its sister Parc Duden Park.

02.

Glamour in the Park

Situated on Chaussée de Vleurgatlaan, and hidden behind the Indian Embassy, is the Parc Tenbosh Park. An exquisite little fountain of “greenness”, the park is extremely well-kept and acts as a second garden to the neighborhood’s well-heeled “madams” who can often be seen walking their cherished little pet dogs. The relaxing, serene and peaceful vibe present in the park makes it a favorite for mid-Sunday afternoon book-reading and nap-taking sessions…

Twin Peaks 03.

Let’s begin with what I like to refer to as the twin parks of Brussels: Parc Duden Park and Parc de Forêt/Park van Vorst. Situated close to Brussels’ highest point, these two parks offer incredible panoramic views of the city. Although only separated by a road, they are worlds apart from each other. Parc Duden Park is more your family-going park and has conserved its forest-like feeling. With its highest point at 90m and its lowest, right beside football club St Gilles’ Union’s stadium, at approximately 50m, this park isn’t for those suffering of vertigo. The Parc de Forêt/Park van Vorst, on the other hand, is more your “landscape” park, complete with

Dream and the city

Nestled in the hustle-and-bustle of Louise, and right behind the Hilton Hotel, is what can easily be described as Brussels’ quaintest, and dreamiest, of parks: the Parc Egmont Park. Often referred to as the secrete one for its hard-to-ﬁ nd entrances, this is the neighborhood’s judges, lawyers and clerks’ chosen lunchtime retreat during summer. Entrances can be found on Rue aux Laines/ Wolstraat, Rue du Grand-Cerf/Grote Hertstraat and Boulevard de Waterloolaan. For all you newcomers and green space novices out there, this one simply has to be seen, if only for its cute Peter Pan statue.

04.

Off-the-beaten-track

Saint-Guidon might not be your usual destination but it will certainly surprise you, if not entirely change your perception of what can easily be considered one of Brussels’ lesser-known neighborhoods. From its cute little streets, municipal church and essential “Friture René” to its Erasmus house, St Guidon is full of welcome surprises, the Erasmus House being one of them. Home to the famous humanist reformer from 1521 onwards, the house is surrounded by two gardens, medicinal ones at that. Indeed, over 100 plants are grown and cultivated in the garden, which Erasmus himself used when he was sick. With works of art and meditative Latin quotes accompanying any walks in the park, this is one of my favorites and one which I strongly recommend to any self-respecting, botanical enthusiast out there…

05.

Born to be Wild

As you’re surely starting to notice, Brussels has its fair share of parks. And I haven’t even mentioned the better-known ones: Abbey de La Cambre/Abdij ter Kameren, Parc de Woluwé/ Park van Woluwe, Parc de Josaphat/ Park van Josaphat. But what, I wondered, about the wilder places in Brussels, those pockets of “greenness” not regulated by communes and looked after by over-zealous environmentalists? Well, Brussels actually has three classiﬁed natural reserves, where plant diversity is higher

THE SECOND WORD — 21

Around Your Way The Green Mile

Julien Mourlon is amongst other activities the founder of the Laid Back radio show.

www.laid-back.be than that found in usual parks. These are called Moeraske, Scheutbos and Avijl and can respectively be found in Evere, Molenbeek and Uccle. Although not much more than swamp, fallow land and vegetable gardens these three natural reserves are still well-worth the visit, if only to see a piece of the country side in the middle of the sprawling concrete jungle that is Brussels. Green with a capital “G”

One might say that parks and reserves are green islands lost in a sea of concrete jungle. But that would be missing the point. Consider the following: the “Green Grid” is a project undertaken by the Brussels Environment Institute (IBGE) which aims to link all of Brussels’ green spaces with green roads. Although the main purpose of the initiative is to allow for the free and safe movement of animals from one park to the other, the scheme is slowly extending to citizen’s use of the city’s green spaces. Indeed, one will soon be able to cross Brussels from one point to another simply by wandering from one park to the other, using a grid of green avenues. Although still in its infancy, the Green Grid project is a welcome initiative for all us keen walkers out there. More than half our capital city is green if you take into account its parks, forests, natural reserves, private gardens and sport playgrounds. Research conducted by UCLA's Institute of the Environment found Brussels to be the world’s 16th “greenest” city. But Brussels’ relative “greenness” shouldn’t solely be attributed to government actions. Indeed, a great

