VALEUR MAGAZINE issue 29

VALEUR

THE BEAUTY OF

NATURE AND

HEROINES IMPRESSIVE STORIES ABOUT

OF

THE EVERYDAY LIFE

NO

29

PHOTO

EMY KANE LONELY WHALE

LONELY WHALE

BEAUTY EVERYDAY HEROINES ADVENTURE

GIFT TIPS

GAMES

FASHION

NATURE

PLASTIC WASTE

E-SPORTS

CONTENT No 29

TRAVEL

EVERYDAY HEROINES

6 | BEAUTY OF NATURE & AURORA 6 32 46 60 74 92

ROVANIEMI · THE WINTER WONDERLAND LIGHTS OVER LAPLAND · MYSTIC OF NATURE BERND RÖMMELT · WHEN PICTURES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE TODD SALAT · WHO REACHES THE STARS STEFAN GLOWACZ · GRÖNLAND COAST TO COAST AMBILIGHT · PHILIPS' AURORA FOR THE SMART HOME

100 | BEST FILMS 2018 100

TOP 3 MOVIES 2018

118 | PIONEERS OF PLEASURE 118

UNICAPS · ALUMINIUM FREE TEE & COFFEE CAPSULES

136 | COPENHAGEN 136

TIVOLI GARDENS

144 | E-SPORTS SPECIAL

FILMS

144 156

BLAST PRO SERIES & JACK & JONES ESL · 168 SHADOWS OF TOMB RAIDER SPECIAL

188 | EVERYDAY (OCEAN) HEROINES 196 274

ANNA VON BOETTICHER · 208 ANTJE BOETIUS HEIKE VESPER (WWF) · ALL ABOUT PLASTIC POLLUTION

226 | LONELY WHALE SPECIAL 232 268

DUNE IVES · 248 EMY KANE · 260 EMMA RILEY DELL: THE LONELY WHALE EXPERIENCE 'CRY OUT'

286 | BEAUTY & FASHION

LINGERIE BEACHWEAR

288 344

AHAVA · 306 AGUA BENDITA · 338 PERFUME JEWELRY · 352 BEAUTY · 360 FASHION · 404 LINGERIE

436 | WINTER TRAVEL TIPS MASTHEAD

436

EVANEOS & HOLLYDAY PIRATES

PUBLISHER · VALEUR MEDIA NETWORKS EDITOR IN CHIEF & ART DIRECTOR · MARCO KOKKOT COVER · ©LONELY WHALE, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED EDITORIAL OFFICE · DENISE STELL, CAROLINE DASK, THANH THAO KHONG COPYRIGHT · THE COPYRIGHT IS RESERVED BY THE REPRESENTED BRANDS, UNLESS SPECIFIED OTHERWISE. ADDRESS · VALEUR MEDIA NETWORKS · PRINZ-EUGEN-STRASSE 17 · 13347 BERLIN · GERMANY CONTACT · EO@VALEURMAGAZINE.COM

EDITORIAL dear readers,

editor in chief, marco kokkot

the new year starts and - in our busy life - we should make a break from time to time. if we do so, suddenly we see the things from another point of view. we recognize that we are aborted like a plastic bottle in the ocean, without any control and sense. we note that we diverge from our ideals and plans or that we lose sight of our dreams and goals. within our everyday life, we follow the flow faster than we like. thus, valeur has had a little break to tidy up and throw away unnecessary things, which have been accumulated within � years. we used the break to adjust the focus as well as to find the way back to our roots, goals, and – most of all – values. at the same time, more and more frequently, we encountered the issue of plastic pollution of the oceans and the impact of the climatic change. we have researched the reasons, visited beautiful places and talked with impressive people. thereby, we met impressive women, who change the world with their power and ideas. the result of this all is the new valeur issue 2�, which goes back to our roots consequently. this edition as well as the new category “everyday heroines” we dedicate to those people, who proof day-in, day-out that everyone has the power to change the world. you will learn more about those people – impressive women as well as men - on the next pages. before that, i want to wish you inspiring moments and that your dreams and own wishes come true in 2�1�. certainly, there is one guy who could help in that case. hence, please follow us now to him, follow us to rovaniemi�lapland. yours sincerely

more in the beauty area

pictures: Š visit rovaniemi

A UNIQUE TRIP

WINTER WONDER LAND

TO A MAGICAL

ROVANIEMI LAPLAND / FINLAND

HO, HO, HO...

IT’S WINTER & XMAS TIME.

it's the most romantic and peaceful time of the year. hopefully� luckily, it’s also the time to take care of our family and friends. moreover, it’s the moment to think about our good intentions and wishes, for now and the future. maybe, this year it’s time to save one special wish and to use it not for ourselves, but for our earth.

ITS A BEAUTIFUL WORLD, and it’s the only one which is full of wonders but problems as well. because

christmas is a time of wonders, we want to visit a very magical place, where we can express our special wish to a very special figure who could help us to fulfil it:

SANTA CLAUS

hence, our way leads us to the capital of the finnish part of lapland and the official hometown of santa claus. here, in the santa claus village we find his helpers, the lovely elves, many cute reindeers, of course including rudolph, beautiful ice sculptures and the official post office, where we can easily send postcards to our beloved ones, franked with a quite unique postmark and stamp.

ROVANIEMI,

ENJOY THE MOOD OF XMAS DURING THE WHOLE YEAR

besides, we can visit the

ARCTIC CIRCLE

HUSKY PARK...

... we could also do a

SLEIGH RIDE

with a lovely

REINDEER...

... or an exciting with a powerful

SAFARI 

SNOWMOBILE.

but, of course, we can also meet

SANTA CLAUS in his village in rovaniemi, lapland. not only at christmas time, but during the whole year.

we can find him in the forest, where he feeds his reindeer and the other animals of the forest. besides, we will meet him in his in the center of the santa claus village. here, we can meet the busy nice man during the entire year. furthermore, we can catch a glimpse of his secrets, such as the earth’s rotational speed regulator. what do you think is this all about� however, to meet santa claus and to enjoy the stay in his village requires something important. you must open your heart. only then, your wish will come true and you can appreciate the time in this magical wonderland. those, who have no dreams, hopes and wishes will certainly not recognize the true beauty.

COZY, WARM OFFICE

HELPERS & GUESTS

of course, to fulfil wishes of millions of children, young as well as older ones, santa claus needs help. thus, you will also find his assistants, the elves in his office and its surrounding area. furthermore, you will meet many children. together with santa, they read the countless wish lists, which were written by other children from all over the world.

the lights and blue line between them symbolizes the line of arctic circle. here, countless people celebrate the moment when they cross it the first time.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROVANIEMI

the santa claus village proves that it’s possible that wishes can become true. rovaniemi's history wasn’t always so beautiful like nowadays. first, attacked by the russians, then completely destroyed by the germans, the town was left with nothing. until a little wonder happened. before we can express our wish, santa claus tells us the story.

rovaniemi was destroyed by the germans about ��� in october 1���. it was a very hard time for the inhabitants, who escaped right in time to protect their families.

however, after their return they had to start again from point zero. of course, thereby, they were dependend on external help. the first postwar aid project of unicef’s predecessor unrra was addressed to rovaniemi and lapland. besides the construction of the arctic circle cabin, the commencement of tourist services was a big goal.

fdr presidential library & museum, eleanor-franklin-roosevelt-august-1��2, cc by 2.�

to 'house a rather large busload of people'. so, the first trunks were taken from the river on a saturday. then, one week later, when mrs. roosevelt’s plane landed, the outer door was fitted in the otherwise completed cabin. perfect timing.

so, it happened that here, at the arctic circle, the welcoming ceremony took place on sunday, june mrs. eleanor roosevelt, the widow of the former �1th, 1���. actually, it was found out later, that president of the united states, was also known for the exact arctic circle point is located 1�� meters her humanitarianism and as the 'soul' of unrra. far away. she made a surprise visit to rovaniemi in 1��� to see lapland and the post-war reconstruction of the it laid the foundation stone for the local tourism. city. because of the short time of preparation, go- from the first coffee-breaks to souvenir hunters vernor of the county, uuno hannula, and mayor up to thousands of visitors year by year, the place lauri kaijalainen had just two weeks to construct became popular more and more. thus, the cabin the arctic circle cabin as well as to find a suitable became too small quickly and it was necessary to place for it. luckily, the land which was bordering carry out the first expansion. the north-bound highway �, was donated by eemeli karinen. the city tourist board, set up in 1���, took over the management and development of the arctic circle the arctic circle cabin itself was erected in just a cabin. today, ��.��� guests visit the cabin during week and designed within a night shift by archi- their stay in lapland. for many it’s some kind of tect ferdinand salokangas. the instruction was ceremony to cross the arctic circle. in any case, it’s to use that number of logs, which were required a moment which will remain in memory forever.

OUR SECRET WISH

meanwhile, the cabin is called 'roosevelt cottage' and is surrounded by many other buildings, including the office of santa claus. now, after we have learned so much about this place it’s time to whisper our wish into his ear. we wish for all of us, that we have the power and will to protect our earth, the oceans and forests, the entire nature, all plants and creatures as well as all people, regardless of nationality, religion, gender or social status. Moreover, we wish you fun by reading the new valeur issue which is dedicated to the beauty of our earth and those people who work to maintain that all.

THE KISS UNDER THE MISTLETOE

it’s a romantic tradition, that lovers kiss each other under a mistletoe. those couples who do so will stay together forever, or for a long time at least. did you already know that the tradition has its origins also in scandinavia� the legend says, that frigg, the nordic goddess of love, who was exposed to the wrath of the god loki, demanded a promise from all animals and plants. she urged them, not to follow loki’s instruction to kill her beloved son balder. but she forgot the mistletoe, which lived high up in the trees. loki, the mischief-maker, heard about this and made a magical arrow from the mistletoe. he gave the arrow to balder’s brother, the blind god höðr. so, deceived by loki, höðr unintentionally killed his brother with it. frigg cried bitterly for three days. but then, her tears turned into the branch's white berries. hence, thanks to her deep love, she brought her son balder back to life. full of joy, she stood under the tree and kissed anyone who strode past. moreover, the mistletoe promised never frigg grips her dead son, baldr, in an illustration by lorenz frølich, 1��� the to do any harm again. on the contrary, illustration appears within the völuspá anyone who is under the mistletoe should hin skamma section. receive a kiss and experience eternal love from now on.

what could be more

ROMANTIC

than a tender and magic

KISS on the arctic circle in

ROVANIEMI?

STAY IN ROVANIEMI AND FEEL LOVE FOR YOUR SWEETHEART AND THE NATURE

there are many possibilities to spend the time in the beautiul place in finland, that it's really difficult to give an advice, where you should go first. we have selected just five options. you will find more on the rovaniemi website.

the beautiful natural

ARCTIC TREE HOUSE HOTEL provides an amazing view to the nature.

unique is a stay in the

SNOW BRICK CONSTRUCTION in rovaniemi.

lovely & luxury nights you will have in the original

SOKOS HOTEL VAAKUNA

a view to the sky offers the

SCANDIC ROVANIEMI MASTER SUITE in a central location.

YOUR WAYS TO ROVANIEMI

BY CAR

motorway� freeway �� �european street e��� or route ���� and myllymäentie

BY PLANE

BY BUS

BY TRAIN

’santa’s Express’ or bus nr �

santa claus express night train � from train station rautatieasema piha to inari until napapiiri i

from airport rovaniemi train station lentoasema to either ivalo, sodankylä or savukoski until napapiiri � and 2min walk

THE UNFORGETTABLE LIGHT that our world is a beautiful one, you can see in each corner of the santa claus village in rovaniemi. however, you will get a very special impression, when you stay overnight in one of the hotels nearby. some of them offer a special feature, namely sleeping underneath the aurora. huge roof or panorama windows provide an amazing sight. it’s hard to imagine that you will fall asleep, because of that unforgettable lovely view. another option for adventurers is to stay in a camper or in an ice cabin. whatever you do, you will have a great time in rovaniemi, lapland.

the beautiful natural

ARCTIC TREE HOUSE HOTEL from the outside.

www.visitrovaniemi.fi all hotels and information you will find on

THE AURORA of course, when we have the chance to see the beauty of the nature at a special place like the arctic circle, we shouldn't disregard that spectacular natural phenomena which belongs to the most magical ones on earth: the aurora or polar lights. that, which caused our ancestors fear, fascinates us nowadays. of course, due to our modern education we know, how the aurora is formed. however, sometimes it’s better to know nothing but rather simply enjoy what nature provides to us. the aurora touches our emotions, it lets us dream and it shows us, the magic of our world. i personally didn’t see that special light effect, caused by solar winds, yet. nevertheless, i saw something magical in tampere, finland. it was around 11 pm, when i looked out of the window and saw a lot of people on the street who stared at the sky. when i went out, i was deeply touched instantly. the sky was bright like in the afternoon. it changed the colors every few minutes, from green to red, from yellow to blue. everybody outside was enchanted. nobody knew what happened and just on the next day, i had to leave tampere. however, since then, one of my biggest goals is to follow the aurora. fortunately, there are people who capture special moments like this on pictures or videos. they accept bitter cold; danger and they invest a lot of time as well. we had the luck to talk with some of them. thus, enjoy the next pages and be inspired, also if you are still looking for a very unique christmas gift for your beloved ones.

photo: lights over lapland

EXPERIENCE THE

MYSTIC OF THE NATURE LIGHTS OVER LAPLAND TOUR / SWEDEN

IT’S A HIGHLIGHT

for every photo enthusiast to have the unique chance to take pictures of the aurora. but those spectacular lights aren’t always visible in the sky, even not in finland’s northernmost region. but, at lapland borders to norway, russia, the Baltic sea and sweden. here, in the latter country, you can find the experts, who will help you to experience an unforgettable adventure. the guides from

LIGHTS OVER LAPLAND

INTERVIEW WITH CHAD BLAKLEY you offer adventure holidays in lapland. how did it come about� it starts with a love story� I was at a college party in my hometown of springfield, mo. when a beautiful swedish girl walked in. she walked straight to me and told me that she had just arrived in the us on an internship and asked if i wanted to be her friend. one year to the day later we were married and were looking for a job in sweden. i was a sales rep for a company named cisco at the time and wanted a change so i accepted a job as a night time dish washer at a hotel in abisko national park sweden. at the time, the hotel was closed for most of the aurora season, but was open over the christmas holiday for one week – when by chance i saw my first aurora. i decided then and there to save up enough money to buy a camera and started to learn how to take pictures of the northern lights. over time i got quite good at taking aurora images and built a name for myself. one day i saw an advertisement of a man in finland that was offering aurora photo tours and thought to myself “if he can do it so can i”. i put an advertisement online for our tours and the first trip sold out in one week. i had never been a guide before, so i had no idea what to expect. would you believe that on the first night of the first aurora photo tour that i ever offered we had the biggest aurora storm in ten years and i was able to capture a nice time lapse video of the display. things got even more exciting as i woke up the next morning and the video was on the cover of the national geographic’s website. the next day i was getting calls from journalists from all over the world and the company was born. now lights over lapland is the most successful aurora tour company on the planed based on reputation, brand recognition and customer loyalty. as a matter of fact, we are the number one rated activity on trip advisor in swedish lapland.

"abisko is near the norwegian border and can easily be described as one of the most beautiful places on earth."

how can you describe that special place as well as your tours to our readers� what could they expect and what will they take home from this experience� our tours take place in abisko national park, sweden. abisko is a beautiful arctic village with less than 1�� year round residents. the village is idyllic and has beautiful red cottages that create a perfect contrast for the snow and ice that is a constant companion in the winter. abisko is located on the shore of a massive lake which is surrounded by soaring mountain peaks, beautiful free flowing rivers, galloping reindeer and thousands of square kilometers of pristine wilderness in every direction. abisko is near the norwegian border and can easily be described as one of the most beautiful places on earth. the arctic light is amazing during the winter� our trips during the winter months are among my favorite adventures of the entire season as they allow you to enjoy the northern lights during one of the most beautiful times of the year and allow you to experience all of the spectacular winter activities that make abisko and the rest of the arctic such an amazing place� the entire region is covered in a beautiful layer of snow, the rivers are frozen and sparkling with crystals and the winter sky is full of wonder. i have travelled the world searching for natural beauty and i can honestly say that this spectacle is among the finest displays that mother nature has to offer�

a part of your tour is a trip to a famous sami camp, a popular location to see the polar lights. how can you describe the aurora to our readers� the aurora presents itself in different ways to different people. i have seen grown men cry, i have seen lovers embrace, i have seen children’s eyes light up with excitement that can rarely be found in today’s era of constant addiction to screens, and i have seen countless people enjoy what can only be described as a religious experience. think about this – every other holiday or adventure you have ever taken is to see something on planet earth. when you book a trip with lights over lapland we want to show you something that is beyond the shores of earth and let you take a peek into the universe itself. there simply is no other experience like standing in the wilderness beside a crackling fire and watching mother nature’s most romantic display in the crystal clear sky above�

when we go to lapland, what is the best time to see the polar lights� any time between october and march. there is a common misconception that you can only see the auroras in the deepest part of the winter – this simply is not the case. all you need is a clear dark sky any you are ready to watch the auroras� abisko is located in a very special valley with a microclimate that gives us more clear skies than any other location in the aurora zone. in all the years that we have been offering multi day tours we have never had a multi-day trip during january and february when our guests did not see the lights at least two nights during their time in the national park. we cannot guarantee that our guests will see the lights but i can say that no place on earth offers you a higher chance of success.

the all inclusive customisable aurora photo holidays are among the highest ranked aurora adventures on earth and offer you the most convenient way to see and photograph the northern lights with highly skilled professional photographers and guides. when you book a customizable aurora photo holiday with lights over lapland you can take comfort in the fact that they will handle every detail for you. All you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the lights over laplandďż˝

an exclusive sleigh ride and aurora photo tour in the heart of abisko’s remote wilderness� this activity is much like the one above, but the lights over lapland team will take you by snowmobile driven sleighs through ancient arctic forests, across frozen lakes, in the pristine arctic wilderness to our exclusive location – one of lights over lapland’s remote, wilderness camps. dates: december to march.

do you 'hunt' also the lights by car� we use a full catalogue of tools to find the auroras including �x� vehicles, snowmobiles, sleigh rides and a whole host of other options that are designed to ensure that our guests are in the right place at the right time. your package includes also a dogsledding adventure and a snowmobile sleigh trip. can you tell us more about it� dog sledding and sleigh riding is a time honored tradition in lapland� we work closely with local dog sledding companies and hand pick the very best guides to ensure that the dogs are as happy as we are in the wilderness� there truly is nothing like riding behind an eager team of huskies what can’t wait to show you their backyard� our sleigh ride is lots of fun and takes you deep into the wilderness with great views of the north – the home of the northern lights�

you also offer christmas trips. what do your families say about this� how is christmas celebrated in sweden� yes, we do� lapland is the proverbial home of santa claus and his team of reindeer – what could possibly be a more fitting destination for your christmas holiday this winter� during this once in a life time adventure you will spend your nights watching the northern lights dance overhead and your days will be filled with exciting adventures that can only be found in lapland. christmas in scandinavia is a very special time and offers guests from around the world an opportunity to experience a cultural immersion that cannot be found any other place on eart� christmas is one of the most popular times of the entire season and is a great way to spend time with your family� that said, lights over Lapland focuses on providing adults with once in a lifetime experiences. so, we have a minimum age limit of 1� years on our christmas packages.

apart from the beautiful nature, the climate changes rapidly. the industry and our modern lifestyle affect the world in a negative way. do you recognize those negative effects at your place� we absolutely recognize the effects of climate change. climate change is one of the largest obstacles facing our planet and the arctic is on the front line in the fight against global warming. warmer weather has likely affected the arctic more than any other location on the planet during the last decade and we are all focused on offering adventures that have a positive impact on our planet. besides the beautiful lapland, what are the main reasons why people absolutely should visit sweden� what are the must-see places� lapland is at the top of any must-see list in sweden, but also stockholm should not be missed� there are countless things to do for the intrepid traveler, and the city allows our guests a few days to recover from any jetlag and to prepare themselves for a once in a lifetime adventure in the arctic�

due to clear skies and virtually no light pollution, the abisko national park is one of the greatest places in the world to see the northern lights. the guides from lights over lapland will provide you with a high quality camera & lens that is preset to capture the northern lights and quickly explain the basic skills that you will need to find and photograph the magical aurora borealis. (october to march).

if you want to experience such an adventure, you can find all information and trip options on the website of lights over lapland:

www . lightsoverlapland . com

WHEN

PICTURES DIFFERENCE

MAKE THE

BERND RÖMMELT PHOTOGRAPHER / ETHNOLOGIST

RETICENT, EMOTIONAL, TIMELESS, BEAUTIFUL that is the visual language of bernd römmelt.

there weren’t always just magical northern lights which were experienced by bernd römmelt. many of the shootings of the aurora were also difficult and exhausting - because of the bitter cold in which his camera or his hands froze or because he could hardly keep awake. but even today, almost 2� years after his first auroral night, he is just as crazy about auroras as he was then. since then he has been travelling in all the arctic states - alaska, northern canada, greenland, iceland or scandinavia to capture with his cameras the magical spectacle of the sky, which has always fascinated people. now, on over 1�� breathtaking pictures, bernd römmelt shows the constantly interplay of colors of the aurora. in entertaining and very personal texts, he explains his fascination for the natural spectacle. he explains the different types of northern lights and he investigates myths and legends. furthermore, he gives tips for the photography in the far north. in addition, dr. felicitas mokler has examined the genesis of the phenomenon in detail in an extra chapter and explained the latest scientific findings which, in addition to new photos by bernd römmelt, enrich this revised new edition. bernd römmelt was born in munich. he has been working as a freelance photographer and travel journalist since 2��1. he is particularly fond of travelling for his work in the far north or in the alps. during his travels, he took many pictures and already won the wildlife photographer of the year award, the most important and prestigious nature photography competition in the world. most recently, knesebeck published legendary alps �2�1�� and im bann des nordens �2�1��. felicitas mokler holds a doctorate in astrophysics and has been an enthusiastic astronomer since her youth. after several years in research, she now works as a science journalist. she also regularly works as a lecturer by ship to the northern lights in norway.

bernd römmelt, felicitas mokler: polarlichter - sonnenzauber am nachthimmel hardcover, 12� pages, with 1�� coloured illustrations, updated new edition, price � ��,isbn ���-�-���2�-2��-1 - available since september 2�1�

INTERVIEW WITH BERND RÖMMELT in times of social networking sites and selfies as form of self-presentation the value of photography shifted. still, you go into the north and immerse in nature with your camera. how did it come about this form of photography� i love to be outside. especially at those lost places where there is nobody. i crave peace, quiet and loneliness. this is exactly what i find in the north and sometimes even at my home in the alps. in modern times it gets very difficult to take a rest from social media. if i could choose i were in the nature all the time and would not spend one single minute in my office. unfortunately, this isn’t possible because we all have to earn money somehow. for me it is sad to see that self-presentation in social networks became something so significant for many people. even more frustrating is that the person who promotes themselves the most, gets the most attention. the best pictures are mostly produced by photographers who are not very active on social networking platforms and therefore, literally drown in the abundance of pictures in the internet. why is your photography so special� how much preparation and research does it require� my art of photography is not special. everyone is able to do it the way i am. regarding landscape photography it is important to have good light. that means to take photos very late in the evening or very early in the morning. but, the most beautiful moods you can catch during the weather change – especially at the time when dark clouds fill the sky, perhaps joined by a wonderful rainbow. even a thunderstorm can be stunning, you always get a cool scenery for a good picture. on the contrary, blue sky is boring to photograph. my preparations for my photography can vary and depend on my destination. of course, traveling to the highest arctic requires many preparations. it is much about logistic stuff: i have to book many flights, organize the means of transport. furthermore, i have to do much research about the topics and places. for example, i have to research which animals will be expected at which time in which place, so that i can take pictures of them. besides all the preparations you have to make, is it sometimes just fortune to take impressing pictures� how much time in total do you need for everything� it takes always a bit of luck to take good pictures. but you can force your fortune in case you spend most of your time outside, on the road. i would say, i produce 20 really good pictures in one year. based on this fact, one is able to estimate the time you have to spend to get a good portfolio.