22 — THE SECOND WORD

many individual, private projects are leading the way in the city’s “re-greeniﬁcation”. Longabandoned industrial areas, for instance, are now being taken over by the very communities living in and around them, to ensure they are preserved and maintained in such a way that beneﬁts these same communities. “Tour & Taxis” for example, is home to community association “Le Début des Haricots », which has worked since April 2007 to inject new life into some old gardens, previously maintained by railway workers and left untouched for the last 10 years. A similar project exists on Ixelles’ Rue Graystraat. Here, gardens are given to neighborhood residents who all work together in the gardens, sharing the workload as well as the crops. This, if you ask me, does a wonderful job of keeping Ixelles’ concrete-locked citizens in touch with Mother Nature…

The article was written in collaboration with Architecte and Urban planner Antoine Munier.

www.amunier.be

Look up at the sky…

But nature is not solely to be found on the ground. Green roofs and hanging gardens are also a good way to increase Brussels’ green clout. Balconies, terraces, ﬂat roofs or even windows can easily be turned into green sources. On the back of several American cities that enacted rules imposing green roofs on new buildings, Belgium is slowly but surely enforcing the same kind of policies. So, here’s hoping that next time I write about green spaces, I’ll have the chance of telling you about that incredible park on top of one of the “Cité Administrative” towers… In the meantime, happy green-walking people…

As you’ve probably noticed, we only gave you a guide to green spaces in Brussels. This isn’t because we don’t think of Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, Liege, Namur and the rest but simply because we didn’t feel we knew the cities’ greeneries well-enough to do so. So to any of you out there who feel you could slightly enlighten us, do drop us a line at wewrite@thewordmagazine.be.

In Word

The Magazine Trail — We couldn’t possibly have dreamed of doing a green-themed issue without taking a hard look inwards at our own little publishing empire and its effect on the environment. We then called on CO2 emission consultancy CO2logic to ‘greenalyse’ the whole process and advise us as to how its ‘greenprint’ could be further minimized. Needless to say we were in for quite a surprise… Writter Nicholas Lewis Photography Damien Aresta

01.

Paper

• The Word's cover is printed on 200gr/m Invercote 1 paper, with a varnish ﬁ nish. • Its inside is printed on 100 gr/m Cyclus Offset. • Our paper comes from carefully-managed forests in Denmark – our suppliers even have the certiﬁcations to prove it! • This means every inch of the paper you are holding in your hands can be traced back to its original provenance. • The paste used to manufacture the paper uses recycled, printed paper. • The whole process uses three

24 — THE SECOND WORD

02.

times less water, ten times less energy and is powered purely by natural gas. • Instead of the highly polluting chemical products other companies use to give their paper that shinny, glossy feeling, our supplier doesn’t. • They only use oxygenated water (although some chemicals are used on to give our cover some glossiness because a little bling never hurt anyone!). • This is why the paper you are holding is slightly greyish, imperfect and rough. Just the way we wanted it! • 100% recycled. 100% stylish.

Transport

• Our paper travels by train. It travels by night. As you can see, this is clearly not one of the more environmentally-friendly aspects of our operations. But, to paraphrase corporate-speak, “we are doing everything in our power to improve and ultimately eliminate this, urm, issue…”

03.

Editorial

• We print on double-sided paper. • We use low-energy light bulbs in our ofﬁces. • Some of our contributors don’t own cars. • We’ve even stopped using typewriters…

The Magazine Trail In Word

4 7

04.

Photography

• We work in digital mode. We only eat organic, locallymade food whether in the studio or on location. But we’ve yet to ﬁ nd low-energy light bulbs to power our 2,000 megawatt ﬂ ashlights.

05.

Designing

• Our designers print on double-sided pages too. • They use recycled paper for their graphic projects. • They also try as much as possible to fi nd systems allowing for multi-functional print jobs, such as printing a poster, a flypost and a flyer all-in-one. • They rarely print their emails. • They take the tram and the subway whenever they can. • They wear Veja’s.

06.

Printing

• The Word uses FSC certified paper. This certifies the paper comes from carefully-managed forests and is entirely traceable. • All ink residue and waste is collected, treated and recycled by our printers’ specialist sister company. • Our printers work with what is called Computer-To-Plate technology, eliminating the need for fi lm to be used. • Our printers even recycle the oil used to clean and maintain their machines.

07.

Distributing

• We post, personally handout and door-drop more than 15,000 copies of The Word’s every issue. This clearly is another end of the “production line” which generates and produces considerable amounts of waste and pollution. As much as we’d love to use good-old paper boys, we simply do not have the choice but to use traditional distribution methods for the moment.

Gutenberg, inventor of the print machine, can be seen on the picture.

THE SECOND WORD — 25

In Word The Magazine Trail

What CO2logic had to say about us (Or the Carbon Footprint of a Magazine and Tips on how to Reduce It)

The main contributor to global warming is carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 mainly derives from the combustion of fossil fuels. The production of a magazine is a long and complex process. Most of the molecules of the magazine you are holding in your hands were once in a forest. Contrary to common belief, the cutting of trees for the production of paper is not necessarily the most negative impact a magazine’s print process has on our climate. This is because a sustainably and well-managed forest encourages the growth of younger trees which capture CO2 through photosynthesis and which replace the logged trees. FSC or PEFC labels are an indication that such forests are well managed. In fact it is transforming the wood into pulp and then ultimately into paper which is the most detrimental to the environment and extremely energy-intensive and as such, contributes to global warming. Recycling paper is therefore very important, however it shouldn’t be forgotten that the process of recycling itself also requires energy. Bilan Carbone, a tool developed by the French Environmental Agency (ADEME), estimates that producing one tonne of paper results in the emission of 2 tonnes of CO2.

26 — THE SECOND WORD

Local particularities influence this figure. If the paper factory uses renewable energy such as hydroelectricity, this emissions figure would be smaller. A more detailed assessment or “life cycle analysis” is needed to get more precise figures and The Word prints 15.000 copies, each weighing 336gr. In total 5 tonnes of paper are needed to print each issue. With the Bilan Carbonne emission factor, this means that approximately 10 tonnes of CO2 are released (equivalent to the CO2 emitted annually by 3 medium sized cars). The magazine’s real emissions are probably 5 to 10 tonnes of CO2 higher due to the heating of the Word’s office, the energy involved in conducting interviews, photo shoots and other activities as well as their internal waste. Choosing a paper factory that uses renewable energy, switching to a green electricity supplier, encouraging work from home and reducing travel, using public transport and fi nally offsetting unavoidable or residual emissions are all small changes that can and will reduce the magazine’s carbon footprint. Finally you as a reader can contribute as well. By recycling this magazine you avoid it ending up in a municipal landfi ll where it will decompose and cause potent Green House Gas emissions (methane). Like many companies out there, The Word is doing its part, but it could still do much more…

CO2logic offsets your CO2 and promotes sustainable behavior. They advise businesses and individuals about their CO2 emissions and how to minimize them. www.co2logic.be

Ed & Pat’s

Greening the Women Right. High-heels, half empty (or, depending on how you look at it, half full) Krug’s, oversized bags and shopping trips to London are all ﬁne, but what’s this global warming thing we’ve been hearing about? Most of our friends, from Miami to Shanghai, seem to be enthralled by everything remotely green: green living, green eating, green buying and green travelling… how that works with their Lear’s we’d like to know. Writers Ed & Pat Illustration Delphine Dupont