in your eponymous book you were able to catch a very special natural spectacle: “polarlichter” �the polar lights�. what can you tell us about the shoots� the photography of the aurora is something very special. not only because of the aurora itself, also because of all the circumstances during the shootings. mostly it is freezing cold and you are that far located in the north that the next civilization is far away. and then, suddenly, there are these stunning “crazy lights”. it definitely has something very magical. i have to admit that i’ve never had a shooting of the aurora that was quite cozy or pleasant regarding the weather. mostly, it was very windy and the temperatures were often below minus 30 degrees. additionally, the camera didn’t work all the time. but we have to keep in mind that in times of analogue photography it was even more difficult. in those times you were not able to produce a film under those weather circumstances without getting the film itself broken.

your pictures are impressive. besides all the effort and work you put into it, what are your personal impressions of the auroraďż˝ the aurora, northern lights, are one of the most spectacular things i have seen and photographed in my entire life. the northern lights themselves look so different and mostly the whole sky is constantly moving, the night gets bright and you can see so many breathtaking figures in the sky. in these moments i can totally understand all the native people of the north, like for example the inuit, who talk about the northern lights as connected to something supernatural.

what can readers expect of your new book� in my book “polarlichter” the readers can watch my best photos of the aurora taken over the past 1� years in the high north. i had the aim to take photos of the northern lights in all neighboring states of the arctic and in different landscapes of the high north. the diversity of the different lights above the different regions in the north is like the red thread of my book. i also added some scientific texts about the formation of the northern lights and some ethnological descriptions what indigenous people of the north think about this natural scenery. at the end of the book, you can also find my explanations and recommendations for those who are into photography how to take the best pictures of the aurora.

which tips and recommendations do you have for photographers who want to travel to the north to take some breathtaking pictures of the natural spectacle� bring warm clothes, cameras with full-frame sensor to increase the level of iso without having to deal with image noise, a tripod, fast lenses and resilience. also try to escape from the town because of the light pollution (unless you want the city be a part of your pictures). a good picture of the aurora requires two important things: an exceptional aurora and a beautiful landscape in the front.

what can you tell us about your upcoming projects� currently i work on different projects at the same time. in march, there will be a new illustrated book with the topic “heimat – natur vor der haustüre” (übers.). it is one of my most important projects so far. because, here, nearby my hometown munich, i am on the road almost for 300 days of the year. there, i take the best picture. first of all, because i can quickly customize to the lighting mood. second, because i simply love the region around the bavarian alpine foreland and the bavarian alps. this is the place where my soul and heart belong to and therefore, the most intense pictures are shot here. furthermore, i am working on two long-term projects about the alps and a new “nordic project”. i don’t know yet if i will ever show these projects in form of a photo book. i am sure they will rather be moving pictures, because – that’s how the future will look like.

www.berndroemmelt.de more about bernd rรถmmelt you can learn on his website

all pictures: bernd rรถmmelt, knesebeck verlag

THOSE WHO

REACHES FOR THE SHINY STARS TODD SALAT

PHOTOGRAPHER / GEOLOGIST

TODD SALAT

was born an iowa country boy, making his way to the mountains as often as possible. he received a bachelor of science degree in geology at the university of south dakota in 1986 and a masters in geology from the university of wyoming in 1���. with that, he scored a job as an exploration geologist and made that big righthand turn to alaska. todd returned to alaska in 1��� to follow through on his dream of becoming a full-time freelance photographer. the next big chapter in life began with a blind date, and in 2��1 he married the love-ofhis-life, shay. todd is known as the

AURORA HUNTER

INTERVIEW WITH TODD SALAT dear todd, you were born in iowa, where you have studied geology. was that study the initial point to discover alaska, which isn’t located in the surrounding area of your home place� when did your passion for alaska started and what fascinates you about this area� i initially started dreaming of going to the "far north" when i was young boy growing up in the rolling farmland of iowa �midwest usa�. i was also intrigued by the adventure and read books like jack london's call of the wild and white fangand it fueled my desire for wilderness adventure. for undergraduate college i moved west to the university of south dakota for geology studies then went further west to the university of wyoming to get my master’s degree in geology. with that i scored a job and took the big right-hand turn north to alaska. That was the first part of a dream come true. to make my dream fully come alive, after � years in the corporate world, i resigned from my day job to become an aurora hunter. with that i gained total freedom and selfemployment. it was 22 years ago, when i gave up the benefits of a good-paying salary job and became a starving artist. fortunately, i have not starved� how can you describe alaska� alaska is call the “last frontier” and i have embraced that feeling. everything is big and beautiful but like with many things the more you put into it the more you get out. i absolutely love it.

when we see your work, we probably sit at home, warm, cozy, safe. but how could we imagine your work� how do you produce your videos� what are your experiences� with all of my best photos, i write an experience caption story to accompany it for two reasons. first, so i can relive these wonderful experiences in the comfort of my warm cozy safe home. secondly, so i can try to give the viewer of my photos a more in-depth and insightful feeling to the imagery. they say a picture is worth as 1��� words. i like to add on another 1��� words and make it twice as good� when it comes to making movies, my approach is the same but with a lot more motion and accompanying music. timing up real-time aurora video content to the perfect piece of music sends me into a state of euphoria. in your films, we see �time lapse� records from natural spectacles like maelstroms and auroras. how do you find those special places� how much preparation is necessary to capture these wonderful pictures on video� it all comes down to how much time i�you�we spend in nature just looking for cool and amazing things. i have a heated camper on the back of my �-wheel drive truck, so i am self-sufficient and can camp for one, two and sometimes even three weeks at time. for me, the time spent outdoors to get the shot is measured in days, weeks, months and sometimes even years before i get the photo that i may or may not have previously envisioned. the foreground plays an important role to me. without a beautiful earthly setting, an aurora photo is just an aurora photo. but, when you have an aurora dancing straight over denali, the highest mountain peak in north america, you have something extra rare and special. of course, it might take �� nights of sitting there waiting. since i started this business my goal has always been to get one really good photo per year. the kind of photo that someone is willing to actually pay money for to hang it on their wall. my wife & i call these “hero shots”, because the feeling is so heroic. furthermore, witnessing something grand in nature, for me, successfully preserving that moment with a camera, is the ultimate reward.

what happened, when you saw the first aurora� what did you feel and what effects had that moment on you� i first saw the aurora in 1��� in laramie, wyoming, when i was attending college and it totally blew me away. the whole sky was turning red at night and i was absolutely fascinated that such and extreme natural phenomenon was visible from earth. i had just been offered a job as a geologist in alaska, so i knew that i was going to really be keeping an eye out for the aurora� i was hooked on the “lights" before i even showed up in ak. is there a special time, when it’s quite for sure to see auroras� what is your tip for those people, who want to go there to see that light spectacle with their own eyes� tough love ~ there is hardly any guarantee to ever see the aurora because the earth weather might be cloudy and the space weather may or may not be active. but when i hear there is a coronal mass ejection on the sun and the forecast predicts clear skies, i am very clocked on and do whatever it takes to get in position to photograph the show. that’s easy for me to say, because i live where i can see auroras from the back deck of our anchorage home. it’s much more difficult to plan an aurora hunt if you have to buy plane tickets and fly a long way from home. luck plays a huge factor. but i always say that if you don’t at least try, then you guaranteed not to see the aurora. if it’s on your bucket list to see the aurora you have to put out an effort and put in your time� it’s all about the hunt and if you get the show of a lifetime, then you are one of the lucky ones and have cherishable memories. i always watch websites like spaceweather.com to see what the latest auroras news & forecast is. for convenience, i’ve bookmarked all my favorite online resources at www.aurorahunter.com�links.html so that i can easily monitor aurora activity levels. your videos show the beauty of our world. but we have to deal with many environmental problems. besides the climate change, we should quickly solve the problem of plastic waste in the water as well as actually everywhere. do you see effects of these problems already in alaska or other places� relatively speaking, alaska is very pristine but there is also plenty of pollution. junk washes up on alaska’s endless miles of shorelines, old derelict drilling rigs take forever to rust away, plastic garbage bags blow in the wind and get stuck high up in the tree branches. it’s hard to escape pollution in this day and age, which is of course very disturbing. i think mostly everyone would agree that pollution is both an eyesore and unhealthy in many ways. how to keep pollution under control is rising in importance as it offends more and more people and we become aware of the harm it can cause.

as a geologist you are an expert. as a nature photographer and video maker you can resort to an additional point of view. what do you think people should learn and do quickly to save our nature and world� what are the biggest mistakes� the thing i would like to see happen quickly is to preserve & protect those precious remaining tracts of land that are still wild. personally, i do make my living photographing nature so i have a vested interest in keeping nature preserved. once an area is developed there is no going back. so i vote for preserving as much wilderness as we can. future generations will love us for it just like photographers and many of us love that our ancestors who set up the national park system and similar reserves around the world. i believe nature is an invaluable resource for all things healthy; the mind, the body, the soul, plants, birds, animals, everything� how could it not be� nature rules. the biggest mistake would be to take it for granted and think it will be there forever without taking steps to protect it. sometimes, people like to argue with excuses. what would you like to answer those people who say that you cannot change the world alone� each person alone has to do their part by being aware we have a situation but it would really take a collective effort on a global scale to curb the trends that are currently occurring on our earth. humans are incredibly smart & insightful.

our many cultures are extremely diversified but in our cores we are all the same species, homo sapiens. we would need a paradigm shift in the way we think about the planet we live on. if you like to keep your home clean, think of the whole earth as our home. earth is not really that big of a place anymore and i think we’re becoming very aware that we are filling it up with everything we do. to be honest, i think it’s only natural to strive for growth. can you think of any creature that doesn’t want to expand its range� i can’t. so i think the key to our longer-term future is to study and master the concept of sustainability. humans have to be smart enough to figure out how to achieve that goal so we can live on this planet indefinitely. short-term gains are oh so fun and i strive for them myself. but somehow we need to make moves that will insure the survival of our species. instead of thinking about �� or 1�� years out, try thinking in terms of 1��� years from now. and i’m not talking about moving to the moon or mars. i’m very excited about space exploration but to relocate would be incredibly difficult and wrought with interstellar challenges �cosmic rays for starters�. we live on the ultimate planet. earth's awesome magnetic field and thick atmosphere protects us from harmful radiation it doesn’t get any better than earth. if we can evolve so that concept becomes our �1 priority, to take care of our home planet, then we have a chance. if we eat it all up and consume with an insatiable appetite for growth, well, that simply cannot go on forever on a finite planet.

despite of all those problems, do you consider yourself as optimistic� our balance will be difficult. i still want to drive my truck, heat my home and surf the web on my smartphone. we print tour photos on aluminum which makes that metal precious to us. i don’t want to sacrifice those things, so how do we become sustainable with our surroundings� we recycle, which is a start, conserve energy when we can, try to be aware of our carbon footprint. still, i do not claim to know the big answer. it will have to evolve rather quickly and come from within, once again, on a global scale. this is our ultimate challenge. my parents always taught me to leave a campsite better than i found it. in other words, clean it up, even if that means picking up someone else’s garbage. we all need to pick-up all the garbage and dispose of it properly. otherwise, the trends show that it will only get worse. i want to be optimistic and i do not like doom and gloom stories. although fear for our future might be just what we need to kick the human race into action.

back to the beauty of our world. in your opinion, where are the most beautiful places, which we should see in our lifetime� ahhh, back to beauty. alaska is my personal �1. i have travelled the world a bit and also really loved the outback of australia, backpacking�tramping around new zealand and i was blown away by the waterfalls of iceland. my wife and i have also had a blast traveling around italy, greece, spain and most recently croatia and surrounding countries along the adriatic sea.

where can we find your work and what are your plans for the future� my trademarked brand is aurora hunter. i have all my photos, movies, and educational aurora information available at aurorahunter.com. currently my main social media outlet is facebook.com�aurorahunter. my latest thrill is to record the auroras in real-time and i have two places i upload video content: vimeo.com�aurorahunter and youtube. com�user�toddsalat. our near future plans are to finish strong selling photos at our holiday gallery in the anchorage dimond center mall. in january, we’ll recover for a week in our sister state of hawaii. after that it’s back to my passion of aurora hunting. i'll load up the camper, get off the grid and go out in search of that next special experience in nature. for those who plan on visiting alaska, you can find the events that my wife shay and i do, along with a list of galleries and gift stores that carry our products at aurorahunter.com�showtimes.

www.aurorahunter.com more about todd salt's work you can find on his website

100 DAYS OF

ADVENTURE AND EXTREMES STEFAN GLOWACZ

EXTREME CLIMBER & ADVENTURER PHOTOS: THOMAS ULRICH

SUMMER IN THE GREENLAND COAST CIRCA YEAR 1000

IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE,

but the largest island on our planet has the lowest population density on earth: greenland. most of the inhabitants live on the ice-free coast in the southwest, which is surrounded by impressive fjords. besides the contrast between its dimension and number of inhabitants, greenland has another special character to offer. while it belongs to north america geographically, it’s an autonomous part of the kingdom of denmark.

of course, when we think of denmark and scandinavia, we think also of the worldrenowned seafaring nation of the vikings. and thus, it was also a viking, erik the red, who gave greenland its well-known name. it was around the year ��2, when erik, banished from iceland, sailed to greenland. now, almost 1.��� years later, another great adventurer had the same goal. just with a sailing boat and equipped only with simplest utensils, he wanted to realize his dream, the first ascent of the east wall of greenland. of course, there is only one german daredevil with such great ambitions:

STEFAN GLOWACZ.

INTERVIEW WITH STEFAN GLOWACZ stefan, you've published an impressive book: “grönland coast to coast”. what can you tell us about the tour without telling us too much and what appealed to you about greenland� i have always been fascinated by the great adventurers like scott, nansen or shackleton. for years i have tried to combine the adventure aspect with the high performance aspect of climbing on my expeditions. i call this style "by fair means". on these expeditions, my team and i try to reach a wall, climb a first ascent and then return to civilization on our own from the last point of civilization, without outside help, depots or technical achievements such as airplanes or helicopters. when i flew to an expedition to baffin island over the greenland ice sheet in 2�1�, and looked out of the window, a desire and my vision arose that i want to stand in this infinite expanse. what was the main goal of your expedition� with the coast to coast expedition i wanted to combine several expedition modules into one expedition. the journey with a sailing yacht from scotland to greenland, the crossing of the inland ice of greenland, the first ascent of a big wall as well as the return to scotland with the sailing yacht. you are generally far off the beaten track and have experienced a lot. what fascinated you the most on this tour� what fascinates me about these expeditions are the things i am not aware of yet. in this case, it was the crossing of greenland at its widest point. i was fascinated by this exposure and remoteness. i was curious to experience what this environment demanded of me physically and above all, mentally. how long did you prepare for the expedition� from the moment i made the decision for the coast to coast project, it took me 2 years to implement it. especially the logistics were a challenge. wolf kloss, our skipper, first had to sail the 1�,�-meter steel yacht "santa maria" from tierra del fuego to europe. thank god, my team mate thomas ulrich from switzerland planned the whole traverse. there is no more experienced adventurer in this field than him. for my physical preparation, i worked on my deficit of longterm endurance together with my second team mate, the young climber philipp hans. together and alone we rode hundreds of kilometers on the racing bike.

SUPPORT stefan glowacz with a head from sponsor red bull

THE DREAM TEAM �f.l.t.r.�: stefan glowacz, wolfgang kloss �skipper�, philipp hand �climber�, daniel kloss and jan kiehne �skipper� and thomas ulrich �photographer�

in spite of the best preparation, such an expedition certainly brings with it many difficulties. what were the biggest obstacles and challenges� did it ever get dangerous� was there something you didn't expect at all� the time played a decisive role in this expedition. first, we wanted to climb the east coast and then cross greenland from east to west. but, unfortunately, our skipper intervened. in autumn, the storm season starts with average wind speeds of �� knots. it would have been much too dangerous to sail down the west coast with such a small yacht during this period, to circumnavigate the cape and then to master the long blow over to scotland. for this reason, we decided to start the crossing from the west coast to the east coast, although the risk of not being able to climb, was enormous. that is exactly what happened in the end. that was the first difficulty. in addition, we had to redefine the term punctuality when sailing. for us, the 1� days delay at the drop-off point on the west coast had been a catastrophe. for skipper wolf it was almost a precise landing. but the biggest problem during the crossing was the enormous cold. on average, we had temperatures between -2� and -�� degrees. you have been on the road together for 1�� days� surely there is something like a camp fever� how did you deal with it� was there an argument once� i was on the road with a team that i was glad for every morning. even after such a long time of being together in the tightest of spaces, despite all the difficulties, inconveniences and hardship, we still were able to laugh about ourselves. there were no vanities, everyone had great respect for the other participants and each of us was willing to give everything for the success of the expedition. we on the ice and “wolf” on the water. it may sound pathetic, but we were quite the musketeers: "all for one, one for all". as already mentioned, you share your experiences with us in your book "grönland coast to coast". what in particular does the reader await� with this book i want to inspire the readers to dream. the book has a wonderful aesthetic in terms of visual language and layout. in addition, it is very honest and partly also critical. for now, this is all i want to say about it.

the book presents incredibly impressive pictures. they are exciting, beautiful, create wanderlust and make one think about the topics. today, we have to deal with many environmental problems. what are your experiences on this topic and what problems did you have to deal with on your journey to faraway greenlandďż˝ in contrast to asian coastal regions, the coasts of the polar regions are not so strongly affected by plastic waste yet. at least we didn't notice this negatively. we were not able to say whether it was too warm or too cold for this season, because we had no comparison. in nuuk, we talked to a geologist who has been researching global warming for years. the period of the scientific records covers up to today approximately 1ďż˝ years. this is still too short for scientists to be able to make reliable statements. but one thing he has already told us: the ice break has shifted forward by almost four weeks since the beginning of the recordings and the average temperatures have also risen dramatically. for a visitor, however, the effects are not (yet) noticeable.

the santa maria is the largest sailing ship in her class. here, she makes her way through the greenland ice.

plastic waste, environmental pollution, climate change... at what point do you think we are regarding to confronting ourselves with these problemsďż˝ by using the bmw iďż˝ electric vehicles, we wanted to set an example. we wanted to show that it is quite possible to set off on a big expedition to the end of the world and keep co2 emissions as low as possible. we also took all the rubbish we had caused during the crossing, home with us and disposed of it properly afterwards. every human being can make a contribution to environmental protection by changing his habits. but above all, governments must finally turn their promises into reality. the last climate summit in poland, however, showed how far away we are from this. instead of tackling humanity's biggest problem together, the solidarity of the signatories of the paris agreement is crumbling. we are well on the way to leave our children and future generations with shattered fragments of this world that are no longer worth living.

to take such impressive photos, you also need a camera. didn’t this lead to problems with the cold� after all, the chips of modern cameras are quite sensitive. sooner or later every electronical device didn’t work anymore with these temperatures. of course, this made the documentation very difficult. we carried the important batteries on our bodies permanently. especially thomas ulrich did a great job and the batteries for his camera almost grew on him. thus, the pictures in the book also have a very special value because of the difficult circumstances in which they were taken.

many people already get out of breath when climbing a few stairs at the age of 20. from man to man it is allowed to say, you are over 50 years old and continue to go on very challenging journeys. is there an age limit for what you do� how long would you like to do these expeditions� as long as i'm curious about what awaits me behind the horizon, i'll keep going. but in case that one day i don't hear the call anymore, i will quit and do something else. but, at the moment, it still crave for these adventures, even stronger than ever. greenland is now lagging behind. your book lets us participate in your journey. but what did you take with you from this special tour in a personal way� such an expedition shows me again and again that a person actually does not need much to be really happy. to have a safe place to camp, a warm meal and a dry sleeping bag is simply enough. i come home after such an intensive expedition and can appreciate and enjoy the comforts of our civilized society even more consciously. above all, the privilege of living in a safe and free country, from which i can leave and, above all, return to with much joy.

UNINTENTIONAL RELAXING TIME not enough charging stations slowed down the beginning of the expedition is there already a new dream destination� where do your next travels take you� next year, i will catch up on doing the first ascent on the east coast of greenland with my team. the walls there are simply too great to be forgotten.

when you're not travelling, you give lectures, work as a journalist and co-found red chili, the brand for climbing enthusiasts. but, you also have a family. how do you manage to combine everythingďż˝ that's a good question that i also ask myself from time to time. i live in a progressive chaos. so far it has worked, but i wait for it to collapse every day. no, seriously: i love the versatility of my life. i couldn't imagine a more beautiful and intense life. for now, christmas is just around the corner. being such an active person like you, i can imagine that you will get restless after a few hours. am i wrongďż˝ how do you spend the holidays and what is your greatest wishďż˝ getting restless after a few hours is a bit exaggerated. but after one or two "forced rest days" i can no longer enjoy the christmas orgies, which i am still thankful for. thank god that there are good bouldering halls everywhere to at least calm the inner conscience.

stefan glowacz - grönland coast to coast 2�� pages, 2�� photos and illustrations, size �� x 2� cm, hard cover euro ��.�� �isbn ���-�-���-11�22-�� delius klasing publishing house, bielefeld available in bookstores via hotline +�� �21 ��� ���

AURORA IN GREENLAND view from the santa maria ALL PHOTOS: THOMAS ULRICH

more information about the book 'grรถnland coast to coast' and the likeable adventurer you can find on his website

www.glowacz.de

AN

AURORA FOR YOUR SMART HOME PHILIPS

OLED+ 903 & AMBILIGHT

APART FROM OUR FASCINATION

for an aurora, due to special lights and colors we calm down, relax and start to dream. not just in nature, but also at home, the right light plays an important role. it helps us to relax or it causes headaches, it creates a cozy atmosphere or discomfort. for example, when we watch tv on a bright display in the dark our eyes start to hurt because of the huge contrasts of modern displays. philips, well-known for tv innovations, has recognized that a special light can reduce that eye strain and fatigue. this technology is called ambilight by

AMBILIGHT BY PHILIPS

SOUND & VISION

+

the new philips masterpiece oled 940

AMBILIGHT

the philips ambilight is based on rows of leds, integrated on the back of the tv. these leds illuminate the wall behind the tv in different colors. the colors correspondent exactly to the content on the display. thus, our eyes recognize that effect as an expansion of the picture on screen. the ambilight projection technology abolishes restrictions and, thus, frees the pictures from their limited screen size. the projections impress with excellent clarity, vivid colors and first-class contrast to create a truly new and captivating experience.