So, not the best-informed and most concerned ladies out there, we set out to meet some that were. How, we wondered, did women as busy as ourselves combine their hectic family and professional lives with greener, more earth-loving lifestyles? What, beyond no-animal-testing cosmetic products and Sunday morning strolls in local farmers markets, would make of us committed, fully-

28 — THE SECOND WORD

ﬂedged and responsible tree-hugging women? And please don’t say “no more weekend shopping trips to New York” because that just won’t cut it. Meet the women we’ve green-screened for you…

Greening the Women Ed & Pat’s

Valérie Berckmans Valérie Berckmans is 31 years old. A Fashion Design graduate from Brussels’ St Luc Institute, she owns a boutique-cum-atelier in Brussels’ ubiquitous Dansaert area. 1. Do you consider yourself a greenite?

Yes, I’m deﬁnitely ecologically-minded. It is evident to me that this needs to be a priority. I actually don’t quite understand how it is still possible not to feel concerned for the environment. The thing is, I’ve always been very moved by this whole issue, long before its misappropriation by industries and the media. 2. From your experience, do you think it is

possible to live green at work?

Yes, to a certain extent…In the fashion industry, not many people are interested in even hearing about it but I am and realize plenty of things remain to be done. But I already do my part: only green construction materials were used in the creation of the boutique, all creations are locally-made by experienced dressmakers and I try to mainly work with natural fabrics such as bio cotton. 3. How do you travel, to work or on holiday?

I go to work by bicycle and also use the public transport. My boyfriend has a car but only for work. He otherwise wouldn’t have one. I tend to ﬂy less and less now. We went to New York last spring and I couldn’t get over the fact that our return trip over the Atlantic

was equivalent to a year’s driving of an SUV. To compensate this, we paid the eco-tax on www.greenseat.nl, a great concept. 4. What does being green at home mean to you?

For me it means using bio cleaning products, low-energy light bulbs and sorting out our garbage. Our increased awareness of the environment has resulted in an unconscious reduction in our water consumption – although space restrictions meant we couldn’t install a rainwater-collecting well just yet. We recently changed to a green energy provider. I also have an interior composter: a purpose-made garbage can for organic waste. First you put a handful of worms, you then let them multiply. You then can feed them your organic waste: 80% is transformed in liquid and the 20% remaining becomes solid, which I use as plant engrain. 5. What do you think of organic food?

Valérie Berkmans’ favourite Excuse for being late “I was made this way” Expression “Miljard”, pronounced as it is written.

I deﬁ nitely go for it. We actually order our weekly “bio basket”. This means we always get fresh seasonal vegetables, meaning we’re always sure to discover ones we didn’t know! For groceries we mostly go to small bio shops, sometimes even indulging in Bio Planète. A must, although obviously the priciest…We also shop at Colruyt because of its global ecological philosophy. I must admit that we sometimes do eat fast food. Then initial temptation is always there, as is the after-happy-meal deception too… 6. Why and for who would you act “greener”?

Good Cause Do you really want me to start all over again?? B-Class Celebrity Boney M’s singer

Fruit Apple

I don’t want my design’s production to contribute towards harming the planet so I am committed to reducing the process’ negative effects as much as possible. I would love to be able to use as much organic cotton as possible but the supply is very limited. I also participate to various different green-minded initiatives, such as Max Havelaar’s recent commission of 9 designers, including me, to create pieces using his bio fabric label or the Petits Rien’s annual fashion show.

THE SECOND WORD — 29

Ed & Pat’s Greening the Women

Barbara Trachte A young lawyer active with the Ecolo party, Barbara Trachte entered it in 1999 whilst at university and is now member of the local, regional and youth branch of the party called Ecolo-J. 1. Do you consider yourself a greenite?

Green yes! But one who lives in the city and loves urban life nonetheless. Sadly, I don’t have a garden, nor even a “potager”. But I deﬁnitely lead an urban life and in that context, I can say that I manage to be green. I grew up in the city, my family and I lived near Schaerbeek’s Parc Josaphat. I’ve always been sensitive about the environment and always respected it.