SEE AND FEEL THE MUSIC

moreover, also music enthusiasts have reason to be pleased. the reason is that ambilight cannot only intensify the film and tv experience. but it also provides more fun while enjoying music. the ambilight music mode creates a dynamic, colored light that adapts to any music played via tv. it doesn't matter if the source is a streaming service like spotify, a usb disk or a tv channel. the user can choose from a variety of presets for colors or simply activate the random party mode. in conjunction with the popular philips hue smart lighting, ambilight takes over the complete illumination of the room

and brings a great ���-degree experience. philips knows, the best picture isn’t worth anything unless everything is well-engineered and perfectly attuned to one another. thus, the dutch technology company pays attention to every detail. besides the best displays and components, all philips tv’s appear in a top-design; trendy but timeless, puristic but stylish. moreover, in that unique design the current philips top-model has integrated the exceptional sound experience of bowers & wilkins. for more than �� years, the british company stands for the state-of-the-art regarding sound and quality. therefore, you can find b�w speakers in professional sound studios as well as in households of ambitioned sound enthusiasts. furthermore, the bowers & wilkins series ��� diamond belongs to the most popular speakers as well as bestsellers in the high-end sector at all. thus, the first result of the exciting new partnership between philips tv - europe’s leading premium tv brand - and legendary british audio engineering company bowers & wilkins has been unveiled with the launch of the philips oled+ ��� tv. hence, the tv represents the first set to benefit from the two companies’ combined skill sets.

the rear bass enclosure features a larger low frequency drive unit with larger twin passive radiators. all are mounted in a larger enclosure, with an increased internal volume and additional ribs to stiffen the structure. the twin tweeter�mid-range units are now forward rather than downward firing. the drivers are also mounted in new stiffer enclosures. the soft dome tweeter and paper mid-range of the oled ��� have been replaced by flush mounted 1�” titanium tweeter and a glass-fibre mid-range – both mounted within their own sealed areas within the overall driver enclosure. bowers and wilkins has also helped to optimize the oled+ 903’s dsp functionality, while amplification and the overall power output has remained the same at an

IMPRESSIVE 50 WATTS.

the result is a set that truly delivers to bowers & wilkins ‘true sound’ principals. distortion has been reduced while dialogue clarity, and the scale and separation of the sound stage, have both been greatly increased. bass performance has been significantly increased but remains clean and accurate giving movies real impact but also allowing the oled+ ��� to offer

SUPERB MUSIC PLAYBACK.

product placement

EXCEPTIONAL PICTURES

besides, of course, the new philips jewel oled+ ��� is a tv which captivates through it’s top-modern display. the new set enjoys the benefits of the latest oled technology working with a new 2nd generation version of philips p� perfect processing engine and the unique three-sided ambilight system, all combined to create a true flagship product. the new oled technology offers a new peak regarding brightness, black level and exceptional contrast. while watching a blu-ray, your home turns into a movie theater. tp vision has also become the third manufacturer to join the hdr1�+ alliance. the oled+ ��� is one of philips’ first sets to offer the hdr+ performance. but, what does this mean�

SMART IMAGES WITH HDR10+ we all know this situation when you start a movie and you have to adjust the contrast and brightness. does it sound familiar� usually, your settings are valid for the whole film. but every movie has dark scenes and bright ones. depending on your environment at home, the dark scenes appear too dark or the bright ones too bright. hdr1�+ informs your tv about the colors, brightness and contrast of each scene or in some cases each picture. thus, the tv can choose the best settings automatically to provide you a perfect cinematic experience. besides, hdr1�+ is an open standard, which means that every company could use it without obtaining a license. hence, more and more companies will support the standard. amazon produces its own series already in hdr1�+. netflix announced to support it soon. however, to use that technology, you need supporting devices like hdr1�+ and capable blu-ray players. however, for the foreseeable future, the vast majority of viewed content is likely to remain standard resolution rather than high-resolution, providing the rationale behind philips development of a new exclusive technology: perfect natural reality, which enhances the contrast. perfect natural reality continually calculates how to increase source quality, brightness, sharpness and contrast performance to give the regular tv and streaming content the same quality and impact as it would be provided in high-resolution. the system successfully reveals the fine detail lost on competitor sets - even oled models – and creates far more realistic images with greater depth impression.

SMART & PERFECT DESIGN the new philips oled+ ��� tv continues the best of european design philosophy with an understated silhouette with super-narrow bezel complemented by two narrow, horizontal metal feet set at right angles to the screen – with the left side foot branded philips and the right side bowers & wilkins. the forward firing drivers are mounted in the same surface as the integrated sound bar finished in a high-quality dark grey with an acoustically transparent cloth, specially produced by the leading danish fabric company kvadrat. a razor thin panel with a tight metal framing also nearly has a seamless connection to the three-sided ambilight technology, with the immersive viewing experience reaching new heights thanks to the tv’s exceptional color vibrancy and huge contrast ratio. powered by the android tv tm operating system, the oled+ ��� features an ultra-fast processor and expandable onboard memory. the set will launch with an older android system version, but in the near future the oled+ ��� will receive a software upgrade to the newest android o. this will include the google assistant built-in functionality, which allows users to control their smart home devices via the microphone of the tvs remote control. the software upgrade will also bring the newly developed amazon alexa compatibility to allow owners of alexa enabled devices to control their philips android tv. the ultra-slim oled+ ��� is a true jewelry, which is available since october – in both ��” and ��” versions – and will reset the tv performance landscape by offering a combination of picture and sound quality previously unavailable in the market.

www.philips.com

XMAS WITHOUT FILM NIGHT NO

THE TOP 3 MOVIES 2018 ON DVD AND BLU-RAY

IT WAS A BUSY YEAR.

the film industry experiences a new boom. although the home cinema screens become bigger and better, they cannot create the same feeling that we experience in cinema. a visit in the movie theater is not only a celebration of pure entertainment, but also a homage to the makers and artists. of course, to have a perfect time, the popcorn and tacos should be good, the prices should be fair and the guy behind me should keep his feet and legs under control. to enjoy the time in cinema the movie should be great. the valeur team has seen many movies this year. some were a catastrophe, some were okay, some good. but 3 movies were really great. they fulfilled our demands above the average, one of them more than 1�� percent. they excited us, because of their uniqueness and courage to present something really new. in addition, we would like to present an interesting quite new blu-ray tip for an entertaining

MOREOVER,

XMAS VIDEO PARTY.

1 A QUIET PLACE

A QUIET PLACE

is the best film 2�1�. it’s not a true horror movie, but in case we would count it to that genre, it’s by far the best movie since years. it took me a while until i decided to use that word, but a quiet place is simply perfect. the story about a young couple which tries to protect their kids, the emotions and smart story, the images and the brilliant actors make the movie simply amazing. but the sound finally makes it perfect. seldom, i felt so many feelings in a cinema. seldom, i was so closely connected to the characters. seldom, so surprised. the movie offers many unforgettable moments, such as the moment when the young father lee (john krasinski) leads his son marcus (noah jupe) to a waterfall to talk with him just a few words. when lee must make a decision, how he wants to protect the children from the aliens or when his wife evelyn (emily blunt) gives birth to her child. thus, when i remember these scenes, just superlatives come into my mind, like brilliant, exiting, heart touching, and authentic. however, these are just a few.

pictures © paramount pictures

so, a quiet place is the first movie which gets 1� points from valeur. not just because of the film itself, its story and amazing actors, but because of its innovative character. on the one hand, it’s a homage to the beginning of the film industry and the first screen heroes. on the other hand, it’s one of the most innovative movies since a long time. without great cgi effects, but made with great heart and soul. a quiet place is simply reduced to the basics, acting, story and – most of all – sound. thus, a quiet place shouldn’t be missed on your christmas watchlist.

UNSANE

is ranked on place 2, very close behind a quiet place. the film, directed by steven soderbergh, is simply amazing. with its dense atmosphere, it touches our emotions and innermost fears. because of the simple camera technology, familiar to our own smartphones, we are able to immerse into the story directly from the first second. unsane takes us to a trip within a psychiatric ward. the film is unbelievably surprising and thrilling. typical of steven soderbergh, even the most shocking scenes provide a special sense of humor. in any case, this humor is truly unique. because, always smart and reduced to the limit, every punchline is placed accurately. furthermore, the cast is brilliant. among all, claire foy performs in a way that deserves an oscar. she takes us on a psycho trip of a new kind. finally, torn between fear and hope, thrill and humor, with unsane we experience a brand-new kind of movie: entertaining, innovative, thrilling and humorous. a perfect mix from the hand of one of the best directors of our times. thus, unsane absolutely deserves place 2 of the best movies this year. pictures Š regency enterprises and fingerprint releasing

2 UNSANE

CLAIRE FOY before we get to place 3, we would like to present the best actress 2018: claire foy. with a huge bang, more precisely with 4 great movies within one year, the british actress showed that she belongs to the best actresses of the international movie.

in breathe, she plays the wife of a terminally ill young man. in unsane, a wrongly locked up victim. in first man, foy appears as the wife of moon astronaut neil armstrong, played by ryan gosling. finally, in the girl in the spider’s web, claire foy is a smart hacker, kind of a mix of the matrix character neo (keanu reeves) and a modern robin hood. although not all of these movies deserve the best reviews, they were truly worth seeing because of claire foy’s participation. the actress showed that she has thousands of faces and characters. furthermore, foy played her roles with such a conviction and authenticity, that the film partners fade beside her.

claire elizabeth foy was born on april 16, 1984. she studied acting in liverpool and oxford. in 2008, she debuted in the supernatural comedy series being human in 2008. she experienced her professional stage debut at the royal national theatre in the same year as taking the role of the bbc one series little dorrit. after some more or less great roles in tv productions, foy became highly acclaimed for portraying the ill-fated queen anne boleyn in the miniseries wolf hall.

then, the british actress became popular internationally, because of her performance as the young queen elizabeth ii in the first two seasons of the netflix series the crown. among others, claire foy won a primetime emmy award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series and a golden globe award for best actress – television series drama. without any doubt, the role in steven soderbergh’s psycho thriller unsane was foy’s international breakthrough and the consolidation of a long career. we look forward to her next appearance.

3 D E A D P O O L 2 thousands of cheeky remarks & the most crazy action ever made to our number �. ryan reynolds created a very special movie. he and his team had the courage to release a r-rate film. thus, he goes his typical individual ways. we could call it cheeky again when an inspired team doesn’t choose the safe pg-1� space. although ryan loves to play with that argument, deadpool 2 is free from 1� years �in us from 1�� and, therefore, it’s not really a family movie. however, the theme family plays an important role in deadpool 2.

DEADPOOL 2

pictures © 2�th century fox

think of us as really fucked up tooth fairies except we knock out the teeth and take the cash. in times of mainstream �which isn’t bad as long as the quality is right�, it shows a unique self-confidence to present a film to a smaller, age-limited audience. the side-effect could be, that deadpool 2, like already the first one, has the potential to become a cult movie. thus, the film will be on par with mega hits like terminator, alien and predator.

the academy is watching

in any case, almost every scene, from the opening to the closing credits, is hilarious and perfectly staged. there is actually no time to go to the restroom. thus, you should make sure to get enough popcorn and beer, before you start the dvd or blu-ray of deadpool 2, with many funny bonus material. because, every moment is important, hilarious or heart touching. hence, you will love all characters, the good ones as well as the bad ones. especially, you will love the x-force team. its first mission is by far the funniest film sequence since the times of charlie chaplin and buster keaton. howsoever, you will see ryan reynolds’ full talent. he belongs to the sexiest men alive, but he had the courage to hide his handsome face behind deadpool’s red mask or wade’s face, which is marked from cancer. therefore, after the golden globe award nominations, the time for an academy award for deadpool probably has come. in any case, it was time for deadpool 2. it lets you forget the reality for 2 hours, it makes you simply laugh and, moreover, it conveys a very positive feeling which remains for many days. therefore, our valeur ranking can be only: marvelous� place � for deadpool 2.

if your left leg is thanksgiving, and your right leg is christmas, can i visit you between the holidays�

XMAS

BLU-RAY FILM TIP ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

is our dvd & blu-ray tip. why� it has two reasons. first, ant-man 2 will be the last marvel film, where we will see the maker of iron man and all the other heroes of the mcu the last time: stan lee. the creative mastermind died at the age of 95 this autumn. we would like to say thank you, stan, for a complex universe, which will entertain us and also let us escape into a dream world in the future. r.i.p.

THE SECOND REASON

is, that there are many super heroes, but less super heroines in the universe. in antman and the wasp we will meet � women with the power to control the guys. hence, among all, the movie is about hope van dyne �evangeline lilly�, ava �hannah john-kamen� and janet van dyne �michelle pfeiffer�. all main female characters are simply amazing. evangeline lilly convinces as hope. moreover, she gives a very feminine and responsible touch to the super hero.

IN ADDITION,

hannah john-kamen impresses as ava the ghost. she plays very sensitive and convincing. her appearance and style fit perfectly with her role. with her eyes she arouses the attention as well as she touches the hearts of the audience. finally, the amazing michelle pfeiffer as hope’s mother janet, shows, that there is always a way out, if you believe in it. the effects are still amazing, and – despite some criticism – ant-man and the wasp is very entertaining. especially, when scott walks through the water as a gigantic hero. there will not be a dry eye� thus, ant-man and the wasp is a perfect Christmas gift and film for the entire family and an amusing video night together.

pictures © marvel studios 2018

A FESTIVE

GERMAN TRADITION CONQUERED THE WORLD

dvd, blu-ray, clothes. nowadays, we are used to buy the most products via internet. although, modern online shopping offers many advantages, the traditional way will always be an alternative. by the way, especially during the christmas time it’s a nice alternative. besides fabulous and colorful decorated showcases, peaceful music, brightly and warm illuminated boutiques, warehouses and restaurants, the cities in many countries exude a certain charm due to a german export hit

CHRISTMAS MARKETS

THE HISTORY

of that typical german tradition can be dated back to the 1�th century. one of the oldest christmas markets is the “christkindlmarkt” in munich, which was mentioned in a document in 1�1� the first time. the market in dresden is very old as well. the first documents of this christmas market are dated to the year 1���, �� years before christopher columbus discovered america. the first markets in berlin were registered in the year 1���. started in the end of the middle age, when craftsmen began to sale their christmas products on public marketplaces. since then, it is said, that visitors were spoilt with local specialties like roasted chestnuts and warm drinks. up to the present day, you can find these traditional markets all over germany. of course, the most beautiful markets are located in small romantic villages and towns – calm, warm and just wonderful. they lead us back in time. nevertheless, you will also find markets in big cities like berlin markets with a similar character compared to their historical models. you can find them in peripheral districts or directly in the center, between loud and stressful amusement places, as they are mostly typical nowadays. thus, keep your eyes open, when you walk through the town during christmas time. about 80 christmas markets were counted in berlin last year. because of this amazing number we would like to give you some inspiration, where to find traditional or creative markets. one of the most popular districts of berlin is called prenzlauer berg. here, you will find many young and creative people from all over the world. therefore, you will find a particular type of christmas markets which are unique in their own way.

THE TRADITION

WWW.LUCIA-WEIHNACHTSMARKT.DE

A CHRISTMAS HOMAGE TO SCANDINAVIA

LUCIA CHRISTMAS MARKET the romantic world of the lucia christmas market invites you to the kulturbrauerei in berlin's district prenzlauer berg. the richly decorated buildings of red and yellow brick with their casting pillars, dome vaults and stone ceilings represent the industrial architecture of the 1�th century. the lucia christmas market takes place in the outdoor space in the two courtyards of the kulturbrauerei, which are turned into a brightly lit christmas world with around �� stalls and historic merry-go-rounds. named after lucia, the nordic goddess of light, the market is dedicated to the scandinavian countries and shines bright. there are swedish log candles and one unique feature is the art object “openair-mantel-heizung” �open-air overcoat heating system�. five spots have been arranged where guests can warm up themselves. heat is supplied by an old-fashioned wood stove and visitors who feel cold can wear the fur coats that are waiting ready and warm.

the nordic flair is underpinned by scandinavian music in native language. every evening at �pm there is an interesting cultural program occuring and even santa comes to visit the children from �-� pm. these kind of activities give the place a nice community feeling. the lucia market is not too big, so you won’t get lost and not too small, so you won’t get bored quickly. they evoke the feeling of a traditional natural christmas amongst family, friends, fairy lights and of course, the good hot red �and white� wine “glühwein” or “glög“.

HIGHLIGHTS

bungee trampoline, merry-go-round “coat-open-air-heater“ �see below� “swedenfire“ artworks santa visits the market daily cultural program show daily at � pm every saturday and sunday between � and � pm children's handicraft hour at alte kantine, admission free opening hours �free entry�: monday - friday � pm – 1�pm

saturday & sunday 1pm – 1�pm

additionally, to everything you usually look for when you visit a cozy christmas market, lucia also has a few rarities to offer. a cozy warmth is created by flickering swedish fires and the unique "openair jacket heating". the bizarre installation is perfect for shivery people. they can slip into warmed fur coats, which are heated by a nostalgic wood stove. once the coats aren’t available, it's just a few steps to a mobile sauna of a different kind - without wheels and without undressing – on into "the wandering yurt". it can't be cozier.

O CHRISTMAS TREE!

O CHRISTMAS TREE! every kid knows that song and many already learn in school what artistic license means, when they recognize the fact, that a christmas tree is usually a fir, and it has actually no leaves but needles. however, the tradition to decorate a tree in our home at christmas time has an interesting history, which starts – more or less – in germany. of course, already in ancient times evergreen plants were a symbol for fertility and vitality. in the roman empire laurel branches embellished the house. but, in the same year when christopher columbus discovered america, it’s noted that nine firs were bought for strasbourg’s church at christmas time. it’s alleged that even protestant christian reformer martin luther decorated an evergreen tree with candle lights. however, the oldest written mention of a 'christmas tree' can be dated to the year 1�2�. almost 2�� years later, in his novel: 'the sorrows of young werther', one of the most popular germans ever, johann wolfgang von goethe, mentioned a tree, which is embellished with apples, wax lights, and sweetmeat. e.t.a. hoffmann’s 'the nutcracker and the mouse king' from 1�1�, is the first berlin monument of literature describing a fir, which is decorated with shiny lights, candies and golden apples. which was a privilege of the upper class first, became a beloved tradition also for ordinary german citizens. even, when they were in other countries, far away from their home, they stayed connected to it, by keeping the christmas tree tradition alive. hence, they took those tradition with them and, the christmas tree conquered the entire world.

THE IMPACT TODAY nowadays, over 1�� million christmas trees are produced in the us and europe, worth almost � billion dollars �≈ �,2 billion euros�. certainly, it has an impact on our nature. while the trees are completely reusable, as long as the decoration was taken off and they weren’t treated chemically, the mass production of the trees needs herbicides and pesticides. besides, one tree needs about 12 years to grow.

so, some people prefer to use an artificial tree since it has the perfect size and shape, and is much cheaper than its natural equivalent. of course, it was germany, the home country of the christmas tree, which developed the first artificial trees already in the 1�th century. at that time, as a reaction to the extensive deforestation, the trees were made of green colored goose feathers. nowadays, artificial trees are mainly made from plastic. the most, but not all, use recycled material. however, even the majority of artificial trees isn’t recyclable or biodegradable. the debate is still not clear. on the one hand, you can use an artificial tree for a long time, when you handle it with care. on the other hand, it cannot be recycled in the end. furthermore, the production of plastic as well as the durability are a huge problem. thus, plastic is a great environmental polluter. in case of a natural tree, there are also positive and negative aspects, but at the end, those trees can be used as animal feeding and they can be recycled completely – in the most cases. thus, if you love the tradition of christmas including a beautiful decorated tree, you should keep it in mind. maybe you should check your surrounding area, if there are small tree nurseries. they have the advantage that the trees grow up in a natural environment, without chemical treatment. furthermore, you can select and cut your favorite tree by yourself. what kind of tree you prefer - or if you rather go into town to enjoy the public tree there than to decorate an own one – you should avoid at least one thing.

TINSEL there are decorations like tinsel and other decorative accessories that let the tree almost seem non-existent underneath. thus, those who want to do our nature a favor but do not want to celebrate christmas without a traditional tree either, should resist to buy tinsel this year. at least, you should consider the alternative to buy some tinsel that is produced sustainably and therefore, can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. furthermore, please take care of removing the tinsel from the tree before throwing it away. in most cases, even the environmentally friendly tinsel, like that of the brand manufactum, cannot be disposed of in the same way as the tree itself. speaking of christmas as a feast of love, we should additionally give nature some love and decorate our tree with other beautiful, decorative accessories than the harmful tinsel. by saying this, we mean those made out of plumb, plastic or aluminum. why you should do so, you can read in the following part.

ALUMINIUM copper, tin, bronze and iron are well known and used materials for ages. at school, we learned that the copper age began about �,��� years ago. what many do not know is that aluminum, on the other hand, has only been known for a relatively short time. only in ��2�, the dane hans christian ørsted �* 1� august 1���, † � march 1��1� succeeded in presenting aluminum within the periodic table. the english chemist humphry davy �* 1� december ����, † 2� may 1�2��, on the other hand, is the eponym of it. since its discovery, the triumphal march of the light metal arose more and more. but, on the contrary, its negative cause – the environmental damage did arise as well. the production of one kilogram of aluminum needs in average 1� kwh energy. on a global basis, this means that about 1�kg of o2 are released per kilogram of aluminum. furthermore, the emissions that are released into the environment during further processing have to be added. in addition, large natural areas are used for the extraction of aluminum. waste separation is another problem, because even though aluminum can be recycled relatively well, thousands of tons are disposed of without being recycled in the household garbage.

another problem is the red sludge that comes up during the production of aluminum. since the material consists of caustic soda and it hardly can be further processed, it is disposed of in landfills or, in the worst case, discharged into rivers and lakes. this does not only cause massive long-term problems for the environment, but also in acute dangers for people. the dam burst in hungary in 2�1� �see picture middle below�, in which 1� people lost their lives and many were injured, is just one example of many. have you ever thought about all of this when you ordered your new aluminum rims, put your food in aluminum foil, enjoyed your yoghurt or used a coffee capsules the last time� the last aspect in particular shows the risk people take when buying products that consist of aluminum. similar to plastic, aluminum can get into food and through it into our organism. bon appetit� however, fortunately, there are also pioneers who, with great ideals, enormous diligence and without hesitating to make huge investments, show us consumers how we can enjoy luxury without harming the environment. we have met one in frankfurt oder.

hungary ajka toxicspill digitalglobe derivative work: f. lamiot �talk�, hungary ajka toxicspill october �, 2�1� dgdetail, cc by �.�

ENJOY YOUR AND

TEA FAVORITE COFFEE ECO-FRIENDLY UNICAPS

ALUMINIUM FREE CAPSULES

INNOVATION MADE IN FRANKFURT one of these courageous pioneers, who wants to offer us a luxury life with respect to the environment is the young frankfurt company

UNICAPS.

but, be aware of the fact, that in this case we are talking about frankfurt an der oder. it's is a city that had been sleeping, and struggling with some problems as well as a few prejudices, for a long time. and yet, it offers an extremely exciting story. half-timbered houses that remind us of the römerberg of its big sister on the main, medieval gothic architecture as well as modern architecture - sometimes even considered to be building sins - characterize the cityscape. furthermore, the modern architecture is characterized by the gräfindönhoff building, which includes the lecture and dining hall complex of the european university viadrina. with its foundation in 1���, frankfurt �oder� once again became a university city, which is now paying off.

more and more innovative people see in the proximity to berlin, poland and the nordic regions the advantages of the city as an excellent location for their work. and so, we come back to unicaps, the company that settled here some time ago. with its foundation in 2�1�, unicaps has faced the problem that our passion for coffee and tea causes. for generations, we have been familiar with brewing coffee by hand or by classic filter coffee machines. it is simply delicious when the aroma of the coffee fills the room early in the morning and its caffeine makes our minds capable of achieving the maximum. thus, it’s lovely when your favorite tea creates a pleasant atmosphere on a winter evening and fills your body and mind with new energy. so, where is the problem� the problem is that we live in a high-performance society that demands a lot from us, especially time. therefore, time is one of the most valuable factors in our lives. we want to use it as sensibly as possible and create a life-work balance that is as healthy as possible. but, a good cup of tea or coffee needs its time. for many, a highquality fully automatic coffee machine is unaffordable or the space for it in our kitchen is not given. in terms of taste, coffee pads are a no-go. in addition, in many families, agencies or small and mediumsized businesses the members have different preferences regarding the coffee or tea variety.

FOR SOME YEARS NOW,

the solution is offered by machines that work with capsules that are handy, easy to store and vacuum-sealed to preserve the taste we love. additionally, they prepare a delicious cup of coffee or tea for us in just a couple of seconds. moreover, these machines are extremely easy to maintain, often also compact and therefore easy to place even in the smallest kitchen. so far, it sounds good. however, the problem is that the capsules are made of aluminum, one of the most environmentally damaging products ever �see 'aluminium' page before�.

ECO-FRIENDLY ORGANIC CAPSULES of course, we cannot and must not completely banish aluminum out of our lives. but it is in our interest to be more conscious while buying and using this material. and so, we come back to the coffee capsules that, until now, were completely made of aluminum. even though critics are right in saying that coffee and tea were enjoyed even before the capsule machines were invented and without creating much rubbish, the success of modern machines shows that a lot of people, especially those who are lifestyle-oriented, appreciate to prepare their favorite drink in this quick and simple way.

unicaps founder max sandherr the frankfurt-based company unicaps meanwhile found a solution for all the coffee- and tea-drinker:

BIO CAPSULES.

unicaps chef dirk n. tillmann

we from valeur wanted to find out what is the story behind of it and if it’s just another of these slogans based on half-hearted or premature processes or production methods. unicaps combines a team of coffee experts, engineers, material scientists as well as sports and nutrition specialists. in recent years, they have worked together to find a tea and coffee packaging in such a way that aluminum is not used as a material at all. in addition, the drink can unfold its full aroma at the same time.

THE RESULT ARE CAPSULES MADE FROM RENEWABLE RAW MATERIALS,

such as glucose, starch and also lignin, which is a residue of the paper and timber industry. according to the brand, these can be completely disposed of in the house compost or the organic waste bin. a brief consultation with the local disposal company is recommended by unicaps, as not everyone may have the appropriate facilities. further information can be found on the company's website.

ORGANIC GUIDELINES since coffee itself does not necessarily belong to the eco products par excellence, it makes no sense to pay attention to the packaging, but not to its contents. therefore, unicaps has not only paid attention to the highest quality of the tea and coffee varieties, which come from sri lanka, india, germany and morocco as well as from peru, honduras, brazil and colombia. in addition, the young company works exclusively with experts and partners who are certified according to organic guidelines, as well as the frankfurt company itself. for unicaps it’s highly important that the local harvesting and working conditions comply with the own ethical principles.

THE CHALLENGE - THE TASTE after harvesting, unicaps has the first-class arabica beans ground and gently roasted. filled into the airtight bio capsules, the coffee types retain their respective aroma, which they can optimally unfold during the preparation in the machine. on the other hand, the organic teas challenged unicaps, because it is well known that the tea has to infuse for between 3 and 8 minutes in order to develop the desired taste. however, during the preparation in a capsule machine the tea leaves, herbs and fruits only get in contact with the water for a short time.

AROMA TECHNOLOGY unicaps found the solution in the self-proclaimed and proprietary aroma technology. the company from frankfurt (oder) describes this method as "groundbreaking for the history of tea since the invention of the tea bag". in this in-house process, the tea leaves, herbs and fruits are mechanically crushed before being filled into the capsules free of aluminum in an airtight way. the special thing about this is that the fine structure of the ingredients is retained. this allows them to develop their full aroma, pleasant and stimulating scent and typical colors in just 40 seconds in the capsule machines with pressure and hot, flowing water. thus, unicaps promises a special taste experience.

MADE BY PEOPLE FOR BOTH, PEOPLE AND NATURE unicaps is not a large corporation. as mentioned at the beginning, the company’s secret are the people behind who have a vision, heart and passion who combine their skills. by doing so, they offer us as consumers products that are not only good for us but also for the environment. that is reason enough to celebrate with a cup of christmas tea and return to the most beautiful christmas markets in berlin.

WWW.UNICAPS.EU

ADVENT MARKETS SEQUEL 2

THE NOSTALIC

so, frankfurt an der oder has a lot to offer. one of the christmas attractions is the nostalgic advent market, which took place in the st. mary's church as always. already for the 20th time, many frankfurters, their families and guests came to this contemplative, quiet and traditional christmas market on the 2nd and �rd advent weekends to simply chat, sing and enjoy the event. of course, the obligatory mulled wine or punch has been served on this special occasion. in addition, there were delicious crêpes, roasted apples and even champagne. the ones who like the food salty, could eat fresh fish as well as game sausages, pelmeni, cheese and salami. for dessert, tree and gingerbread cakes, dried fruit, nuts and organic delicacies from the region sweetened the stay. as always, the market stayed true to their traditions. furthermore, you had great opportunities to shop some special things. more than 60 stalls offered their goods for sale. the picture was shaped by artisans. they offered handmade ceramics, jewelry, soaps and products of felt and joinery and wooden goods. furthermore, saddlers, bag makers and furriers offered leather goods and basket makers their handmade products. the manufactories determine the mixture of distributors. in addition to arts and crafts, you had the chance to buy christmas gifts and to get some gift ideas, christmas tree decorations and cribs as well as goods and products made of wood, leather, stones and metals. books about the christmas story were also available.

the nostalgic advent market of st. marien was also a real festival of lights, as the high nave with its huge roof shone again and again in various colors and motifs. in the choir, below the three biblical and historically unique mosaic windows, a wonderful christmas tree lightened up the event. a cultural supporting program consisting of wind instruments and choirs from frankfurt and the surrounding area supported the nostalgic atmosphere. thus, the sacred building offered a worthy setting for a colorful hustle and bustle, in which you could truly feel the joyful anticipation of christmas. as every year, the nostalgic advent market of st. marien attracted almost 10,000 visitors. some came from away, many from the surrounding area. without a doubt, the frankfurt advent market is one of the highlights of the city of frankfurt an der oder. if you missed it, you can save the date for next year. advent in sankt marien always takes place on the 2nd and 3rd advent weekends, on each weekend from 13 to 19 o'clock. the entrance fee is 3 euro.

CHRISTIANSKIRKEN BERLIN BACK IN BERLIN,

we enjoy the cultural diversity, which could be find at every corner here. almost every language, skin color and religion is represented in some way or other in berlin. during a stroll through the city during christmastime, you can also find small markets, where you can experience the christmas traditions of other countries. you will find a polish market, a french one, even an asian one, and many more. of course, you can also visit a very nice market of our beloved neighbor denmark.

THE DANISH CHURCH IN BERLIN

has held more than �� christmas markets since 1���. in the beginning it was quite small. but meanwhile it has evolved into a big event. this year the christianskirken market had more than 1�� helping volunteers. the christmas market is very important for the church's economy. therefore, the organizers spend a lot of effort to make this one weekend something special.

at the market you will find different types of traditional danish food like "smørrebrød" �an open- faced sandwich with all kinds of toppings�, danish hotdogs, "æbleskiver" �a small dough ball served with powdered sugar and strawberry jam�. you will also find a big assortment of candy and of course candles in all sizes, shapes and colors �no scented candles though�. the christmas market is held on the same date every year, the first weekend of december. what you will recognize at the market is the unique mentality of the danish people, gentle, hospitable, cheerful, smart and, thus, so very likeable. thus, it’s time to visit copenhagen, which is just �� minutes far away from berlin, but which is somehow a completely different world. here, you feel like alice, who follows the white rabbit to the wonderland. the town is simply beautiful as well as the danes. but, if you want to experience a true wonderland, your way will lead to a very special places, which is located directly in copenhagen’s center: tivoli.

EXPERIENCE THE DANISH

HYGGE IN

TIVOLI

COPENHAGEN

TIVOLI COPENHAGEN DENMARK EXPERIENCE THE DANISH 'HYGGE' the danish word 'hygge' refers to the feeling of being cozy. so, there is no better way to experience this than at the copenhagen christmas market full of lights and fairy-tale atmosphere. here, visitors can find christmas gifts with a danish doughnut in one hand and gløgg �mulled wine� in the other. the stalls at tivoli are filled with treats, drinks, leather and knits, all ready to be placed under the tree. additionally, to spread the christmas 'hygge' visitors can also buy danish christmas baubles made by tivoli’s own designer. the baubles have a great design and can be a perfect gift. moreover, for the adventurers, christmas in tivoli offers train rides with a railway theme that was inspired by the 1���s. overall, the atmosphere at the christmas market in copenhagen is inspirational and extremely cozy, just like the danish people themselves.

pictures Š tivoli gardens

DINING IN TIVOLI GARDENS AND NEW YEARS CELEBRATION however, in case you get hungry, tivoli gardens in copenhagen offer lovely meals in the christmas surroundings. letz sushi in the pretty japanese tower for vegetarians, a hereford beefstrouw, the oldest steakhouse, for the meat lovers. furthermore, mazzoli’s serves italian food and grøften which is popular among the locals, has a history going back to 1���. moreover, when it comes to the new year’s celebration, danes love to impress with their spectacular fireworks at the tivoli gardens. all the stalls, rides and restaurants are opened for the public on new year’s eve, encouraging to celebrate new beginnings together. while most of the markets around the world are closed on holidays, tivoli is opened and welcoming everyone. that’s the true spirit of christmas�

this train isn't going to hogwarts. but it's also very magical and romantic. it will bring us to our next station, not far from the tivoli gardens.

WWW.TIVOLI.DK

+++ SPECTACULAR +++

COPENHAGEN UNDER FRIENDLY FIRE JACK & JONES SUPPORTS TEAM ASTRALIS

BLAST PRO SERIES COPENHAGEN '18

ASTRALIS TEAMS UP WITH JACK & JONES

the inspirational spirit of danish people really continues to impress the whole world and while we’re still in copenhagen, we must talk about how the blast pro series turned the wonderful city into a true gaming den. before three huge screens showed countless explosions and a great battle between counter strike teams, the world’s most entertaining e-sports tournament was opened by prime minister lars løkke rasmussen on the �th of november. of course, his heart as well as the hearts of thousands of fans were beating for the danish team astralis.

TEAM ASTRALIS these guys are true heroes in denmark. for some time, they are number 1 of the unofficial world ranking list. they are idols and role models for a lot of young people. moreover, frank jensen, copenhagen’s mayor, invited the team to the traditional pancake dinner. thus, the politician bestowed the greatest honor for athletes. furthermore, he underlined that denmark has recognized the signs of the times.

A STYLISH BLEND OF POWER AND COOL FASHION hence, denmark and the team astralis provided the neighbors a look into the future. in addition, they were supported by the very popular fashion label jack & jones. jack � jones, as astralis’ sponsor, hasn’t only equipped the guys with cool outfits. the complete blast pro series arena was filled with the black shirts, hoodies, caps, trousers and other pieces, which presented the cool red logo of the e-sports team. moreover, two days ago, jack & jones organized an event in the stores nearby the royal arena. it was an amazing happening, where hundreds of fans came together to prove their loyalty with the brand and the team astralis.

peter rasmussen nick: dupreeh from copenhagen 2� years old

emil reif nick: magiskcs from risskov 2� years old

nicolai reedtz nick: dev1ce from vejle 2� years old

andreas højsleth nick: xyp9xcs from aalborg 2� years old

BLAST PRO SERIES COPENHAGEN almost 12.��� fans came to copenhagen to support their teams and to celebrate the blast pro series on the �th of november. the atmosphere at the event was spectacular as all the fans came together to cheer their teams. besides the danish team astralis, the opponents came from the eu �faze clan�, ukraine �navi�, sweden �nip�, usa �cloud�� and brazil �mibr�. finally, the winner of this year’s blast pro series was natus vincere �navi�, the team from the ukraine. they proved their high skills and power impressively in most of the matches.

E-SPORTS MUCH MORE THAN GAMING navi, astralis and the other teams showed how a part of future sports will look like. while many people are skeptical or completely uninformed, the blast pro series tournament made clear that e-sports is a huge discipline which fulfils all characters of a regular sport. the players do not only have fun. moreover, they train hard for the events. of course, to play a whole day costs energy and requires very good nerves. thus, their training includes nutrition consulting, fitness and other aspects. besides, e-sports is a huge business. it starts with the equipment which includes powerful graphic accelerators and computers. in addition, the highquality headsets, keyboards, mice, screens and chairs often have the value of a car. of course, the merchandising is another huge effect. it provides a great chance for brands to come closer with their target groups, while understanding their interests. thus, e-sports, is actually a win-winsituation for all parties.

THE ATMOSPHERE however, one of the most exciting things is the atmosphere. during the blast pro series tournament, the fans answered every success of their favorite team with thunderous, frenetic applause. hence, the mood in the arena was absolutely comparable with a soccer championship match or a concert of a popular superstar. despite the general image of ego-shooters as well as in contrast to soccer, the fans are not only peaceful, but they simply have pure fun. we saw friends, parents, kids and even grandparents with their grandchildren. during the breaks, the organizer increased the cheerful atmosphere by inviting the audience to hug and kiss each other or to give somebody a high five. again, the idea of togetherness is always present in copenhagen.

SEE YOU SOON... finally, we congratulate the great winning team navi. however, although they didn’t win this time, astralis won the hearts of thousands of fans in the royal arena. thus, we can olny say:

GODT FÆRDIG BLAST PRO SERIES, ASTRALIS, JACK & JONES OG TUSIND TAK COPENHAGEN!

WWW.JACKJONES.COM

+++ TRENDY +++

E-SPORTS CONQUERS THE WORLD ELECTRONIC SPORTS LEAGUE 2018

pictures © esl 2018

THE MAJOR LEAGUE OF E-SPORTS the old egyptians did it for fun and honor as well as the ancient greeks. the romans enjoyed it for their entertainment. whereas, the maya used it for religious rituals to honor their gods. in the middle ages, the knights did it in order not to get out of battling practice. nowadays, we need it as balance to our work at the desk: sports.

it’s assumed that the word sports comes from the old french desport. it’s comparable with the term leisure and was mentioned the first time around 1���. however, from time immemorial, people do sports. but in the course of time, the meaning of sports has changed. today, we do it for fun, to feel well and to look good. besides, sports is a big commercial business, which is proved by the success of the football, baseball, soccer as well as e-sport leagues. e-sport leagues� of course, because for more than 1� years, e-sports is gaining in importance. but old men – mostly not very sportive - in committees like the ioc or the dosb �german olympic sports confederation� don’t classify e-sports as an official kind of sport. why�

the oxford dictionaries define it that way: “… an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertain”. actually, a perfect description of e-sports. thus, the image what people still have of professional gamers is wrong. without extensive trainings, without physical fitness and mental strength, without extreme responsiveness as well as a perfect handling of mouse and keyboard, nobody will survive an e-sports competition even one single round. however, if official sports or not, e-sports moves people all over the world. the events, organized by the international leagues are amazing happenings, where all generations have fun. one of the major leagues in this sector is called

ESL.

ELECTRONIC SPORTS LEAGUE the electronic sports league esl is mostly a part of the swedish media group mtg. today, it’s the world's leader in esports events. the esl presents a numerous of online and offline competitions during each year. among them are the intel® extreme masters, esl one, esl national championships and other top tier stadium-size events. the electronic sports league covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and television production. they are fully catering to the needs of the esports system. with offices in north america, germany, russia, france, poland, spain, china, and partners in many other countries, the esl has a true global footprint.

esl one new york

ESL 

esl one birmingham

esl one belo horizonte

ONE

esl one cologne

the esl one features competitions between the best international dota 2 and counter-strike: global offensive teams. by the way, counterstrike celebrates its unbelievable 2�th anniversary. it’s still – now in the version mentioned before – the ego-shooter number one. the esl one, in turn, is e-sports at its highest level which is possible: hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money are invested each year, and the events take place in legendary venues all across the globe.

esl iem sydney

INTEL EXTREME MASTERS ®

intel extreme masters is the longest running global pro gaming tour in the world. it started in 2���, organized by esl. the competition features counter-strike: global offensive, starcraft ii and league of legends tournaments across multiple continents. now, in the thirteenth season, the tournament’s prestige is still unmatched in the esports industry.

esl pro league odense

ESL PRO LEAGUE the esl pro leagues are the climax of online competition season. aspiring contestants and established professional gamers prove themselves in esl go4 and esl major league competitions. by doing so, they can qualify themselves for the pro league, where they compete for glory, fame, and a spot at the offline final event. they want to take the chance to take the trophy home to underpin their position as a top contender in e-sports. it will open the doors to many other competitions in the future.

esl pro league dallas

esl pro league odense

ASTR

esl iem chicago

RALIS esl pro league dallas

the images look similar, but they are from all over the world. this year team astralis from denmark won the intel extreme masters season xi world championchip, the esl pro league season � and � and the intel grand slam season 1

WWW.ESLGAMING.COM

© all images esl

LARA IS BACK CROFT AGAIN

SMART AND STRONG

SHADOW OF THE TOM RAIDER

live from the fact that E-SPORTS TOURNAMENTS several players compete against each other. of course, adventure games cannot play a role. nevertheless, they are also endless fun. furthermore, they offer us stories at film level, with the difference that they turn us from passive viewers into actors who can immerse themselves directly in the action and influence it. one game in particular has set standards in many respects.

IT WAS 22 YEARS AGO

when the entire gaming world listened up. at a time when monster shockers like doom, quake ii, si-fi games like system shock ii or space simulations like wing commander dominated the market, a young woman suddenly appeared. she was brave, smart and sexy in her own way - an aristocrat, trained at various elite schools.

lara in a mexican village

IT BECAME CLEAR VERY SOON that she had absolutely nothing to do with the typical

image of the spoiled it girls from the ridiculous hollywood collage comedies. defying any standards, the young woman threw herself athletically, daredevil and fearlessly into breakneck adventures. the first game was sold over � million times and laid the foundation for a true cult that continues to this day. in addition, she is still the female icon in the e-games sector, embodying the power of modern women. of course, we are talking about the power woman lara croft and the game

TOMB RAIDER.

in shadows of the tomb raider lara can uses ropes now

and she interacts with much more people than ever before

the landscapes are simply stunning

thinkful, fragile, dreamily, doubtfully, smart and strong; this is lara croft. the new guerilla action reminds of movies like rambo and predator.

this autumn, the lara croft chronicles and, thus,

THE TOMB RAIDER REBOOT TRILOGY

have finally been completed with "shadows of the tomb raider". this time, the developers focused even more on the story itself than on the parts before. lara herself also seems to be more authentic and approachable. she's not a pure action heroine, but a young woman who also is vulnerable, makes mistakes from time to time or simply is insecure. moreover, lara has been working on her martial arts since the last part. because now, lara doesn't only appear as the female incarnation of indiana jones, but also lives up to movie legends like rambo and predator. in some places, lara camouflages herself with mud or hides in bushes before attacking her opponents. she can now attack them with ropes from above to hang them from trees as if they were just some tiny christmas balls.

lara is surprised by a tsunami

the ai of the opponent is not necessarily invincible and the difficulty level even more flexible to select than before. the weapons are easy to use and those who are too clumsy should not get into trouble because the ammunition is running low. the fights are true fun and the puzzles can be solved. now, there is more of them than ever before. in favor of the story, the action sequences have been reduced compared to their predecessors and the quest factor has been increased. the more or less straight storyline has remained the same. this means that lara's path is also predetermined this time. so, we can't move completely freely, but experience an incredibly captivating, stirring story, which can be seen as a little hollywood blockbuster.

in addition, the development team literally forces us to deal with the story. so, we can only solve some puzzles if we take a close look at the environment and its inhabitants. we must talk with them and we must listen carefully to what they have to say to us. what blockbusters like black panther were not able to offer this year, shadows of the tomb raider does. the game provides an insight and contact to the native - in that case indigenous - cultures. while talking with the people in their native language, we can learn more about their everyday life. they talk - depending on their attitude �and your settings� - even in their mother tongue, which, in combination with the amazing score and the breathtaking images, allows us to immerse ourselves even deeper into the story.

the only drawback is that nothing works without a current graphics card. eidos montreal and crystal dynamics have used newest technology to offer us the perfect atmosphere. thus, the landscapes are overwhelming and the lighting effects simply breathtaking. the villages contain true spirit, as so also the water and the jungle. everything feels tangible, sometimes cheerful, sometimes scary and always authentic.

lara's gestures and her look are also authentic. now you can see every single hair blowing in the wind. she also seems to have matured in every facet as a game character, taking us on a journey of adventure.

THE STORY OF SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER of course, the story of the shadow of the tomb raider in general doesn’t offer much to laugh about. that is, because once again lara croft has to save the world. as in the previous parts, she has to deal with the myrmidons of the trinity order. but, this time it's lara's own fault that the world is on the brink of collapse. in the last part, rise of the tomb raider, lara learned that the dangerous trinity order is responsible for her father's death. on her vendetta in mexico, the adventurer not only encounters dr. dominguez, the head of the organization.

lara also finds a powerful artifact that she doesn't want the criminals to have. however, her good intentions are nothing the mayan gods care about. and so, fate and story take their course. because when lara takes the artefact, it triggers the apocalypse. lara quickly becomes aware of the extent of her actions when a tsunami destroys the village of cozumel and its innocent inhabitants. only this scene could have been adapted directly from a hollywood movie. lara’s escape, the unfortunate victims in the water, the whole atmosphere draw us into the story and fascinates us for hours. therefore, we will accompany lara on her way to stop the apocalypse in about 2�, solving all the puzzles, in maybe a little more than �� hours.

CONCLUSION every minute of shadow of the tomb raider is a lot of fun if it weren't for the controls. since the first part it's had its weaknesses every now and then. due to the perspective and various inaccuracies, it can happen that we have to repeat a scene several times, because we have lost our lives before. there could be better ways. of course, the climbing and jump elements are cult. but a little less of it would have been enough. but, that is all criticism we can express regarding ‘shadow of the tomb raider’. that is because the last part of the so-called reboot trilogy takes us to central and south america in a way that an imax cinema can't offer. shadow of the tomb raider is simply powerful, no matter if under or above the water. the sound scenery is way as good as the impressive pictures. the people in the villages communicate in their national language �on request� and really have something to say. so, we become part of the action and have to use not only our fingers but also our mind to help lara stop the apocalypse.

apart from the fact that some casual players have to upgrade their technical equipment and therefore take into account more than the actual selling price of the game, the game is an absolute must for confirmed fans. because unlike some other games, everyone can solve shadow of the tomb raider without frustration or walkthroughs. the many setting options help. shadow of the tomb raider therefore gets a smooth � out of 1� points and is the christmas game tip for 2�1�.

WWW.TOMBRAIDER.SQUARE-ENIX-GAMES.COM

PICTURES © EIDOS MONTREAL AND CRYSTAL DYNAMICS

EVERYDAY HEROINES PART 1: OCEAN HEROES

even though shadow of the tomb raider is supposed to be the last part for now, lara croft will surely remain our beloved daredevil in the future, who travels to the remotest corners of our world to survive adventures and search for treasures and artifacts. she is a cool movie and computer game heroine.

HOWEVER, THERE ARE EVERYDAY HEROINES

to whom no computer game or film is dedicated to and who don't need it at all anyway. women who fight for or against something in real life, day after day, for things that are important for everyone's life, for nature, animals and the whole earth. valeur dedicates this section to these women. when we talk about the earth, we are talking about a wonderful blue planet whose surface is covered 2�� by water. water is the element that created all life. it is well known that the human being also can be repatriated to water. last but not least, it draws us back to the sea or the ocean from which we once emerged on holiday or any other occasion. sometimes just a trip to the nearest lake is enough. in summer, we enjoy the refreshing water that shimmers so wonderfully green, blue or turquoise. in winter, we love the melancholy, the play of light, the loneliness and the endless vastness that the horizon gives us. of course, we love water.