Barbara Trachte’s favourite Excuse for being late My alarm clock Expression “let's be realists, expect the impossible” Good Cause A better public transport network at night B-Class Celebrity David Hasselhof

Fruit Raspberries

30 — THE SECOND WORD

2. From your experience, do you think it is possible to live green at work?

Difﬁcult when you’re not the boss. I do my part though: I never print emails, I print only those documents that must be brought to court….I also try to encourage my colleagues to do the same but it’s far from being easy. Whenever I make a green-ish comment, they think it’s funny, laugh it off then we’re onto the next subject. It is tough but I think change will come in little by little. 3. How do you travel, to work or on holiday?

Well, I don’t have a car, a choice I am happy with. I walk a lot and use public transport. I might, now and again, take a cab, especially when I’ve bought a lot at the supermarket. I love to walk in the city, especially at night

time, a time I ﬁ nd the most relaxing to wander around. Plus you see the city in a completely different light at night. 4. What does being green at home mean to you?

I use green cleaning products; I know shops that sell very efﬁcient ones where you don’t have to put more than one drop! And it doesn’t cost more than normal cleaning products. I closely watch my water, heat and electricity consumption. I ﬂat-share, which saves energy and money! I also have a green energy provider and use low-energy light bulbs. 5. What do you think of organic food?

I’m all for it, although I don’t use and eat it as much as I’d like to. As my professional life is very intensive to say the least, I don’t have much time to cook and do groceries but when I do have time I’ll buy bio food (luckily I have a bio shop next to my ofﬁce). At week-ends I make soup that I freeze for the week. During the week I’ll eat homemade sandwiches for lunch but in the evening I’ll take whatever I can ﬁ nd wherever I am… 6. How can we raise awareness of the issue?

The ﬁ rst goal is to sensibilise and educate the young. The ecological party, next to its debates and learning-sessions, often organizes innovative actions that have a stronger and lasting impact on young people than the more regular political initiatives. People still think that you either are 100% ecological or you are not. Moreover they usually associate green people to sad, boring, isolated people…But it’s not like that at all! You can act green and still live in the same comfort: consumption is not forbidden!

Greening the Women Ed & Pat’s

Edith Klapwijck Edith Klapwijck is a mother of three and works as an interpreter for Eurocontrol. 1. Do you consider yourself a greenite?

I’d like to call myself a green person, because I think that's the best way to be, but I am not rigorous enough. It starts with being careful about the things you eat and buy, the way you organise your shopping and your household, but you can only truly call yourself a green person when you strive to minimise your footprint - carbon or other in everything you do, when it becomes a way of living. I can't claim to be half that far.

2. From your experience, do you think it is possible to live green at work?

Yes, deﬁ nitely. At Eurocontrol, where I work, we have introduced things such as 'green housekeeping' and we monitor our waste production. We sort garbage through the use of different bins (bottles, cans, paper, plastic cups etc.) and we attach messages such as 'Do you really want to print this e-mail?' to our outgoing e-mails. We also promote the use of the paperless ofﬁce through automated document management and request handling systems. 3. How do you travel, to work or on holiday?

This is a difﬁcult issue for me because there are no public transport connections between

my home and my workplace and the distance is some 25 km, so I take the car. I do have a bike, but I don't use it enough. I think my next car will deﬁnitely be a green car. I don't use city bikes, because I love walking when I am in the city. I confess I love to travel and probably think too easily about taking a plane for a trip abroad, but the world is such a fascinating place to visit. 4. What does being green at home mean to you?

I score much better in this area! I solely use green products for washing and cleaning. Unfortunately, there is no city gas where I live so I need to buy fossil heating fuel. No solar panels and the like, but I do sort my garbage quite strictly and all vegetable leftovers go into my compost bin. 5. What do you think of organic food?

It deﬁ nitely is the way forward. I mostly buy my food in my local supermarket, because I have long working hours and not much time left to skim romantic places like markets! I am however very picky with the food we buy and try to buy as much organic, fair trade and animal- friendly produce as I can. I check the origin of my vegetables, eggs, meat, coffee and fruit, for instance. I try to eat the produce of the season and don't care for raspberries or cherries in December that are imported at great cost. I also try to avoid too much packaging. And I swear, when I'll retire, I’ll have my own vegetable and herbs garden… 6. How can we raise awareness of the issue?