PICTURE © FRANK MCKENNA, UNSPLASH

a lonely plastic bottle in the sunset light on shore. it looks somehow romantic, but

THE IMAGE IS DECEPTIVE!

every year we produce ��� millions tonnes of plastic and 1� millions of plastic waste. around �� percent of that waste pollute the ocean.

© FABIEN BAZANEGUE, UNSPLASH

for the desert tribes, water is more precious than

GOLD.

© JAVARDH, UNSPLASH

ON OUR EARTH,

however, there are regions where there is simply not enough water. for the people who live here, the values of the affluent society have no meaning. chic cars, smartphones or beautiful clothes count for nothing here. the real treasure is water. with effort, the people of these regions win a few drops of the steppe, desert or barren landscape to do some agriculture or cattle breeding and of course to quench their thirst. they worship water as their highest good. could they understand it if they see how wastefully we use and deal with this resource�

WE LOVE WATER

as much as we carelessly deal with it. have we lost sight of how precious it is just because it is offered to us for 2� cents in the supermarket in plastic bottles and is otherwise available everywhere and all the time� because it even flows out of our taps cold or hot� water does not only quenche our thirst, it also ensures hygiene in our bathroom and in our kitchen, which we keep clean with all �scouring� agents and at the same time pollute our most precious possessions. not only because of the chemicals that get into our water, but also because of the packaging, which is mostly made of plastic.

PLASTIC

is practical and even protects. it keeps food fresh for longer, isolates chemicals and is utilized as useful packaging for our internet orders. but, at the same time it does not protect the water, the sea and the ocean at all. it does the opposite: plastic causes a lot of problems. from inconsistent industrial production and disposal processes to consumers' ignorance of how to dispose of plastic products properly. the list of problems is long.

WHERE SHALL WE START?

some organizations lead the way and show that it is very easy to make a first step. they start with what we use every day and yet do not need at all. that can be the crazy packaging, which sometimes accounts for ��% of the actual product, or the stupid straws that after its use end up in the ocean and the stomachs of turtles, fish or birds. thus, it causes them to die miserably.

© JEREMY BISHOP, UNSPLASH

many people - even celebrities - were involved in the lonely whale campaign

#STOPSUCKING

IT'S SO ABSURD

when people wearing fur are insulted on the street by people who don't even know if it's fake or from an animal, while at the same the exact same people slurp their smoothie in the plastic cup with the plastic straw. there are three impressive women who will probably reply unanimously: �stopsucking their names are

DUNE IVES, EMMA RILEY EMY KANE.

and they are some of the faces of the lonely whale organization and for us they symbolize real heroines of our everyday life. as well as the marine biologist professor who has been involved in over �� expeditions, who succeeds as a free diver in a breathtaking way, and finally the chairwoman of the international baltic sea foundation for nature conservation.

ANTJE BOETIUS, ANNA VON BOETTICHER, HEIKE VESPER,

valeur had the pleasure to talk with all these wonderful heroines of everyday life. let yourself be inspired by them and more than that, follow their footsteps. better today than tomorrow�

SHE NEVER GETS OF BREATH ANNA VON BOETTICHER FREE DIVER

PUSHING THE LIMITS

it’s hard to believe that anna von boetticher attended her first freediving workshop only in 2���. of course, she started to dive earlier, to be precisely, in 1���. but, freediving is something completely different. she proved to be a natural, and her passion for the sport has led to a number of accolades in a short period of time. anna has competed around the world, earning three bronze medals in the aida individual depth world championships and setting six german freediving records. in 2�11, she set a new world record in the tandem no limits category with her training partner andrea zuccari, diving to 12� meters in just one breath in sharm-el-sheikh, egypt. but things haven’t always been smooth sailing. a foot injury days before the 2�1� individual depth world championships ruled her out of training in the run-up to her dive. as proof of her determination, she dived to �� metres to set a new german record. she’s a woman of many talents – anna studied theatre and literature in munich and still finds time to run a bookshop when she’s not attempted to break world records.

TAKING THE PLUNGE

for many people, freediving is one of the most natural ways to explore the depths of the ocean. as its name suggests, the sport relies on the diver’s ability to hold their breath until they resurface, rather than using breathing equipment. it needs to be said that the dangers of freediving are huge, but it’s a thrilling sport that attracts superbeings such as anna von boetticher. the record-breaking free diver fearlessly compete around the world, pushing herself far beyond the limits of a normal human tolerance. aida international, the worldwide federation for freediving, oversees the recognition of records, organizes competitions and sets the standard for freediving education. there are numerous different categories in competitive freediving, including constant weight, variable weight, free immersion, no limit, and dynamic and static apnea. anna’s german record of �1 meters in 2�1� was set in the constant weight category, freediving’s core discipline, where divers can’t pull on a rope or change their ballast weight, but must instead use their own muscle strength to descend and ascend.

INTERVIEW WITH ANNA VON BOETTICHER you are not only a very experienced diver, but also one of the world's top free divers. but how did you come to dive� i made my first diving license at the age of 1�, in rain and cold in the dark lake constance - certainly many people would have thought that is experience must be horrible and that i will never do it again. but, for me especially under these circumstances it has been a uniquely fascinating experience. since then, i have been exploring the underwater world - apnea diving is another facet of my passion. and how did it come about that you dared to dive into such amazing depths without a compressed air cylinder or other additional oxygen� i've already dived extremely deep with tanks, with helium�air mixtures to 1�� meters depth. apnea diving was actually intended to be a basic safety experience for my extreme underwater adventures. after only two hours i arrived at 2� meters and i knew: i can do more. i just wanted to find out what i can personally achieve in that way. thus, i never thought that it would lead to records. what fascinates you about diving in general and free diving in particular� i am fascinated by the unknown and the endless vastness of the oceans. there is so much to discover and at the same time you feel that you are only a small part of a big whole. an incomparable experience. the biggest depth, into which you have dived so far, was 1�� meters. is that correct and what depth do you strive for� yes, that's correct, i've already dived 1�� meters with tanks, with a helium�air mixture and under observance of complicated decompression procedures. i don't really aim for a certain depth, because it always depends on a lot of factors, including time. at the moment my challenge lies somewhere else. nevertheless, i'm still tempted to manage the 1�� meters with just one breath one day.

do you have to swim to such depths yourself� how do you prepare for that and how can we imagine the process of a dive� it depends on if i have to swim all by myself and in which of the � disciplines i have to dive. three of them are pure swimming pool disciplines: distance diving with or without fins and breath holding. three of them are our competition disciplines where depth is the main goal: deep diving with or without fins and the so-called "free immersion", where you pull yourself down on the rope and back up again. furthermore, we have two disciplines where we use help: with "variable weight" you use a sled with weights to be pulled into the depth and you have to swim up yourself. during the discipline "no limits", which you know from the movie “the big blue”, you also have a balloon that lifts you back to the surface. in “no limits” you can achieve the greatest depths because you don't need any energy to swim. but, basically nobody does it anymore - at least not at a level for world records. which view do you have in the depth, or are you focused on yourself and your body� isn't it very dark at such depths� on the way down, i close my eyes and concentrate on pressure equalization and relaxation. once in the depth, i open them again and take in my surroundings - the light there is always different and always beautiful. depending on how clear the water is, it is still bright enough to see in over 1�� meters. you talked about the movie "the big blue" and we also heard about misfortunes, like the death of audrey mestre apnee in 2��2. how dangerous is free diving� what is the biggest challenge� free diving is basically not very dangerous. the biggest risk is the possibility to faint. it does not harm yourself, because if you're taken out of the water, you wake up quickly and you're alright. the problem is: if you dive alone and faint, your life might be in danger, because your face is underwater and you drown if no one pulls you out. so please: never hold your breath unattended in the water, not even in the bathtub� have you ever had an accident� at a world record attempt in variable weight i reached 1�� meters, but on the way back i fainted due to a surprising problem in �� meters. thus, even for us professionals this is an extreme depth. fortunately, nothing bad happened to me.

can everybody practice free diving, i.e. can everybody learn to hold their breath and control their body for as long as it takesďż˝ actually, everyone who is healthy, regardless of age, can try free diving. it's really amazing to see what kind of unexpected things you're capable of. but i would advise everyone to take a beginner's course - all you need is a swimming pool and a day or two. under the guidance of a professional, you are safe and will achieve surprising results, i can promise you thatďż˝

diving is very beautiful, so are the seas and the ocean. you work with the swiss watch brand oris, among others, which deals with the protection of endangered sharks and atolls as well as sustainable packaging. your profession means that you are always on and in the water. do you experience plastic waste and other environmental problems yourself while free diving� what can you tell us about it� we as divers are always confronted with the plastic waste in the sea. we fish out bags of the water even in the remotest places. at the moment, there is a lot of talk regarding plastic in the oceans, but i have also experienced the garbage on land as a real problem. in egypt, on the uniquely beautiful sinai, there are mountains of garbage everywhere. the goats eat everything, including diapers and bags. afterwards, the people there eat the goats. thus, one can observe the problem of the food chain directly. i think that the issue of garbage in general will be more discussed in the upcoming years. therefore, we definitely have to find better solutions regarding that issue. how would you describe your personal relationship to the ocean and what would you like to advise people when it comes to dealing with it� the oceans are largely unexplored, a fact one becomes very aware of when you expose yourself to the depths of the sea like me. there, you really experience the feeling of being just a small spot in a big world. so much in life gets a different perspective. in addition, you simply cannot control the force of nature - you can only find one way to expose yourself to it. anyone who is is willed to try it will collect unforgettable experiences. you have an incredibly positive and energetic charisma. is this your general nature or does your sport have an influence on it� that is a really nice compliment� i think it's because i'm really and deeply grateful for the things i'm allowed to experience. when you realize which privileges we as europeans have - all europeans, compared to most people out there - it's easy to accept life with joy, even if it doesn't work out the way you want it to or you have to go through some hard times.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

anna has support while diving. this safety precautions make sense. even well-experienced free-diver could have a blackout or other problems in the depth. if so, the guards bring the diver to the surface safely.

where was the most beautiful spot you were allowed to dive so far or where do you go again and again apart from diving� it's very hard to answer that because the places are so extremely different. but, a fjord in the very north of norway has stayed in my mind as a very special memory. there, i dived in the deepest winter and had an incredible encounter with an orca at close proximity. you don't forget something like that. moreover, i just returned from my first trip to antarctica and i know for sure: i have to go there again, because ten days were not enough� i was deeply impressed by the wilderness there. what are your next competitions and projects� in may, my first book will be published, which deals with my diving adventures, but also with how to manage to live so contentedly and to have such lasting successes against all obstacles. that means i have to edit quite much in the next time - that will be a lot of work� in addition, i continue to work with the divers of the german armed forces and have inquiries from the fire brigade and police. as far as competitions are concerned, i will concentrate on the world championships in september and hope to dive the arctic just for my passion. i am sure i will never get bored� you see, anna von boetticher is an impressive woman. besides her sportive competitions, she is also a diving coach of the german army. there she supports for example the mine clearance in the seas and oceans worldwide. of course, training, hotels, travelling, equipment... everything costs money. thus, each athlete needs support. as you can see, anna is supported by oris. more about this watch brand from switzerland, you will learn on the next pages.

TO

PROTECT AND TO RECEIVE ORIS

SWISS MADE WATCHES

ORIS

is an independent swiss company which attaches value to the traditional art of watchmaking. besides supporting talented sports people, oris is very committed to protect the ocean.

ESTABLISHED IN 1904,

the brand belongs to the pioneers, when it comes to flying into the sky or diving deep into the ocean. the company presented their first watch for pilots in the year 1���. but a legend came to life, when oris launched a state-of-the-art diver watch with amazing features for that time. the watch had an unidirectional rotating bezel with timer scale, bold, luminescent numerals, and it was water resistant to 1��m. after �� years, the watch was re-released, and became one of the company’s most successful products. more than this, oris releases a limited edition every year. those special watches aren’t just brilliant examples of swiss watchmaking art, but they serve a good purpose. thus, we want to introduce you to three of them.

THE WORLD HAS A SIGNIFICANT PLASTIC PROBLEM we no longer have any natural resources for production and plastic that is already in circulation is often poorly disposed of. thus, it can have disastrous consequences for our environment. for example, the un environment program estimates that eight million tons of plastic end up in the world's oceans every year. plastic waste is a major threat to the earth's finely balanced ecosystem. the battle against it has only just begun: there is still a lot to do. oris has set itself the goal to protect the environment sustainably. in recent years, the swiss watchmaker has joined forces with various non-profit organizations that share a common vision for the protection of the oceans. this year, oris participated in the world clean-up day. at this global event, people from all around the world met to collect the garbage in nature that is produced by us. with its participation, oris introduces the model

DIVERS SIXTY-FIVE WITH A RECYCLED PLASTIC BRACELET.

it is well known that natural resources, such as oil and gas, are scarce and expensive for the production of plastics and especially for the production of polyethylene terephthalate �pet�. moreover, the mass of plastic that is thrown away destroys our planet. recycling pet is a necessary solution to this problem.

ORIS BELIEVES IN NATURE

conservation and is committed to acting in accordance with the 1� un sustainability goals. as part of world clean-up day 2�1�, the company is proud to present a new version of oris divers’ sixty-five with a recycled plastic ribbon. the material that is used in the bracelet is r-radyarn®, which is made of recycled polymer. the versatile material is bacteriostatic, uv-stabilized and certified according to the international eco-tex standard 1�� for harmful substances. this offers a number of advantages. pet-recycling uses an existing material, which means that no further natural resources are required. when it is processed, it does not lose its basic properties. therefore, it can be reused several times and is 1�� percent recyclable under certain conditions.

1 kg of recycled pet prevents the emission of � kg of carbon dioxide. it also saves about �� percent of the energy that is needed to produce new pet. this means that recycling conserves the non-renewable energy sources from which pet is produced. similarly, the solution dyeing process saves water and energy.

"oris is proud to be a pioneer in the use of this innovative material in watchmaking. everyone is invited - because together we can make a difference."

the mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

THE DEEP SEA actually, the popular quote on the left side introduces the adventures of the vessel enterprise, well-known from the tv and film series star trek. however, also on earth there are areas, where no one has gone before. such as the universe are these areas dark and a harsh nature. but in contrast to the outer space known by us, and despite all hindrances, this world is full of impressive life and wonders. moreover, there are probably our roots and, furthermore, it's an important part of the eco-system. hence, it's very important to explore these areas. but instead of captain kirk, the commander of the missions to this mysterious world is our next everyday heroine.

pictures: awi � solvin zankl alfred-wegener-institut für polar- und meeresforschung

SHE KNOWS OUR DEEPEST ABYSS ANTJE BOETIUS MARINE BIOLOGIST

ANTJE BOETIUS

shines like the sun over the oceans on a beautiful day. she is an everyday heroine, because she invests her life to study the ocean. furthermore, she strives to arouse the awareness of people for the drastic pollution of the ocean as well as the effects of climate change. the granddaughter of the survivor of the hindenburg disaster eduard boëtius and daughter of the writer henning boëtius studied biology at the university of hamburg and biological oceanography at the scripps institution of oceanography in california�usa. for her thesis, which she wrote about deep-sea bacteria, she spent three months on various research vessels in the pacific and atlantic ocean.

hereafter, antje boetius has participated in around �� marine biological exploratory expeditions. some of them led her on board of the icebreaker polarstern �polar star� to the arctic. besides these exciting adventures, antje boetius is professor at the university of bremen. furthermore, she leads the alfred-wegener-institute in bremerhaven since 2�1�. the impressive woman was awarded several times. this year, her work and commitment were honored with the “deutsche umweltpreis” �german environmental award�. with ���.��� euro, it’s the highest endowed award in this sector.

ANTJE BOETIUS ABOUT THE DEEP SEA, OUR WORLD AND RESPONSIBILITY dear antje, you are professor of marine biology. while other people prefer to lie on the beach, you are drawn to the depths of the sea. what made you decide to study marine biology and what still fascinates you today� as a child i already was fascinated by stories about the ocean and the deep sea. i liked the idea that one can be an explorer professionally. i loved ocean adventure novels like "treasure island" and pirate stories like the "hornblower" series and imagined that i could live on the ocean. with the stories of my grandfather, who was a seafarer, and the impressions of the first underwater films by hans hass and jacques cousteau, the idea was formed that i wanted to become a deep-sea researcher. you are also the director of the alfred wegener institute in bremerhaven. what does the institution do, what are your tasks� at the helmholtz centre for polar and marine research, we deal with these areas of the earth that we still know so little about and which we are already changing so much at the same time. we put so much guilt upon our future generations with how we treat the earth today. especially the arctic is changing extremely already during our lifetime. so, we try to learn as much as possible from the earth's history about the function of the frozen north for the oceans and the continents. but, also about what ecosystems will be like in the future, and how much habitat for life will remain in an increasingly warmer ocean.

the mankind was on the moon looking at distant galaxies. in comparison, what percentage of the deep sea have already been researched� how much do we know about the ocean today� yes, there have been more people in space than in the deep sea, that’s so hard to imagine. the depth, the cold, the pressure, everything speaks against the existence of mankind there. in fact, the deep sea often seems to us like a strange planet on planet earth. it represents a huge habitat that we have not even researched to �.1�. ��� of the earth is covered with water, on average �.� kilometers. this prevents us from measuring the ocean floor as accurately as the moon or the surface of mars. so, we don't know the map of the ocean basins so well yet, we can still discover huge sea mountains. and we have learned a lot in recent decades about how important the ocean is for life on earth and for us humans. but we urgently need to do more with this knowledge.

in general, many people imagine the deep regions of the underwater world to be very dark and lifeless. what exactly do you find and explore thereďż˝ the deep sea contains an enormous variety of life, which interests me very much. everywhere in the ocean are still unknown habitats and animal species to discover, not to mention the microorganisms. i find it fascinating to explore from which energy source this strange life lives. and it is also necessary to know much more about the distribution of deep-sea life, since climate change, ocean acidification and the littering of the oceans are also changing the deep-sea.

in which depths can you proceed to do research and what was your deepest dive personally� how did you feel about it� so far, there have been � people at the deepest point of the oceans, the mariana trench, at almost 11 km water depth - the last one was james cameron, the famous director. but we hardly have any research robots and submarines with which we can dive so deep. it is a difficult, quite expensive technique. most of the equipment with which we dive is limited to � to � kilometers water depth, our only german research submarine, the jago of the geomar even only up to ��� meters. i was with the french submarine nautile up to ���� meters in the mediterranean sea. most of the time i use deep-sea robots or towed camera sledges, with which i have often been at �-� kilometers water depth. but to dive down yourself is an absolute highlight, it's like joining a spaceflight: if you are about to enter foreign regions as a human, you can understand and report about the nature of the universe and how it works from a totally different perspective. this year, i was diving in the azores, up to 1��� meters water depth, and i still like to think about every moment of this dive. the incredible bioluminescence, the self-illumination of deep-sea life, the steep walls of the islands were so incredibly alive. fantastic.

in the meantime you have carried out over �� expeditions. which one was the most exciting or adventurous and which one was the one that had the most lasting impact on your life� i have already accompanied or led �� expeditions, and i hope many more will follow. of course, the first expeditions are unforgettable. at that time, it was all new for me, the life on board, the spirit of research, the great feeling of being able to explore the oceans worldwide in international teams and to see something new every day. as a young student, i couldn't imagine being able to become anything else at all. thus, i immediately felt "this is my profession". everyone was excited, you work for many years on the idea of an expedition, and it is a huge gift when the idea is finally implemented, and the expedition takes place. you get to know new people every time, make lifelong friendships and collaborations all over the world. also, the last expeditions mean a lot to me, we were the first ones to explore life under the ice of the central arctic at hot springs and on lake mountains. we are currently working intensively on this.

you have such a positive aura and seem to be really happy. does your work make you so happy� is that your nature� what makes you generally happy and what makes you unhappy� a lot comes from the fortune to have found a vocation in my profession, to have implemented so many of my ideas in research and also to have received such an enormously good feedback for it. i love my work and can't get enough of it. in addition, i am a positive person in general, i love to love and share joy with others, i love my freedom. i am also glad that i can satisfy my enormous curiosity about the world through a lot of travelling, good conversations and constantly new encounters. in recent years, i have experienced misfortune especially when a loved one has died. and, of course, like so many others, i am enormously affected by the general state of the world. sometimes, you fall into despair when you read the news and realize that we have to fight for a good future more than ever. i don't get why we make such mistakes and how we don't get ahead – despite our knowledge that the good environment, peace and freedom are essential goods for us. the sea and nature seem so strong, wild and invincible, but actually they are very sensitive and vulnerable. what influence do we humans have on the sea� it seems to me rather that it is about understanding how sensitive and vulnerable we ourselves are. with an increasing population density, and our kind of civilization and technology use, our vulnerability seems to increase steadily. this is a huge problem regarding the extreme situations we have to face - climate change, pollution, destructive land use. for years, the sea has been drowning in plastic waste. animals die miserably. since this year, the subject has finally become a public issue. too late, or just in time� yes, the accumulation of garbage in the sea is rising very quickly. you will understand the reasons why if you have a look at the increase per capita regarding the plastic consumption worldwide. non-degradable plastics play a role in our lives everywhere, and an enormous amount of them end up in the sea, where they remain for centuries. the marine animals eat it, impose themselves on it, absorb the microplastic particles with unknown consequences for the food web and ecosystems.

ALL PICTURES: ALFRED-WEGENER-INSTITUT FÃœR POLAR- UND MEERESFORSCHUNG

bali, hawaii, asia, europe... it seems as if there is hardly a place left where no plastic floats in the sea. is this a fallacy or is the situation really that bad� we really find plastic in the sea and on the seabed all over the world, except in ice-covered regions. where the sea is covered with ice, there is hardly any large plastic yet, because there are few people living there, hardly any sea traffic. however, the microplastic has already arrived in the sea ice, so we can actually say that we have managed to cover the whole earth with plastic. many organizations were founded to address this issue, and companies are committed to producing sustainable packaging. in your opinion, what are the decisive causes of the problem and where should we start first� from my point of view, non-degradable plastic from petroleum is simply far too cheap and it has become too convenient to use and process it for too many things. there is no reason why disposable products have to stay in the sea for 500 years. it's the fundamental problem we're stuck in. fossil fuels and all their uses are too cheap for the damage we cause by overuse. we need smart solutions to get out of the vicious circle through innovations that all citizens around the world can accept. for example, like the ban on cfc to stop losing ozone as a protective layer against uv or like the rebuilding of the infrastructure to get clean water to drink and purify wastewater before it enters the rivers and nature again. no one should wait for anyone else to do so: everyone can contribute something to a more rational use of the earth's resources. what many do not understand is that the problems exist although they separate their waste and dispose of it according to their possibilities. at least in countries like germany. how does all this rubbish get into the sea� well, we have been selling our plastic waste to china for decades, and we haven't closed the recycling cycle ourselves. our rivers also transport a lot of microplastics into the sea. germans consume much more plastic per capita than most other countries. furthermore, we are world export champions. unfortunately, we don’t use this advantage to set up the path for plastics and packaging materials in a sustainable way. therefore, we definitely didn’t acquire a halo regarding this issue.

currently, many projects are concerned with "clearing up" the ocean and fishing out the plastic. that is good. but isn't it more effective to focus on how to avoid waste right from the start� all ways should be used to fight the problem. we need chemical solutions for other degradable materials, we need to close the cycle of different products and materials. moreover, we need to avoid or even ban disposable products. what has arrived in the ocean is, unfortunately, almost impossible to collect again. various processes are currently being tried, but most of them are expensive and have an unfavorable co2 footprint. politicians are also obliged to fight the plastic waste, as are manufacturing companies. what do they really do or what do they have to do to stop the pollution� especially in regard to co2� we were on the moon and traveled at high speed through our country. is it so difficult to find alternatives to plastic products in 2�1�� it used to be possible to live without them once. what could we do ad hoc without missing anything or losing quality of life� the people i know who take care of using less plastic goods, fewer films, fewer bags, find it very easy to live without those materials after a short time. i also know many who consciously reduce their meat consumption, prefer to eat regional products, provide insulation for their homes, heat intelligently and use green electricity from their suppliers. those who do not use low-cost airlines, who prefer to use public transport in everyday life rather than their cars. i myself, for example, used the uba website to determine my co2 consumption and then set myself climate neutral, with atmosfair. these are all individual components that help. for example, there are fashion brands that use the environmental problem for marketing purposes, i.e. present themselves as an eco-brand to the outside without really being eco. does this make you angry, because instead of the marketing budgets invested for it, the money could be used more sensibly for the real protection of the sea and the environment�

basically, i'm glad if there are enough alternative offers in all areas of consumption, so that the customer has the choice to choose eco-products. there is still a lot to do regarding fashion. whereby one can say that there are also brands and offers that do not call themselves "eco" but are on the right track in the strengthening of manual work, recycling of selected, high-quality materials and local trade. it plays an important role to buy little but high-quality products rather than throw-away cheap goods. there are also great solutions for people with little money such as trading markets for clothes and other goods. i grew up with very little money, recycling clothes in the family was normal. today, this is largely replaced by cheap goods, but they don’t last long. as already noticed, the topic of plastic waste in the sea has not only showed up this year. the problem has been there for decades. what effects has this long period of pollution already had on nature� the subject is microplastics. unfortunately, we find more and more sea animals, which have plastic in their stomachs, possibly also die from it. the plastic floats on the seabed and often gets stuck on sponges and corals, which all causes damage. furthermore, it has hardly been researched yet what microplastics, i.e. the plastic particles below � millimeters, do. since many marine animals live from filtering food out of the sea in the form of tiniest particles, they are, unlike land animals, at risk of absorbing them into their digestive system and tissue. this plastic may then accumulate in the food chain, transporting toxins that accumulate. what exactly are microplastics� what effect does it have on us humans� microplastics are the smallest plastic particles under � millimeters that are produced by abrasion and decay of larger plastics and spread by wind and water. we still know little about in which way microplastic can harm us if we inhale it more and more and eat it in form of other products. we are probably better protected from the consequences than the marine creatures that live through particle filtration. all this still needs to be researched.

plastic is just one problem. they have also travelled to the arctic, where the ice amounts decline drastically. how can you describe the impact of climate change on the sea in simple termsďż˝ due to the increase in co2 in the atmosphere, as a result of the increasing consumption of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, the ocean itself gets warmer as well as the air and ground around us. a warmer ocean loses oxygen, which already threatens life in many regions of the world. in addition, there is another problem: co2 dissolves in seawater and makes it more acidic. this endangers coral reefs and other calcifying species worldwide. in the arctic, sea ice melts, causing many other problems. last but not least, the loss of sea ice leads to faster global warming and to extreme weather conditions in our region, such as hot and dry summers, but also heavy precipitation. it is also important to note that the white, frozen earth at the north and south poles is part of our climate stability - the white ice reflects sunlight and cools. if there is less ice, the earth warms up faster. thus, the thawing of the polar regions can lead to a very unpleasant acceleration of climate change.

dear antje, you have received the german environmental award of the german federal foundation for the environment �dbu�. how did you feel when you heard about this award� does it help you to make your work and the environmental problems even more public� i was just happy, it came so unexpected. in addition to win the communicator prize at the same time, it still feels strange to have received these two big awards in one year. and since then, the inquiries for lectures, appearances, conversations with associations, economy and citizens in germany and internationally have exploded. i feel incredibly lucky that my work is so highly valued� let's get back again to the beautiful things. as a marine biologist you certainly see impressive animals. do you have a favorite animal or an animal that impresses you particularly� if so, why� there are so many because you see and learn something new on every expedition. and you always encounter new forms of life. In particular, I am always fascinated by the octopuses. considering that they are relatives of snails and shells, it is fascinating how clever they are, how much they react, learn and plan. where will your next expedition take you� what can you tell us� at the beginning of january, we will go to antarctica, just for a short inspection trip, but i look forward to it very much, because i have never been to the continent before. from afar, back to germany. christmas is just around the corner. a time in which mass packaging takes place. how do you spend christmas, what would you like to give our readers on their way and what is your biggest wish personally� christmas is my personal family time. during the whole year, there is not enough time for my beloved ones. thus, i am happy when i can be a child again for a few days, when i am together with my family and school friends and when we get the most delicious meals cooked by my mother. it is wonderful that christmas can give us so much peace, warmth, love, food for good thoughts - i wish all readers and myself more of this.

LET'S

LISTEN TO THE GIANT LONELY WHALE DUNE, EMMA AND EMY

PICTURE: THOMAS KELLEY, UNSPLASH

PICTURE: JON ECKERT, UNSPLASH

ONLY A FEW PEOPLE

are allowed to travel to the arctic. this is a good thing, because imagine how fatal it would be to also establish a mass tourism on this place. the poles are too sensitive and already attacked. those who have the privilege of making such a journey might have seen some of the majestic creatures living here – whales. you can meet these giants in alaska, new zealand and the caribbean. they can also be found in the usa, for example in california, oregon and seattle in the us state of washington.

HERE, A UNIQUE GIANT LIVES,

A LONELY WHALE. adrian grenier, us-american actor and musician says about him: “the lonely whale is a real whale that swims all alone out in the pacific ocean. he speaks another language, a different frequency than other whales, so he’s been calling out his whole life and he’s never received a response. we are trying to understand him and communicate with him so that we can better understand the plight of whales and marine wildlife”.

ADRIAN GRENIER

describes with these words not only the whale, but the organization with the same name that he has founded two years ago. among countless organizations worldwide, lonely whale is unique. the organization realizes and supports projects to better understand the ocean, to study ocean noise pollution in particular and how it affects marine wildlife.

“when you swim with real whales when they sing, sometimes the frequency is so low that you don’t hear it, but you feel it in your body.” more about that feeling that lonely whale wants to share with us, we learn from three everyday heroines who help the organization getting the power to change the world.

SHE SWIMS WITH THE ALPHAS DUNE IVES

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DUNE

is the executive director of lonely whale, where she designs and leads initiatives that address environmental degradation and species decline. through her leadership, lonely whale has received global recognition as one of fast company’s world changing ideas, huffington post’s top ten movers and shakers in environmental sustainability, the p�g 2�1� circular economy award sponsored by the danish government; and more. dune has spoken at milken institute of philanthropy expert convening, washington post live, and as the plenary speaker at the 2�1� our ocean conference in bali, indonesia. prior to lonely whale, dune designed and oversaw paul g. allen’s vulcan philanthropy, co-founded the green sports alliance, and was among the first individuals trained by the honorable al gore to deliver his presentation on global warming. dune has a ph.d. is psychology from utah state university.

DUNE IS GIVING A SPEECH TO THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE OCEAN HEROES BOOTCAMP 2018

DUNE IVES ABOUT PRINCIPLES, PSYCHOLOGY AND RESPONSIBILITY dear dune, how did it come about that you started to work for lonely whale� i had the great honor of developing and managing mr. paul g. allen’s first global environmental philanthropic portfolio, which included ocean health. while with mr. allen’s vulcan philanthropy i was perplexed by this question he continued to challenge his executive team with – how do we get people to really care for the ocean�. i left in quest of an answer and was introduced to adrian grenier by a mutual friend, susan rockefeller, who knew we were both seeking the same answer. adrian had just launched lonely whale two months before we met and asked if i would like to join the team – an offer i could not refuse� lonely whale is founded on the principle of radical collaboration. sounds very powerful and convincing. how would you describe the philosophy of your organization in a few sentences� what is your goal� when i was at vulcan, one thing became really clear to me and my team – it is really difficult for ngos to work together due to differences in priorities, shortage of resources. sometimes, even egos can get in the way of breaking down silos and walls and truly collaborating. adrian and our other co-founder, lucy sumner, and i made a commitment that we would rise above these challenges and find ways to not only collaborate but truly collaborate with honesty, humility and a little bit of humor when needed. the goal is to ensure we learn from each other’s successes and mistakes and inspire each other to go beyond what we believe may be possible to achieve what is needed regarding our most pressing ocean health issues. today every single one of our initiatives has multiple ngo, government and for-profit collaborators with open and honest dialogue and, importantly, support for each other.

WE

are more effective working together than if w together, we avoid recreating the wheel, and we to our audiences and supporters driving further impact.

we are fascinated by your statement that people can achieve more when they work together and by your belief that failure only happens when we fail alone. is this something that is reflected in the name of your organization – “lonely whale” – or where does the name come from� this philosophy comes from my early days as a consultant with arthur andersen where we each knew that if we worked in silos, by ourselves, we would only be aware of the blind spots that we have experienced in the past. to truly achieve our goals, we need more input from others, we need people to challenge our assumptions and we need inspiration from those who don’t share our same experiences. when we work together we can overcome the barriers we believe are in our way and can far exceed our own expectations. when we work by ourselves, we’ll always achieve failure no matter how successful we feel we have been. you have a ph.d. in psychology. can you explain to us from this perspective how it is possible that people want to live in a beautiful world and treat it so badly at the same time� what can and what must everyone do in order to leave our next generations an intact nature� this is the big question, isn’t it� there are a lot of psychological terms one can use to describe why we are where we are, but at the base of the situation we are in is that we tend to operate with short-term mindsets addressing the most pressing issues facing us at the time. so, no matter how bad litter seems, there is always something that is more important like getting our children off to school, making sure we are financially solvent, taking an elderly relative to their doctor’s appointment, etc. how do we prioritize the environment when we 1� don’t understand the connection between a healthy environment and our longevity as a species, 2� there are more pressing issues facing us on a daily basis that need to be attended to, and �� our environmental degradation is becoming our new “normal”. in order to leave our next generation an intact nature we must start to pay attention and each one of us must do something to make a difference. it doesn’t matter what you do, just do something and invite someone to join you so that you can have more fun and build a community.

we choose to act alone. we learn more when we work e also have the opportunity to streamline communication . in our opinion, failure only happens when we fail alone.

if we want to enjoy

THE WONDERS OF THE SEA

further on, we must start to protect them

NOW!

seattle, usa, europe.. everywhere people start to fight against plastic pollution. but, doesn’t most of the waste come from south-east-asia� where exactly lie the roots of the problem� how important is it that we share and spread our knowledge about that topic towards those who suffer under a lack of education and prosperity� aren’t they the ones who have to suffer most under the environmental pollution� yes, it is true that there are other places in the world where plastic pollution is a greater crisis than in the united states. in places like india, africa, se asia the crisis is much more profound. sadly, though plastic pollution affects us all. in the united states and elsewhere our plastic recycling rate has held steady at �� since 2�12 and recently it was reported that the tennessee river is awash with microplastics and five days old baby sea turtles have washed up on the south carolina coastline with their bellies full with microplastics. just as the ocean connects us, all these issues effect each and every one of us and we all have a responsibility to lean into this crisis and do our part to become educated and take action that has real, positive and persistent impact.

BY 2050 THERE WILL BE MORE PLASTIC IN THE OCEAN THAN FISH

lonely whale has also launched the ocean heroes bootcamp. what is it about� the ocean heroes bootcamp is an immersive experience for youth ages 11-1� to come and learn about plastic pollution and its effects, develop their own plastic pollution reduction campaigns and learn how to collaborate with each other to achieve more significant impact than they could by themselves. the three day program brings together leading campaigners, scientists, influencers and other experts and involves youth teaching youth how they’ve developed their campaigns, what has worked and where they have learnings to share with others. measurable impact is a key outcome from the program as is global engagement to ensure every corner of our earth has their own ocean hero. is the new generation the new hope to fight the problem and solve it� no. the new generation is going to have to live with the decisions this generation makes today. to put cleaning up this mess on the new generation would be a misplacement of responsibility. we owe it to this and the next several generations to try as hard as we possibly can to make significant change happen and achieve un sdg 1�.1 by 2�2�, not starting in 2�2�. you have partnerships with big companies, especially regarding your initiative “nextwave plastics”. how did this happen and what is your common aim� we are true believers that for real change to happen, the market needs to lead the way. nextwave plastics is an industry-led collaboration between market competitors and thought leaders who share a common passion to stop the flow of plastic before it enters the ocean. together they are creating the first global network of ocean-bound plastic suppliers and integrating it permanently into their products. in doing so, they are creating value from what is currently considered a waste product and keeping plastic in our economy and out of the ocean. these companies have publicly committed to intercepting and permanently integrating a minimum of 2�,��� tons of ocean-bound plastic by the year 2�2� across more than � countries. what are your biggest goals for 2�1� and for the future in general� during 2�1�, we are staying focused on our three core initiatives: nextwave plastics, ocean heroes bootcamp and our co-developed straw campaign with bacardi, #thefuturedoesntsuck. we’re also ramping up a new campaign that we are very excited about and intend to continue to increase the conversation about single-use plastics in our everyday lives through that campaign. so, for us 2�1� is about execution and raising the bar on our team’s influence on the conversation and the state of plastic pollution.

but now it’s christmas time. how will you spend the holiday season� i’m spending christmas at home sitting in front of the fire, relaxing and playing games. my husband and i have two children and this is a time for us to cook a lot, sleep a lot, read books, tell jokes and just goof around. christmas and the winter solstice is a special time of year for me and there is nothing i like better than staying close to home enjoying friends and family�

THE OCEAN HEROES BOOTCAMP

as dune explained to us, we all have the responsibility to leave a healthy planet to the next generations. but, the young generation is the next old one. thus, lonely whale also launched the ocean heroes bootcamp. supported by actress danni washington, the youth leadership program empowers the next generation to address plastic pollution in their communities. furthermore, it empowers existing and emerging youth leaders to create their own campaign to take action against ocean plastic pollution, starting with the single-use plastic straw�

THE ATTRACTIVE ACTRESS DANNI WASHINGTON WAS THE THIS YEAR'S PATRONESS OF THE OCEAN HEROES BOOTCAMP 2018

the ocean heroes bootcamp took place in new orleans, where nearly 2�� global youth ages �-2� collaborated with each other during the three-day program. the kids learned from experts and peers about ways to make a measurable difference in their communities through the permanent reduction of plastic pollution. partner organization ocean wise made it possible for ocean heroes who could not attend the in-person bootcamp to participate virtually through their customized sleepover-program that took place at seven international sites, including vancouver, nairobi, kenya and india, among other locations.

on the last day of the program, ocean heroes pitched their ideas to actor, un environment goodwill ambassador and lonely whale co-founder adrian grenier; turning green founder erin schrode; �gyres institute co-founder marcus eriksen; big blue and you founder danni washington; and litterati co-founder jeff kirscher, to receive feedback on their campaigns prior to implementation in their hometowns. “ocean heroes bootcamp is unique among other youth programs,” said dune ives, executive director of lonely whale. “ created specifically for young environmental activists, some who will graduate in the year 2�2�, when the ocean is expected to contain 1 ton of plastic for every � tons of fish, the bootcamp participants are learning how to work together to solve this global crisis from some of the most effective plastic campaigners and leading scientists.” to date, ohbc has seen 11 international organizations collaborating to support more than ��� youth worldwide and is set to onboard an additional ��� youth leaders in 2�1�, supporting them with �1��,��� usd in available campaign grant funding and expert mentors.

applications for second annual ocean heroes bootcamp in june 2�1� are now available.

WWW.OCEANHEROES.BLUE

SHE SPLASHES WITH THE CROWD EMY KANE

DIGITAL STRATEGIST

EMY

is the director of digital strategy of lonely whale and program manager of the ocean heroes bootcamp. the social media powerhouse spearheaded the �stopsucking campaign, the global awardwinning viral social media challenge, which since has earned transcription into over 2� languages, including the six official united nations languages, and has reached nearly ��� million viewers across �� countries. inspired to leverage the best-in-class digital and communications strategies for good, emy uses her creative skillset to drive measurable impact on behalf of the ocean. emy has been recognized by passion passport as a top social media thought leader and practitioner and has presented at the third un environment assembly in nairobi; public foundation media for social impact summit hosted at un headquarters; the global citizen movement makers summit; climate woke artists retreat, an exclusive reception for public figures to discuss the intersectionality of climate change and race; defend our future’s youth fly in dinner, and others.

EMY IS ALSO PROGRAM MANAGER OF THE OCEAN HEROES BOOTCAMP

EMY KANE ABOUT THE INTERNET, THE GOOD AND #STOPSUCKING dear emy, you worked for some startup companies before. what was the reason to start with lonely whale� how did you come in contact with the topic plastic waste and pollution� i had the chance to join lonely whale right at its inception, alongside my colleagues dune ives and emma riley, after being drawn to the compelling story of the �2hertz whale from whom we get our name. prior to joining lonely whale i was working in the tech startup space where our company sought to create online communities founded in shared live experiences. one of our driving questions, which i always found an inspiring challenge, was how do you connect a global audience online in a meaningful and measurable manner� with that desire to build communities founded on intention, i sought out an opportunity to use both social media and digital content as a tool for conservation -- and i found lonely whale. you are responsible for the online content and strategies. how important is the internet nowadays to arouse the awareness for important issues� the internet is paramount in all that we do in today’s world. from connecting with a loved one to campaigning for plastic pollution reduction, the internet is this nearly invisible layer in our daily lives that powers all that we do. as such, it’s critical for conservationists to understand the best-practices of the internet, from design to social media, and to leverage those tools in support of our goals. how does lonely whale use the web� at lonely whale, a strong social and communications strategy has always been central in the initiatives we create, making use of the internet core to our brand. one of our core objectives is to captivate and move the hearts and minds of individuals and organizations, use of the internet is critical in helping to captivate individuals in the spaces they normally frequent �e.g. social media, e-commerce, online news platforms� and convert them into a passionate ocean health advocates.

there are millions of webpages in the internet who deal with social or environmental projects. some are reliable, some not. besides the popularity of a page, what are the biggest challenges to communicate a committed and wonderful project like lonely whale to the entire world in an effective and easy to understandable way� outside of breaking through the noise on the internet, it can be really hard to break down the problem that is plastic pollution and, even larger, of ocean health. that’s why it has always been critical in our initiatives that we present our work and the issue at hand in a way that is easily accessible to all people. finding that balance between fact and forming a connection with your reader can be difficult though, we believe, is one magic formula for driving conversions �to borrow a tech term�� and engage people who are inspired to create impact for something far greater than any one person or any one organization. nowadays, we talk about “social networks” and “social media”, but how social are those platforms in reality� what should we learn and what should we do to use the power of the internet to change the world permanently� as an expert, do you have some advices and ideas� the internet has already changed the world permanently, it’s up to us to leverage the tools we have access to on the web to ensure that we change the world for good. i still believe social media is an authentically social place, it simply depends on how you use it to engage with your audience. are you pushing information out or asking for participation� in fact, how we define social media can also change our outlook on its impacts on our daily lives� messenger apps, email list serves, online learning platforms are social networks that empower us as individuals to share our message out to a much wider audience than ever before. to that end, social media has also helped level playing field and illuminate discrepancies in power when it comes to advertising, agnostic of what you’re advertising.

TOM SKERRITT (ALIEN, POLTERGEIST, TOP GUN) DURING A SHOOTING BREAK

watch the strawless in seattle video here

THE #STOPSUCKING CAMPAIGN was shared by celebreties and many other people within the social media. we will learn more about it on the next pages...

you are also responsible for the �stopsucking campaign. what could you tell us about it� our �stopsucking campaign was truly collaborative and, i believe, that was what resulted in its success� we released the psa through a global network of over �� ocean health ngos and creative partners, all of whom had committed to join a banner movement for a strawless ocean. together over the course of one month we pushed the psa and supporting content through a strategic series of influencer challenges, community-driven commitments, and online social hub support �thanks upworthy, good, and buzzfeed��. the combination of this grassroots support, thoughtful social influencer engagement, and media pickup helped to reach into different culture pockets that ocean conversation hadn’t quite penetrated before. our team then used that online energy to support our citywide takeover of seattle and subsequent corporate engagement. today, our psa has been translated into over 2� global languages, localized in at least 1�, and reached over �� countries. as our co-founder adrian once said, it’s not a movement unless it moves itself� soon, the christmas holiday starts. when we talk about the ocean, we think also about beautiful places and holiday. what do you have in mind when you think about the water�ocean� which place do you love the most and which one would you love to see someday� from pretending i was ariel with homemade mermaid tails made from kelp, to creating my own salt-water fish tank during my time at the acadia institute for oceanography, the ocean always recharges my creative energy and reminds me of our inextricable connection to the delicate system to which we are all bound. i feel lucky when i have the opportunity to visit my grandmother in jamestown, rhode island. how will you spend the holidays� with my family reconnecting to nature� since i was a child i had the opportunity to “go west,” to ketchum, idaho, and experience something i did not grow up with - mountains� i look forward to spending time off the grid. what are your next plans and projects� one project i am particularly excited about for 2�1� is our second annual ocean heroes bootcamp� together with 1� other organizations, we are bringing together global youth leaders to learn from their peers and industry experts. not only will these international youth learn about plastic pollution, but they’ll also learn critical campaigning skills so that they have the tools they need to drive measurable change within their own communities. this year’s bootcamp will be held in vancouver, british columbia from june 2�-��, 2�1�.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF STRAWLESS IN SEATTLE LONELY WHALE

knows how to inspire people to get committed to something, by having fun� despite all the bad news every day, people want to be motivated. they don't want to hear that so many things go wrong. rather, they want to know what you can really do to make things better.

WITH THE STRAWLESS IN SEATTLE #STOPSUCKING

and the viral campaign, lonely whale shows how to do it right. with fun and joy. in the video, hollywood actors and actresses like amy smart present a serious topic with humor. how serious this topic really is, show the comments underneath the video that are full of ignorance and intolerance. people who don’t seem to care about the environment at all, criticize those who care about it. what could be more natural than to deal with the subject with humor�

CREATIVE BRAINSTORMING TOM SKERRITT DISCUSSES DETAILS WITHTHE DIRECTOR

STARS & STARLETS like bonnee fahlstrom, liza kei, marina dnery or wanessa milhomem helped the campaign to succeed

HOWEVER,

�stopsucking seamlessly follows up the strawless in seattle campaign. it makes us aware of the fact that tons of non-recyclable straws are used every day, which end up where they don't belong, for example in the sea.

OF COURSE,

some of the wiseacres have fun discussing that the known figures of ���,��� straws per day are a mad joke. the figures used for germany and the uk of around �� trillion straws per year also would be unrealistic. but if we only think of the healthy smoothie in the morning, the juice at noon and the one or other cocktail in the evening, we come to amounts that may be a little lower in the end, but are still much too high and above all, completely unnecessary.

INSTEAD OF SUCH DEBATES,

it would be better to actually discuss how to deal with the real problem, plastic waste in the sea. how can we prevent waste from ending up in the sea� which alternative products do we have� what are the long-term consequences of our consumption� is it a restriction of our freedom to prohibit such unimportant things as straws in order to protect such important things as our environment�

LONELY WHALE

takes responsibility to solve this problem with heart, mind and humor and furthermore, does not avoid discussions with doubters and opponents. only in september, the organization successfully managed to permanently remove 2.� millions disposable straws from the city.