Edith Klapwijk’s favourite

Just keep on hammering at it, people are no fools and they will learn, through education, raising awareness and sometimes through sheer necessity, such as fuel prices.

Excuse for being late Being an overly optimistic justin-time manager Expression Count your blessings Good Cause Sustainable development B-Class Celebrity Joker! Fruit Raspberry

THE SECOND WORD — 31

Ed & Pat’s Greening the Women

Nathalie François Nathalie François is an Art Director in advertising. 1. Do you consider yourself a greenite?

Green yes! But one who lives in the city and It is hard to admit, but I don’t think I’m the greenest person out there. To be green for me means several things: to sort your waste, to use public transport or a bicycle, to reduce your consumption of energy (air conditioning, heating, electricity). Out of these three points, I at least manage to fill one (consumption of energy)… Ouf!

2. From your experience, do you think it is possible to live green at work?

It is clearly possible, but I think owners of companies need to think about it and impose certain rules to personnel. In our agency, we sort our garbage out but not the paperboards. Most of my co-workers use recycled paper to print or to copy. We try to print in black and white as often as possible. However, each one’s behaviour is inﬂuenced by his function. As an Art Director, it’s not always possible for me to use recycled paper.

transport (tram-metro-bus). But if nothing else, my car ﬁ lls the criteria of reducing CO2 emissions. I always take my car, except during weekends when I walk or use the subway. 4. What does being green at home mean to you?

As a tenant, I will not invest in renewable energy (solar panels, cistern). Moreover, I’ll use this interview to launch a call to my landlord: install double-glazing! Regarding cleaning products, to be very honest, the least expensive products will have my vote.

3. How do you travel, to work or on holiday?

I always go to work by car. I have "a good" excuse: the agency is outside Brussels. It would be such a nightmare to get there using public

5. What do you think of organic food?

I think it deﬁ nitely is a trend. The last 10 years, it became very trendy to eat organic. I think it’s possible to eat healthily without necessarily having to buy organic food. 6. After all these questions, do you still think of yourself as a “green” person?

When I compare myself to the ultra-green person, it is clear that I still have progress to make. However, I believe that thanks to the media and public awareness campaigns, it is impossible not to reﬂect or to act at least slightly greener. It is essential that they continue in this direction. That can only make people more responsible.

If you know of people you think we should have a drink with, shops you think we would go wild in or a new cocktail you'd like us to try, drop us a line at

wewrite@thewordmagazine.be

Nathalie François’ favourite Excuse for being late Don’t have one, I’m always late Expression “ nothing is impossible” Good Cause Rabbits B-Class Celebrity Kate Moss Fruit Mango

32 — THE SECOND WORD

Three of the Best

Compressible Plastic Bottles — Drinking our recommended litre of water per day, we often end up with more plastic water bottles than we had bargained for. What, we wondered, would happen if we pitted one against the other and took on some heavy-duty compressing? We twisted, pressed, sat on and near-hammered over 30 bottles with the sole purpose of ﬁnding out which one, based purely on height, would compress itself the best. Although not claiming to be specialists of any kind, here we bring you “The Compressor”, “The Compressed” and “The Compressive”. Writer Nicholas Lewis

2. Evian

1. Contrex Name

Name

“The Compressor” (1.5L)

“The Compressed” (1L)

Name Weight when empty

Weight when empty

Weight when empty Original height

Original height Compressed height

PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), 25% of which is recycled.

32.3cm

10cm

7.2cm Raw material

31gr

31.6cm

25.5cm Compressed height

“The Compressive” (1.5L)

31gr

31gr Original height

3. Vittel

Compressed height Raw material

10.9cm

PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)

Raw material

Quantity of bottles produced per year

PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)

Quantity of bottles produced per year

More-or-less 600 million 1.5L bottles per year.

Quantity of bottles produced per year

More-or-less 500 million 1.5L bottles per year.

Made in

More-or-less 500 million 1.5L bottles per year.

Vittel Made in

Made in

Evian

Vittel

34 — THE SECOND WORD

Photography & Styling: Opération Panda - www.operationpanda.be

Compressible Plastic Bottles Three of the Best

THE SECOND WORD — 35

The Institution

Potato Man — If the Sainte-Catherine area is still referred to in many city guides as the Fish Market, as it once was, not many remember that not so long ago, its Place was not only home to Brussels’ ﬁsh market, but also to its much sought-after open-air ﬁne foods market. Of the hundred of stalls it once held just two still survive to this day. The Word lets you in on the story of the oldest of the two: Potato man Valère. Writer Jacques Moyersoen

36 — THE SECOND WORD

Valère is your quintessential city landmark. Huddled underneath his vintage potatocoloured stall, he’s been occupying the exact same spot in front of Saint-Catherine’s church ever since 1964. The city’s fi nest connoisseurs know that he treasures the tastier, 100% natural spud. Others simply acknowledge that he’s always been part of the scenery, just like the oddly placed outdoor urinals along the church’s exterior wall. He bears witnessed to the market’s prestige and popularity shrink to nothing, and seen its merchants and clients be replaced by young trendsetters and low-cost weekenders. Today, along with Jeannot’s mussels-and-oysters stall right across the Place, he is one of two unfl inching nostalgic to have refused o accept the market’s seemingly inevitable demise. You’d be forgiven for thinking that, at age 65, attending to an outdoor market stall under Belgium’s harsh climatic conditions, 10 hours a day and solo, could only be motivated by survival. Think again. Being his family’s only descendent, Valère inherited enough money not to have to work for the rest of his days. He got his fortune from his father and uncle, who had made theirs as merchants at the Saint-Gilles market. So it seemed only natural for him to follow in their footsteps. To Valère, the market has always been about a certain way of life rather than a way of making a living. It is also the only trade he’s ever mastered. As far as he can remember, he always was out there helping his father, packing and carrying goods. At the time, he already was the talk of the market and known to everyone as “Le Blanc”, due to his unusual white hair. Today, he practically doesn’t have any hair left and cheekily presents himself as “Valère! Pas Voleur!” (“Voleur” meaning “thief” in French), although he still remains the vanishing market’s favourite. When he arrived on the market at the tender age of 21, an available stall on the Place was a golden opportunity. Customers came from afar to get their hands on the freshest fi sh, meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruits money could buy. The Place Sainte-Catherine Market was reputed for the quality of its produce. There even was something slightly snobbish about the market’s reputation. Every class-conscious housewife’s would pride herself with revealing to her guests that the food came from there. You could fi nd the best mushrooms, the juiciest tomatoes, the freshest mussels, the crunchiest chestnuts, the biggest lobsters, and –let’s not forget- the tastiest potatoes. With no su-

permarket chains or food distribution giants to rival, those were the golden days of popular outdoors and indoors daily markets. With the advent of tramways and cars which eased the transportation of the public, the markets were getting larger and larger. And in its league, Place Sainte-Catherine’s fi ne food market was just about the most prestigious of them all. Valère sources his potatoes (mostly the “bintjes” kind) directly from a handful of carefully selected local farmers. We’re not talking about professional agricultural farmers cultivating tons of tasteless and uniform vegetables for supermarkets. What he has always emphasised is that his potatoes come from human-size productions cultivated by potato lovers. And what is not delivered in quantity, is defi nitely compensated in quality. Valère’s potatoes are a tad pricier than the local grocery store’s, but taste is what attracts regular potato fiends back to his market stall on a weekly basis.