STRAWS SUCK

in addition to the mayor of the city of seattle, cultural icons, many restaurants and tourist facilities were involved. moreover, the probably biggest local heroes, the seattle seahawks, the nfl team of the city that became champion in 2�1�, stood up for this issue. their quarterback, russel wilson, was also the one who stole the straws from the popular suckers in the funny campaign video. in it he explains, in regard to the job in the nfl team, that we as consumers are the first line of defense. therefore, we need to take responsibility if we want to see and experience some change.

SHE DIVES WITH PARTNERS EMMA RILEY

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

EMMA

is the director of strategic partnerships of award-winning lonely whale. in her role, emma serves as a brand strategist focused on building cross-industry and cross-culture partnerships and spearheading radically collaborative efforts that strengthen lonely whale’s global presence and impact. her pivotal role in the development and implementation of lonely whale’s strawless ocean, a campaign that takes action against plastic pollution, starting with the plastic straw, triggered both traditional and social media amplification that catapulted the campaign to a worldwide movement. strawless in seattle, a sub-campaign of strawless ocean, resulted in the permanent removal of more than 2.� million plastic straws in seattle in just one month while also ushering in policy change in seattle that gave rise to a global policy movement against single-use plastic straws. emma continues to expand and drive the strawless ocean initiative for lonely whale by working with brands such as live nation, aeg, major league baseball, the edition hotels, soho house global, bacardi limited and more.

as a leader in strategic marketing, emma has presented the value of meaningful campaigns to northside festival, the ministry of ideas in miami, new york city design festival, beckman center of the national academies of sciences, engineering and medicine uc irvine and more. in 2�1�, she was recognized as a rubicon global waste fit champion and as one of the top 1�� up and coming female culture creators in the united states by purewow. emma has also been featured in brooklyn magazine, women’s health magazine, mindbodygreen and l'express, amongst others. emma is a mentor and judge with the ado water futures challenge, specializing in solutions designed within a marketing and communication framework.

EMMA RILEY ABOUT VISIONS, BASICS & GOOD PARTNERSHIPS dear emma, you are the networker of lonely whale, is that correct� what can you tell us about your main tasks and work in a few sentences� i suppose that’s correct, although our entire team is very social� we were founded on the grounds that radical collaboration - alternative, unique collaborations - are a key to success. so, we as a team approach our world through that lens. i primarily work on our impact initiatives, overseeing the full ��� marketing scope it takes to have a successful campaign of any kind. additionally, i work on our brand and the continued development of it. many people have good ideas but many also fail. you have a lot of experience in the field of marketing. how important is it to combine big and good ideals with professional and profound industry expertise and marketing in order to achieve something great� there are certain forms that work. that should never be forgotten. and, research is the key to success. you cannot decide to direct consumers without knowing who those consumers are first, and how to direct them. keeping those two things in mind, the last layer on your marketing cake can and should be something ridiculous, hilarious, or largerthan-life. my executive director, though well versed in philanthropy, really is a cmo by nature. she’s a psychologist. marketing is breaking down and piecing back together behaviors. you are also responsible for the campaign “strawless in seattle”. what can you tell us about this amazing initiative� gosh, strawless in seattle was a ton of fun. we had a blast. our team dedicated ourselves to that effort 11�� and what an adventure it was. something i took away from that experience was a reminder that you should always get to know your neighbor. strawless was successful because the entire city of seattle �over 1�� venues� participated the effort. and, the city participated in the effort because we went rogue, introduced ourselves, and simply asked them to. people will surprise you and more often than not, say yes to whatever it is you’re asking for.

regarding your effort and success of lonely whale that only in september, 2,� millions of single-use plastic straws were banned out of the city – what does it mean for the us in total and what does it mean for the world in general� how many of those “environmental killers” do exist� i consider our team conversation campaigners. the most impactful thing we did during the month of september was to translate a complicated conversation to a simply one: plastic goes in our ocean. here is one thing you can do, easily, to participate in the solution. so, to get back to your question, both within the u.s. as well as globally, i think that means a hell of a lot. most people are not marine biologists, but most people do care. this was why the effort has grown to the size it now is: we made it easy. the human being has conquered the sky, the earth and the space. we communicate with and inspire each other while living on different continents in different countries. this leads to the question why there are not enough alternatives to plastic. you are an insider – can you give us an explanation� what a complicated issue, plastics. i’ll just touch on one thing here as i could write for ages about this: our world has focused on the wrong solution - biodegradable plastics - for far too long. sadly and surprisingly to most, they don’t break down in water. so, my hope is that some of the companies distributing these products, pull attention away from biodegradable plastics and towards alternatives that do exist, but are simply still in that start-up-havingto-prove-themselves-and-raise-money-at-the-same-time phase. you are also responsible for the strategic partnerships. what can you tell us about it and which projects and partnerships do you have� what did you already achieve together� i’m very excited about a contract we just signed with the creative hub “the midway”, in san francisco. we have wanted to work deeply within the arts for ages, but hadn’t yet hit the nail on the head as to how. next year we will launch a program in san francisco with the center, which will highlight the importance of creatives and conservationists in conversation with one another. stay tuned���

cocktails taste delicious even without straws

plastic bottles are just one problem, which we can see on shore, but there is so much more plastic in the water everywhere

emma is also very active in the internet �here together with emy�. follow them to keep informed about the cool projects of lonely whale. how difficult is it to convince companies of the responsibility they have� are there any pioneers or role-models� which projects and collaborations you are proud of� i’m very proud of our work with bacardi. we had a blast analyzing their marketing scope in china, the united kingdom, and the united states and working with them to reduce their single-use plastics across each market, then communicating that back to their audience to develop greater brand equity. it was a blast� and, we are excited for the years to come�

speaking again of marketing: it says that there are companies that spend their money solely on green-marketing-campaigns instead of investing it in real projects or developments. what do you think of that� if you’re referring to green washing then yes, this happens all of the time. and, it will continue to happen. i am a true believer that marketing is the most powerful tool on the planet. it will make or break your brand, your product, your concept. so yes, people have figured this out and now use it for evil. we, at lonely whale, actually realized that a few years ago which is why we now use the strategies for-profit corporates, agencies, etc. use to do good work. some of the consumers are convinced of the fact that only the brands have to take responsibility for the pollution of our oceans. by saying this they carry their heavy bag of garbage to the container. supply and demand. isn’t it actually our responsibility and therefore, we are the real polluters� what do we have to learn and understand in order to let campaigns like yours have a lasting effect� i hope our work clearly embodies something we as a team hold true to our core: we all have to work together to make change happen. consumers can’t do it on their own. neither can corporations. the two have to be in concert with one another. this was why strawless ocean was so successful: it was b2b and b2c. that rarely happens. i hope the world saw that. besides of all the pollution the ocean itself is something so beautiful. where do you personally like to travel or go to on holidays� what are the most beautiful places in the world for you� well, i’m currently on a plane back to california from santiago, chile where i represented lonely whale at the demand solutions conference. what a beautiful city� it is summer in the southern hemisphere, so it was a treat to get a bit of sun in december. i’m taking a holiday to hawaii in january which i’m excited for. my mother is from hawaii and i used to go there often as a child but haven’t been in years as i was living in new york and london. i recently moved to the west coast, so it felt like time to get back over to those beautiful islands� how you will spend christmas time� i’m spending christmas at home, still, reading and cooking a lot. i’m hosting christmas day at my house, and then heading to lake tahoe for a few days around new year’s. what are the next projects you work at� i can’t share much but keep your eyes peeled this spring… we are releasing our next impact initiative� and, do check out our work this year with the midway. you can find information about it online on their social channels and ours, or visit the space if you happen to be in san francisco�

these are cool projects, right� furthermore, dune, emma and emy are amazing women, aren’t they� together with adrian and their team, they show us that each one of us can change the world. of course, not completely alone, like the whale. however, it’s up to each one of us to start, to build a network with others, to find people with the same or similar goals, to inspire them, to make the world a better place, to leave a positive footprint, and to remain in our children’s memory as people, who have bequeathed a healthy and beautiful world to them.

DELL & LONELY WHALE CREATE CRY OUT: THE LONELY WHALE EXPERIENCE so, when we come back to fictional computer heroines like lara croft, we could imagine how they would use their power to stop the pollution of the ocean. however, in reality, technology companies have this power already. first of all, they are innovative. second, they reach a huge crowd. third, their supremacy enables them to influence the development on several levels, for example regarding packaging.

a true pioneer of the technology business, which takes huge responsibility since a long time, is

DELL.

by using advanced technology to reveal the anthropogenic impact on an ancient form of life, dell, its affiliated brand alienware, lonely whale, and adrian grenier created cry out: the lonely whale experience. you can dive into the ocean, by wearing vr glasses. then, a virtual underwater world is revealed to you, in which the lonely whale shows you his environment and life. of course, from time to time the whale must return to the surface to take a breath. thus, you can recognize the plastic pollution from his point of view. you can download cry out to your smartphone to follow the lonely whale in this vr-story. dell & alienware have helped to build the lonely whale vr experience to show how technology companies can really help solve the world’s problems, but not be part of them. paul struhsaker �cto & vp of technology strategy, dell�

THE EXPERIENCE

the collaboration wants to educate audiences about the ocean. the underwater vr expedition, developed by �d live with dell precision, alienware, amd and htc technology, transports viewers into the depths of the sea to witness underwater life and see how pollution has disrupted it. the experience is narrated by emily osment, with live rendered �d visuals and motion sensor chairs for a �d experience.

THE IMPACT

dell identified ocean plastic as an issue where they could have a meaningful contribution. in june 2�1�, dell's contribution was greater realized through the partnership with lonely whale and the un environment programme. through this partnership, dell brought the cry out: the lonely whale experience to the un ocean conference as part of the un environment programme's clean seas campaign.

THE NEXTWAVE

furthermore, dell announced the technology industry’s first shipment of ocean plastics packaging, the result of an innovative, commercial-scale pilot program. dell recycled plastics collected from waterways and beaches for use in the new packaging tray for its dell xps 1� 2-in-1, building on dell’s broader sustainable supply chain strategy.

IN 2017,

its ocean plastics pilot keept 1�,��� pounds of plastic from entering the ocean. dell transitioned its award-winning xps 1� 2-in-1 to ocean plastics packaging in the same year. the company also included educational information on its packaging to raise global awareness and action on ocean ecosystem health solutions, an area of shared interest between dell, its social good advocate, adrian grenier and the lonely whale foundation.

TO HELP ENSURE

the packaging does not end up back in the oceans, dell stamps each tray with the no.

2 recycling symbol, designating it as hdpe �which is commonly recyclable in many locations�. dell’s packaging team designs and sources its product packaging to be more than �� percent recyclable by weight so that it can be reused as part of the circular economy.

THE OCEAN PLASTICS SUPPLY CHAIN PROCESS is made of multiple stages: dell’s partners intercept ocean plastics at the source in waterways, shorelines and beaches before it reaches the ocean. afterwards, processes and refines the used plastics, mixes the ocean plastic �2� percent� with other recycled hdpe plastics �the remaining �� �� from sources like bottles and food storage containers. finally, it molds the resulting recycled plastic flake into new packaging trays and ship the trays for final packaging and customer delivery.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LONELY WHALE

and adrian grenier, dell has helped to increase understanding of ocean health issues. the use of virtual reality technology and an active environmental awareness should bring people closer to the issues facing the oceans.

“i have been in supply chain and operations for twenty years, and this is the first time my 10-year-old daughter has gotten excited about what i do,” said kevin brown, chief supply chain officer, dell. “this new packaging initiative demonstrates that there are real global business applications for ocean plastics that deliver positive results for our business and planet. we look forward to working across industries for broader impact.” adrian grenier, social good advocate of dell

www.lonelywhale.org learn more about the projects and support them on:

kevin brown, chief supply chain officer says

“i have been in supply chain and operations for twenty years, and this is the first time my 10-year-old daughter has gotten excited about what i do,” said kevin brown, chief supply chain officer, dell. “this new packaging initiative demonstrates that there are real global business applications for ocean plastics that deliver positive results for our business and planet. we look forward to working across industries for broader impact.” the cry out: the lonely whale experience you can watch on your mobile device. to download visit the lonely whale website vr.delltechnologies.com.

IN

HARMONY WITH THE NATURE WWF

HEIKE VESPER

PICTURES: WWF

SHE SERVES TO PROTECT HEIKE VESPER

LEADER OF THE MARINE PROTECTION DEPARTMENT OF THE WWF GERMANY people used to think that they are not able to achieve something as one single human. as one of over � billion people we feel small and useless. but, every voice and every single step counts. however, the huge problems of today, were something that people have already foreseen in 1��1. the result was the foundation of the wwf �world wide fund for nature�. the aim of the wwf is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. It sounds inspiring yet challenging, because it’s hard to know, where should we start. there are many problems to solve on our planet.

Howsoever, plastic pollution is one of them, and it’s a very important issue. meanwhile it seems that it’s omnipresent. it causes the deaths of animals and destruction of habitats. of course, one of the largest environmental organizations invests also a lot of effort to stop that development.

HEIKE VESPER IS ALSO CHAIRWOMAN OF THE INTERNATIONAL BALTIC SEA FOUNDATION FOR NATURE CONSERVATION besides, the two double-u’s remind of the crown of a super heroine; wonder woman. so, we had the chance to talk with that brave person, a woman, whose workplace signifies her research and fight against the plastic pollution. certainly, she hasn’t the force of the comic figure, but she is also very powerful and committed, when it comes to the environment protection. the marine biologist

HEIKE VESPER

CURRENTLY THE VAST MAJORITY OF RUBBISH IN THIMPU ENDS UP AT A LANDFILL JUST OUTSIDE THE TOWN. THIMPU, BHUTAN. JAMES MORGAN� WWF-US

HEIKE VESPER ABOUT THE SITUATION IN THE SEVEN SEAS now, everyone is talking about plastic waste. i can remember trips 1� years ago when i had to fight my way through garbage on the shore to get into the sea. so, is it really such a new topic� and if we see this pollution on holiday, why is it a topic at all� shouldn't these experiences make it clear to us that we all bear a responsibility� in fact, the subject is not really new. more than 1� years ago, the united nations environment program adopted an action plan against plastic waste in the seas. but politically, the plastic flood was not taken seriously. it has only been about � years since the people woke up. since then, there has been a public storm of indignation and politics has finally become active, even if there is still a lot to do. it is a sensitive topic, because it is said that in 2��� there will be more plastic waste than fish in the sea. is that correct� what is the current situation� since 1���, the production of plastic has increased twentyfold. and it is expected that the amount of plastic produced will double in the next 2� years. the lion's share of �� percent of plastic production is used for packaging. in global terms, �� percent of used plastic packaging is not recycled, and �2 percent �as of 2�1�� goes uncontrolled into the environment, e.g. the oceans. so, yes. it might happen that in 2��� we will have more plastic than fish in the oceans by weight if we don’t do anything against it. we have been urged to separate waste for years. we, the consumers and disposers, separate garbage carefully in germany, don't we� yes, in principle we do. but we also have to learn something new. we mainly separate glass, paper and then plastic packaging, which bears the “green dot”. there is still a lot of rubbish left over that could actually be better recycled if it were collected separately. in germany we have become a real “throw-away” society and packaging waste has been raised. especially the increased online trade and the food-to-go culture are seen as the reasons for this.

in addition to the problem of visible plastic waste, the topic of microplastics is also playing an increasingly important role. what can we understand by this and how does it get into our bodies� there is no generally accepted definition for the term "microplastics", but the federal environment agency, for example, defines microplastics as "solid, water-insoluble plastic particles that are five millimeters and smaller". some environmental associations extend this definition to plastics in dissolved, liquid, gel or wax-like form �so-called "synthetic polymers"�, such as those used in the cosmetics industry as stabilizers or fillers. primary microplastics refer to the smallest microplastic particles specially produced in small sizes and used in products, such as those used in peeling in cosmetics or as abrasives in air jet technology. secondary microplastics are produced by comminution of larger plastic parts, e.g. abrasion of tyres, discharge of microplastic fibers from synthetic clothing �e.g. polyester� during washing or disintegration of plastic bottles. in humans, microplastics can enter the body in two main ways: through food �e.g. consumption of seafood or drinking water� and through breathing �microplastic particles in the air, dust�, so that an effect on health cannot be ruled out, even if research results are not yet available. studies have proven microplastic in foods such as honey, sea salt, beer and mineral water and thus the entry into our food chain. even though our affluent countries produce and waste so much plastic, most garbage seems to reach the sea via southeast asian countries. is that correct� it is estimated that half of the plastic waste comes from china, indonesia, the philippines, thailand and vietnam. one of the reasons for the entry of plastic waste into the oceans is the lack of structures for collecting and processing waste. at least three billion people worldwide have no access at all to controlled waste disposal. but we don't have to think that germany doesn't contribute to the littering of the oceans. with ���,��� tons every year we have something to take care of.

A TRUE PARADISE LOOKS DIFFERENT

THIS IS THE STATUS OF TODAY, BUT THE MOUNTAIN OF RUBBISH IS GROWING, BECAUSE THE HALF-LIFE PERIOD OF PLASTIC IS 400-500 YEARS

doesn't it therefore have to be one of the most important challenges to provide information locally, i.e. in thailand, indonesia, vietnam, etc.� can't the local governments be put under pressure or held accountable� it's true that the main focus in the fight against the plastic flood must lie on the southeast asian countries. international organizations for development aid and technical cooperation have been working for decades to establish a functioning waste disposal system in poor countries and emerging markets. the fundamental problem, however, is the lack of permanent financing for waste collection, disposal and recycling. education and training play an important role as well as market-based instruments. at international, political level, a convention must be adopted under which the states agree to stop the discharge of plastic waste into the oceans - just as we have an international agreement on climate protection. how important is it to sensitize the young generation in the so-called affluent countries to this issue� aren't they the ones who move and change most, who create innovations and who can find alternatives or solutions� young people play an important role, it is about nothing less than their own future. they will have to live the longest with all the pollution and destruction of the environment. there are very good ideas that have just come from young, committed people when looking for a way to get plastic out of rivers and seas. this gives a lot of hope. what can you recommend to us as consumers when it comes to consumption in general and the use of plastics in particular� less is more� we simply can't afford to be so wasteful with our planet's resources anymore, because in the end it's all about ourselves. one should do without disposable plastic, rather use reusable plastic. plastic containers, bags etc. should be reused as often as possible and consciously avoid unnecessarily packaged items when shopping.

SO MUCH INFORMATION

about impressive heroines of our life, about plastic and water, and things that we have to do and need to consider. however, to complete the circle, we come back to the point where we have started. our ancestors worshipped the water. for several cultures it’s holy, even for ours, for example when children are baptized in the church. this tradition comes from the holy land which was home to the man who shaped the famous christmas story once; jesus. but it’s the not only land in which the saint was born 2�1� years ago, it’s also the land in which he got baptized by john the baptist. at this time, the baptism was practiced by immersion in the holy water of the Jordan river. today, this river is the border between israel and the kingdom of jordan. but, while the river separates the countries, it connects them too. because, on both sides the people celebrate holy rituals in honor of jesus. therefore, for the people in both countries the jordan is a holy river. it flows into the mystical lake of galilee. here, so the legend says, jesus walked on the water. maybe this story isn’t complete true but even not completely wrong. because, the holy river flows further to a very special place. here you certainly cannot walk on water, but, like it or not, you will always float on the surface of

THE DEAD SEA

SEA OF GALILEE

DEAD SEA

THE JORDAN'S RIVER MOUTH INTO THE DEAD SEA

THE DEAD SEA actually, the dead sea is a lake. however, it’s a very exceptional one. not only because of its endless beauty which is characterized by a mixture of gigantic mountains and landscapes, but because of the quality and unique effects of it's salty water. those, mainly healthy, effects lead people from all over the world to this wonderful place. the dead sea is an endorheic lake. while running water flow into it, the lake has no outflows. those kinds of lakes are mainly found in arid areas, where they become salty in the course of time. the reason for that is that the minerals and salts of the inflowing waters remain behind during the evaporation of the water. as a result, their concentration increases. so, the dead sea contains 1� times as much salt as other waters. this leads to the magic effect that you always float on its surface. a liberating and mystic feeling at the same time. howsoever, the lake as well as its mud contain a lot of healthy minerals. they support the functions of the human body regarding the regulation of electric currents. furthermore, they support the processes that ensure healthy skin cells. additionally, they have a healing effect regarding skin diseases like neurodermatitis and psoriasis.

THE PROTECTION OF THE OF AND THE THE

BEAUTY BODY NATURE AHAVA

BEAUTIFUL COSMETICS

IN THE COURSE OF TIME,

there were already people who were aware of the healing effects of the minerals. it’s assumed that even cleopatra and king salomon recognized that the dead sea is a pure gold mine when it comes to skin care. in modern times, there are pioneers who follow those footprints. an israeli cosmetics company found an impressive way to use the effects of the water and ingredients in a sustainable and nature-saving way

AHAVA.

ahava is an exemplary company that shows that we are able to use naturebased products without polluting or destroying the valuable source behind it. ahava's philosophy is as simple as exemplary. inspired of a quote of elton john’s famous song ‘circle of life’, the company uses the minerals of the dead see under following premise:

“[…] you should never take more than you give.”

LOVE IS IN THE COMPANY’S NAME

describes best what the products stand for: love� love for humans, love for animals as well as love for nature. thus, in regard to keeping a balance between giving to and taking from nature, ahava created an own “cosmeticcircle of life” which worships the holy water of the dead sea and also satisfies our cosmetic needs.

THE WATER AHAVA

just obtains resources out of the dead sea what are needed for the skin care products. as a result, the brand protects the environment and nature sustainably and ecologically. ahava still takes water and mud from the sea, but the brand cleans the waste water with a special technique to give back to the nature what it needs. besides, the packaging is fully recyclable. take and give – a philosophy that pays off in every possible way.

VEGAN BEAUTY LOVE THE NATURE

moreover, the fauna also benefits from the production technology. while ahava gives the recycled water back to its source, plants in the surrounding area grow and offer many birds a living space. additionally, all products are fully vegan and free of animal-testing.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST,

the central figures in the �cosmetic� circle of life are people, or better: the consumers. all products are made to improve the well-being. they are thoroughly tested, skin-friendly and free of any chemical substances like parabens, paraffines and mineral oil. thus, the creams, oils, masks and essences of ahava guarantee to support the resistance of the skin in every single facet. therefore, as consumers you can only benefit: no harm for nature, no animal experiments, no pollutants for people’s skins. in some ways, ahava seems to be another ocean hero that does not only care about people, but also about the fauna, flora and water. committed to help both people and nature, the brand is an exemplary role model for empowerment and the production of beautiful, healthy and sustainable products.

30 YEARS AHAVA

LOVELY LIMITED EDITION IN 2018,

the brand celebrated something truly great: its ��th anniversary. thus, ahava has some special gifts for all people who want to treat themselves or their beloved ones with some unique, natural-based products.

THE THREE BESTSELLERS

of ahava, the mineral body lotion, mineral hand cream and the mineral foot cream are characterized by a unique design. a tube was designed by roman gulman, the other by tali yalonetzki and the third by sharon targel. every artist created a very own idea of female beauty and power. therefore, with these products the female diversity should be truly embraced.

THE LUXURY GOLD MASK

is another surprise of the limited edition and a nice gift idea. the body lotion, cremes and gold mask have caring and healing effects that underline the beauty. furthermore, they provide a pleasant aroma as well as a new, ‘glitter’ face treatment. supporting beauty, scent and the need for a little extra, one might suggest a special source of inspiration behind this limited edition.

the secret of ahava’s skin care is the mixture of the minerals magnesium, calcium and potassium carbonate. they have a special osmotic effect on the skin cells. minerals like boron, bromine, potassium, calcium, magnesium, natrium and more protect your skin additionally.