" Valère sources his potatoes directly from a handful of carefully selected local farmers " Our potato man approximates 200 to 300 kilos of potatoes per day. Most of his clients date back some 20 years. There’s this old man who comes by car every Friday around 15:00. In what seems like a carefully-rehearsed routine, he stops his car on the one-way road just in front the stall - incidentally blocking the cars irritatingly hooting behind him - steps out and opens the trunk. Valère, swiftly interrupts any transactions he’s doing, grabs the pre-prepared bag of potatoes and gets around his stall reassuring the fulminating immobilized drivers with a casual “Coming through, coming through!”, and drops the bag in the trunk at the exact place designated by his old and faithful client. No passing of money here; as most good clients the old man has his own personal account. Just a “Thank you!” and “See you next week!” For those kinds of clients, their relationship with Valère is cherished because it is part of their way of life: a belief in an ideal which celebrates not only the prime quality of the products, but also the loyalty and respect which goes with the service. Sadly, the celebration is not shared by modern-day, hurried drivers who, having lost a minute of their precious time, re-

©Jack Moyersoen

Potato Man The Institution

Local celebrity Valère with his beloved "Bintjes".

main un-bemused by the unolding spectacle of this authentic commercial scenery. Encouragingly though, Valère reveals that the police are rather tolerant of the occasional traffic stopage he provokes, especially when involving old people. Business, however, is on the decline. The potato king now only comes towards the end of the week, usually from Thursdays to Saturdays. As years went by, he’s seen his co-workers quitting or going into retirement one after the other. And the City of Brussels’ commune - in charge of managing the market - hasn’t been very prompt in fi nding replacements for the emptying places. What’s more, the Place and its surroundings have undergone several urban planning initiatives, which incidentally hampered the market’s survival. Parking space around Place Sainte Catherine disappeared and access by car made difficult by reduced street widths. By favouring walkers, these modifications actually make shopping less practical for the elderly and out-of-towners accustomed to shopping at the market. Harsh working conditions do not help the profession either. The daily drudge of installing and packing a stall, in all kinds of weather, can dissuade even the bravest. Until a year ago, there was

a vegetable stall next to Valère’s. But when the lady holding it had the opportunity of buying a shop in an adjacent commercial road, she did not hesitate. She now owns her own permanent vegetable store and enjoys the work in the comfort of climate control. Valère looks in great shape despite his respectable age. The physical work involved in manning his stand has made his body strong and resistant to sickness. Sadly though, he confesses to suffering from depression. For the ﬁ rst time in his career he took a 3 week brake after Christmas to go to his holiday home in France. Jeannot, his lasting market colleague of 22 years, recounts that Valère has never missed more than a week in his entire career. Valère announces that he’ll probably stop his lifelong work at the market by the end of 2008. The reasons of his sadness are unclear. If he gently regrets that his son, although “perfectly able to takeover the job” has opted to become an accountant at the sea-side, deep down, he knows this is a better option for him. He might feel some rejection by the fast changing society in which he lives now, and the dawn of his generation. This Christmas season he bitterly recalls being shunned from his place, “to a dark spot with a mean drought and

no passage” to free-up the slot for the city’s invited foreign merchants that animate the Place Sainte-Catherine’s annual Christmas Market. Probably not the kind of appreciation the City of Brussels should show at the busiest period of the year to a man who has devoted his entire life to the Place, and truly makes it authentic. When Valère eventually retires, it is a cultural landmark that will leave with him. His retirement will leave a visual absence for those used to his reassuring and seemingly eternal presence in the shadow of Saint-Catherine’s church, a historical end as the last real representative of a 120 years old traditional food market, an economic hole for small potato producers who depend on him to sell their goods, a sociological gap for his old-time customers who will reluctantly have to adapt to more modern ways of shopping, and ﬁ nally a “gastronomical” catastrophe for the potato gourmets themselves! So be sure to enjoy Valère and his tasty potatoes while you can! Do you know of an institution we should write about? Let us know at

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THE SECOND WORD — 37

The Fashion Word

When it comes to the season’s latest picks, the choice is yours. Be it bright colours and rectangular shapes or paler shades and oversized cuts, confused-and-conquer is the name of the game. Photography Sébastien Bonin Stylist Jennifer Defays

38 — THE SECOND WORD