SOCIAL ACTIVITY LOVE TO HELP OTHERS

with every sold product, ahava spends 1 euro for sos children’s villages. thus, you don’t only do a favor to yourself or your family, but you also support the empowerment of young girls and women.

WITH THE SUPPORT OF AHAVA,

the sos children’s village in essen is able to give young girls the opportunity to meet up with peers and educators. they spend time together and have the chance to open up, get advice regarding typical women’s issues, fears and doubts. together, they can learn how to praise female beauty and empower each other.

STAY IN LOVE

beauty is diverse and doesn't know any age, weight, height, color or boundaries. it’s always important to support each other and to set a clear statement: every single woman is beautiful, in her very personal way. just like the name ahava once more makes clear: spread love in every corner of the world, at christmas time as well as during the entire year.

www.ahava.com

more about the brand and the products on

SHANINA SHAIK

poses in the sunset for the new collection of the colombian label agua bendita.

of course, also in the so called “new world” people honored the water. especially in those regions, which are dominated by deserts and mountains. there, where you find one of the world's highest coastal ranges, the people had to be very creative to farm the plateaus and stony grounds. thus, it’s no wonder that people considered rivers and lakes as holy waters. so also happened in “el corazon de america del sur”, the country in the northern area of south america, which we know as

COLOMBIA

THE AND THE OF

ORIGIN ROOTS LIFE

AGUA BENDITA

WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL BRAND

PHOTOGRAPHER: DOVE SHORE

IN COLOMBIA,

people experienced the longest civil war in the modern era. since the war is over, but also during the hard times, the people have a strong relation to their country. justifiably, they love it from the bottom of their hearts. one local brand shares this love with its team as well as the entire world

AGUA BENDITA

THE ORIGIN OF AGUA BENDITA millions of years ago, it all started: divine beings strolled around with mythical creatures in a garden of marvelous, scented flowers. everything coexisted in harmony and balance: the thunder and the breeze, animals and goddesses, humans and nature, creation and destruction, chaos and peace.

THIS IS THE ORIGIN.

agua bendita’s mission is to take you there, where you can find your essence. appreciate nature, your nature. and enhance it with the wonders of artisanal details that will transport you to the primary techniques passed through generations of amazing women that work with their hands, and more importantly, with their hearts.

DARK AND DEEP THE NEW COLLECTION

the origin is agua bendita’s autumn-summer collection and the accents of the colombian brand’s color palette are darker and deeper.

the brand also places its

“ONE PIECES”

that came a few seasons ago and are here to stay� the silhouettes are becoming body icons and can be worn perfectly from beach to bar�

HOWEVER,

agua bendita juxtaposes these colors with vibrant and also lighter tones to go beyond trends and to endure in time so the costumers can wear them in any given occasion.

BREGJE HEINEN

the dutch top-model poses in a beautiful blue bikini with floaral prints.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

the agua bendita prints have become the seal of the brand, along with its handicrafts made by hundreds of colombian artisan women.

ALL PRINTS

are made in house by the agua bendita designers and they lead to a more complete and different graphic proposal in the market.

IN THIS COLLECTION,

the prints become alive with illustrations of flowers, fauna and mythical creatures that later stand out with the wonders of our artisanal details�

ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT

is the development of new silhouettes of resort-wear that fulfill the "day-tonight" function and can be used both during the day and give it a twist to a perfect “night out” outfit.

VERSATILITY

is what agua bendita is always looking for and this is why the brand has new garments that can be worn at the beach, in a more urban scenario and even at night.

SILHOUETTES

FOR EVERY BODY TYPE

LAST BUT NOT LEAST,

the agua bendita silhouettes can be categorized in four universes, that can be worn by any types and shapes of women� why�

BECAUSE

the sizes come from small to xl as the brand knows, every woman wants to wear an agua bendita suit.

ONCE MORE,

agua bendita gives us a wonderful collection which includes eye-catcher for any occasion, in summer or winter.

www.aguabendita.com

El Greco, Adoraciรณn de los Reyes Magos, Museo Soumaya

X mas

PRESENTS an agua bendita set is surely a beautiful present and a nice bag is useful to carry it or other presents for our sweethearts to home. however, what is behind the tradition to make presents at christmas time� some people could think, that it is a modern tradition, controlled by the industry, but far from it. the rite goes back to jesus itself. everybody knows the story of the three wise men, caspar, melchior and balthasar, who followed the star of bethlehem, which showed them the way to the place of jesus' birth. the three wise kings brought presents for maria and jesus to the crib: frankincense, gold and myrrh.

t h e f r a n k i n c e n s e - p e r f u m e melchior brought the frankincense. that term already reminds us on the word fragrance. frankincense was a perfume, which was used in jewish worships. to make it a present means too, to remember the birth of jesus in a very authentic way. maybe this is the reason, why perfume belongs to the most popular presents at christmas eve until today. t h e g o d l d - j e w e l r y balthasar finally brought the gold to give it as a present to the king of kings. from time immemorial, gold is a standard symbol of rule as well as it stands for wealth, safety and praise. t h e m y r r h - b e a u t y caspar brought the myrrh, which is mostly unknown today. it in the past it was a powerful balsam to heal wounds as well as a fragrant oil or lotion for the body. therefore, also products for our health and wellness belong to the most traditional christmas presents. the

fashion

of course, a valeur issue isn't complete without presenting the newest fashion inspirations. this time, we naturally searched for styles which are both, festive as well as suitable for every day or night. instead of shortlived trends, we prefered to select timeless collect, which are wearable also in future seasons. furthermore, we were focused on cozy and casual styles, which keep us warm and cheerfully. finally, a valeur issue will not miss to present sedcutive and figure-hugging lingerie. we think, we found something for everybody and we wish you inspiring moments while enjoying the next pages.

perfume

PORSCHE DESIGN PRESENTS A NEW MEN’S FRAGRANCE

PORSCHE DESIGN 180 THE SUIT FITS PERFECTLY,

the accessories match – the one thing missing: a touch of a brilliant perfume. with the newest fragrance, created for a modern man, porsche design 1�� presents an elegant yet masculine scenting experience. additionally, to the unique scent, the shape of the bottle is a true eye catcher. with this new men’s fragrance, porsche design combines design and function, technology and innovation, heritage and modern lifestyle. talking about the scent, it has hints of citrus and sweet spicy cardamom. moreover, in the heart, clary sage and black pepper meet an iced coffee cocktail. for the base, cedar and vetiver. the hint of vanilla scent is extracted, using a specific technology of modern fragrance manufacturing. to top it off, a hint of finest leather for the masculine touch.

DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY

THE BOTTLE

the bottle of porsche design 1�� is carrying functionality and design and therefore, makes it a perfect addition to every bathroom. this concept of haptic contrasts is underlined by the use of cool metal with a warm shimmer. the bottle of porsche design 1�� is unique, once the black base is moved to the left, the spray button raises upwards automatically. once turned to the right by 1�� degrees, the button goes back, and the bottle is closed. simply, functional elegance, that combines innovative technology.

www.porsche-design.com

perfume

AIGNER - CARA MIA PERFUME FOR HER CARA MIA

is an elegant perfume for the woman who is not afraid to confidently live out her personal style. it’s a fragrance with a certain something; sophisticated and exquisite, yet sparkling and fresh, at the same time extremely sensual. the top notes yield sparkling bergamot, fresh tangerine and aromatic coriander with a hint of black pepper. however, the centerpiece has notes of jasmine, peach and orris that also have a classic and soothing effect. barely, a woman can say no to this unique christmas gift.

www.aigner.com

perfume

jewelry

SWAROVSKI HOLIDAY & WINTER COLLECTION

SWAROVSKI CELEBRATING THE MAGIC OF WINTER THE HOLIDAY COLLECTION

brings a modern twist of glittering gifts designed to make all women feel even more beautiful. with the forest theme, swarovski relies on elegance, thus showing that swarovski crys-tals are not just for special occasions. the collection includes: asymmetric earrings, brooches, layered necklaces, cocktails rings, shine in swarovski pointiage®, delicate detailing and mixed metal tones.

jewelry

THIS WINTER,

swarovski inspires everyone to spread joy, love and sparkle. the inspiration of this season’s collection – an enchanting fairytale garden. moreover, symbolic jewelry is still a major trend that is holding a special message within the accessories. the butterfly represents transformation, the spider is the symbol of mystery, furthermore, the scarab stands for rebirth and regeneration. additionally, lovers of animals will love the designs of a fox, owl and squirrel. it is a homage to the fauna and flora of our beautiful world. and with this swarovski collection we can embrace our beloved nature even once more.

jewelry

KARLIE KLOSS swarovski's brand ambassador celebrates the xmas time with her friends.

jewelry

www.swarovski.com

beauty

LAVERA

NATURAL COSMETICS MADE IN GERMANY

LAVERA

NATURAL COSMETICS SINCE 1987,

lavera has been a brand that combines naturalness, efficiency and beauty. besides being a very environmentally friendly brand, they also have great products that would into your christmas gift collection. the newest product – graphic eyelines allows creativity to flow. directly from the runway, the dramatic graphic eyeliner look becomes the stylish companion of our everyday lives. however, the runway look may be a bit more expressive for the office. thus, the product comes in lots of different shades, from a subtle brown to fun green. the rule is: free choice in shape and color� the eyeliners allow every woman to be creative and maybe a bit crazy from time to time.

beauty

beauty

C:EHKO HAIR CARE AT A FAIR PRICE c:ehko always produces high-quality hair cosmetics at extraordinarily fair prices. the new collection on the market is inspired by the seductive game of sunlight.

beauty

C:EHKO HAIR CARE AT A FAIR PRICE

the people from c: ehko especially were inspired by the reflection of the light in water. thus, this is what introduced the new color to the market. the colors of this collection will definitely grab everyone’s attention and are a perfect christmas gift to those trying something new.

CUTE BUT X-MAS PATRIZIA PEPE THE FESTIVE COLLECTION

fashion

THERE IS A WOMAN,

which could be your friend, your ride or die. she is more or less like her clothes, sensual, dynamic, brave, unconventional and stylish. she loves a mix of femininity and rock and roll. moreover, she does not chase trends, but she subtly adapts to them in a powerful way.

This woman is the role model of

PATRIZIA PEPE CUTE BUT X-MAS

this season, your friend patrizia pepe is ready for the glamorous night out with you. the christmas collection #cutebutxmas offers the latest scintillating capsule collection presenting highly glamorous, yet sophisticated clothes. just in time for the christmas party�

fashion

fashion

THE COLLECTION

is inspired by the sparkling atmospheres of the most glamorous period of the year and consists of blazers, dresses and tops made of exquisite, luxurious fabrics; soft velvets and tulles are illuminated by rhinestone and sequin details, modelled on sharp silhouettes and subtle transparencies. of course, you can notice a hint of street style with logoed bands, color contrasts and baggy fits. cool sparkles vs minimal couture: these are the hallmarks of the new capsule collection. a true must-have for the next “after � pm” events.

THE LOCATION

is the location, a luxuriant table full of gourmet details, crystals and golden hues is enlivened by the touch of irony and irreverence that has always distinguished the bold, daring, relentlessly unconventional femininity of the patrizia pepe woman.

THE COLLECTION

truly screams“fancy and glamourous�” to everyone and makes one want to dress up and hit the most popular party in the city together with your girlfriends. oh, and at that party� you will be the one sparkling the game of seduction and complicity.

fashion

fashion

EXPRESS YOUR

FEARLESS NATURE PINKO

AND STELLA MAXWELL

THIS WINTER CAMPAIGN

marks a return to the origins of

PINKO

STELLA MAXWELL

has been chosen to embody the vision of the pinko woman - a very feminine, sensual and strong woman.

fashion

STELLA MAXWELL

is modern and cosmopolitan, as is the collection she represents, which she fills with a touch of vintage through the play of contrasts, bright colors and shiny details.

THE PINKO WOMAN

likes to be at the center of attention and her fearless nature highlights her clothes, be it a body-hugging dress or an athletic jumpsuit.

SELF-CONFIDENT

and self-critical, the pinko woman attaches great importance to herself, but does not take herself too seriously: irony runs through every pinko look in the new collection like a must-have accessory that conveys the desired wow effect.

fashion

STELLA MAXWELL

the 2�-year-old british model stella maxwell grew up in new zealand. after starting her model career stella became famous for her cool style and her charisma in front of the camera. her significant short hair and casual boy look set her apart from the crowd and a short time later she was booked for british vogue and with mario testino and her career began. she was published in vogue japan and at the same time compared in an article with a supermodel of the ��s. stella was selected as a victoria's secret angel in 2�1� after debuting for the first time in her 2014 shows. this makes her the brand's first british "angel". in 2�1�, she was named model of the year at the daily front row's fashion awards in los angeles. stella enjoys being outdoors: she enjoys climbing, skateboarding, surfing, being on the beach in l.a. and an avid cyclist. she loves music and works with friends on her own projects. she is committed by repeatedly liberating the beaches of los angeles from plastic and is currently planning to found her own organization for researching and curing cancer.

TRIP THROUGH DESERT OF CALIFORNIA A THE

GUESS?

IN JOSHUA THREE

fashion

MANY TOP-MODELS

started their career with this brand. now, amanda cerny, gwen van meir, erin cummins, amanda rodriguez, julien marlon and charlie matthews are the breathtaking faces, who present the latest trends in ready-to-wear, sunglasses, watches, jewelry, shoes and handbags of

GUESS?

fashion

THE CAMPAIGN,

implemented by fashion photographer josh ryan in joshua tree, california, takes viewers on a road trip through the desert. the models wear a variety of looks that focus on denim. the pictures are dominated by earth colors - a throwback to the classic guess campaign feeling. the incomparable californian desert light is the central theme of the guess heritage campaigns and a reference to the brand's roots in los angeles.

MIXED DENIM PIECES the women's collection includes a mix of denim silhouettes in the form of oversized jackets with faux fur collars, high-cut skinny jeans, miniskirts and classic buttoned tops. fur imitation makes a real statement this season - with a variety of fine jackets ranging from delicate pink and noodle tones to deep cherry red.

fashion

floral overalls bring exactly the right amount of color with them, while mini dresses in plain or snake print discreetly emphasize the feminine side. for men, embroidered denim jackets, quilted bomber jackets and leatherette biker jackets are key styles for outdoors. used-look denim jackets and t-shirts with graphic symbols play an important role this season. camouflage trousers bring a modern military look to the collection.

GUESS ORIGINALS BACK TO THE ROOTS guess, the global lifestyle brand famous for its iconic ad campaigns and trend setting denim, is proud to re-introduce this fall 2018 guess originals, a collection of men’s and women’s apparel inspired by the roots and heritage of the brand. what started as an initial sale of only two dozen pairs of jeans to bloomingdale’s in 1981 from the marciano brothers, guess has grown into a global empire and has forever redefined the perception of denim. guess became a pioneer in denim and created a new and unique way of wearing the formerly utilitarian fabric by introducing new silhouettes, washes and most importantly by bringing fashion to the global denim market. the iconic advertising through the years, led by chief creative director, paul marciano, has allowed the brand to be recognized across the globe. the originals collection draws inspiration from vintage guess designs and reinterprets them in new modern styles with the use of innovative fabric and wash technologies.

fashion

fashion

THE GORGEOUS CAPSULE COLLECTION the irresistible blend of sensual glamour and grunge attitude of 1990s fashion relives in guess’ american dream capsule collection. the brand’s iconic adverts feature on bold prints in bright colors. clashing primary hues, such as red, yellow, blue and violet, accentuate the face of pin-up models in true warhol style, for a modern take on a pop classic. playfully provocative prints stand out on signature t-shirts and in all-over motifs on faux-fur coats with a difference. dynamic colors also feature on sweaters with an embossed guess logo in bold lettering, weaving retro vibes with a contemporary flair. colors on a background of black stand out on sweatshirts and jackets, highlighting catchy slogans that celebrate beauty, passion, desire… all keywords of the world of guess� the collection is complemented by a fun pop art scarf. this exclusive capsule is enhanced by the special packaging, with t-shirts and scarves being wrapped in a can box depicting an iconic advert, as a true collector’s item. in denim, super stretch fabrics and a twill weave characterize women’s styles in vintage washes, with an abraded front providing an added injection of grunge. slim and skinny fits enhance the body’s curves, making for hot looks when paired with a trucker jacket featuring an “american dream” inscription on the back.

CAPTURING THE EXTRAVAGANT ESSENCE MARCIANO PURE GLAMOUR

fashion

POWERFUL WOMEN EMBRACED BY MARCIANO

THIS TRULY GLAMOROUS COLLECTION

captures the extravagant essence of

MARCIANO

PHOTOGRAPHED BY RAYAN AYASH,

the campaign features an array of elegant marciano women such as rachael mortenson, erin cummins and mina milutinovic, as well as the cultivated marciano man, julien marlon, all of whom embody strength and self-confidence. traces of gold, powder blue, ochre and wine red have been integrated into the color palette of modern autumn looks.

THE CAMPAIGN

presents the hottest trends of the autumn season. for women, a multicolored faux fur jacket is the perfect statement piece to add that certain something to any outfit.

EVENING GOWNS, OVERALLS AND COCKTAIL DRESSES

in a wide variety of nuances are the main focus and are offered in eye-catching patterns and colors. for men, the collection is dominated by black blazers and suit trousers, rounded off by simple, elegant turtlenecks.

LIVE SIMPLY LOVE THE NATURE MOU

NATURE LOVER’S COMFORT

fashion

HAND-CRAFTED FOOTWEAR MOU MOU SHOES

in premium natural fibers, warm, durable and sensually soft is offered by the london cult label are loved by fans for the offbeat back-to-nature feel and eclectic styling. for the 2018 ski season, mou presents unique new styles offering sophistication, comfort and warmth. made with the finest, ethically-sourced natural materials, mou boots are perfect for keeping warm and looking chic on the slopes. the mou collection includes classic styles which are updated each season in new colors. designs are chic and feminine, with uppers featuring furs, skins and luxurious leather finishes, ideal for the glamour of après ski.

fashion

ETHICAL AND ECO-FRIENDLY

production is a priority. design innovation combines with traditional hand-craft manufacturing techniques, to maximize the natural beauty of leathers in the collection. styles are created with comfort in mind and feature long-lasting soles and finishings.

fashion picked up by passing stylists and buyers, the brand's popularity grew through word of mouth. now, the comfort boots of choice liked by a-list stars such as

GWYNETH PALTROW AND CAMERON DIAZ, have a uniquely rugged look with a distinctly maverick spirit.

LOOK OUT

for classic mou styles including the antelope cowboy boot, calfskin slipper, eskimo, blizzard and goatskin nanuk.

fashion

SONG COZY WINTER

A FOR A

HUNKEMÖLLER FEATURING ELIEVE

underwear

ELIEVE,

the youtube sensation of the year, is one of the new face sand voice of the "cosy winter" campaign of

HUNKEMÖLLER AFTER A LONG SUMMER,

the temperatures drop and it is finally time for long, cosy winter evenings. with the new "cosy collection", which now offers cuddly pyjamas and mini-me onesies as well as onesies for dogs, cosiness is guaranteed. hunkemöller asked youtube sensation and singer elieve to write her own song for the cosy collection. now we see her dancing in her "slip up song" music video.

SINGING THE WINTER FABULOUS

it's the first time the lingerie label had their own song produced. the choice to cooperate with elieve was easy. hunkemöller has been working with young and inspiring fashion and lifestyle influencers for years. thus the popular singer elieve - who was discovered via the social media channel youtube - fits perfectly into her strategy.

"besides the fact that it is an honour for me to be involved in this project by a brand like hunkemÜller, i am very happy that they gave me the freedom to be myself. whether in the writing phase or during the campaign, i was always encouraged to behave as naturally as possible. so they were a little surprised when i suddenly came to the set with long nails and a brand new pony hairstyle. oops��

THE COZY WINTER

COLLECTION

in the music video you will see the talent with the most cozy "cosy" articles and sweet twins in matching onesies will be a delight. at the latest the jack russell terrier in his dog onesie will definitely bring everyone into winter mood. the collection consists of nightwear with funny animal prints, cosy loungewear made of the softest materials and matching accessories such as fluffy eye masks, slippers and even matching outfits for small dogs. these are not only great for your own dog, but also a great gift idea. the pieces are perfect for an evening with your loved one, a cosy pyjama party with friends, or just for a relaxed quality time evening.

REDTHE COLOR OF PASSION ADORE BY ALLURE HOLIDAY COLLECTION

lingerie

RED,

one of the nature’s boldest hues is taken and lavishes onto five key styles by

ADORE INTIMATES

RED - THE COLOR OF PASSION

what makes something desirable is the feeling it invokes when you wear it, the way it changes your inner spark and reveals a part of you that may not have been exposed otherwise; this is adore holiday. red is the color of passion ...of love ...of fire. ask any woman what you have to do to look sexy, and she will always say ‘put on red lipstick or wear something red’. adore holiday is like that red lipstick that you find and then can never seem to find again.

BLACK WILL ALWAYS BE THE

ICONIC COLOR

of adore, but little surprise splashes of red adds an element of unexpected drama making each piece a feast for the eyes and imagination. adore holiday is perfect for a stunning fashion statement in or out of the bedroom.

BE DIVERSE WITH

KITTEN HOLIDAY kitten holiday is lace reimagined, injecting sexy into everyday... every moment…it is one of those fabrics that is complex, delicate and simply divine giving sips & peeks of you, while creating its unique aura. lace is a chameleon that can transform a look from innocent to provocative. with kitten holiday anything goes, you can try a new identity by combining the pieces with beachwear, daywear or nightwear to add to your look, or pare down to the bare minimum by placing your most raw and confident self at the forefront.

it is from this sultry feeling that kitten holiday was created, which is comprised of 1� lace pieces with pops of red tassels, lace ties and gold hoops to celebrate the holidays. the choice to have the bold floral material stand on its own for this collection is a new direction for the kitten line for autumn�winter 2018. flirty details like the surprise cheeky cut outs on the kiley bralette and zippers that run the full length of the garment as on the mika panty are some of allure’s signature touches.

the feeling of lace on your body instantly puts you in the mood of sexy vixen. there is something about these kitten pieces that are delicious, because each piece is adorned with a zipper or tie that can become undone in a breath.

fashion

REVEALING YOUR INNER

FANTASIES

lingerie is personal, so as a woman you choose what you wear from either an emotional point that you are at, or from one where you want to be at. feeling sexy should never be limited to a certain time or place. kitten invites you to incorporate lingerie-centric styles into your everyday life. keep it as a secret or flaunt it; there are no rules, only the freedom to play. kitten holiday is not about just wearing something sexy, it’s about the possibility of making all that you fantasize, a reality.

25 YEARS OF ALLURE LINGERIE

created by allure lingerie in celebration of their 25th anniversary, adore aims to inject the art of lingerie into daily life with seductively layerable intimates that pair with anything in a customer’s closet. the brand debuts with seven named collections and a panty range all available in small, medium and large. styles include bodysuits, corselettes, dresses and accessories like the fabulous coco cape. new york city is the hub of fashion, and it is here that new trends and iconic brands are discovered, thus a perfect fit for adore.

AS CURVE ATTRACTS

the who’s who of fashion connoisseurs, we wanted to give “lingerieistas” a close up of adore’s intoxicating pieces.”

ENJOY

WINTER IN CUTE LACE

THE

LIKE IT!

LOVES A COFFEE BREAK

ENJOY

the beautiful sides of winter with its long evenings� this is the motto of the new collectionof

LIKE IT!

ENJOYING THE COLD WITH LACE enjoy the beautiful sides of winter with its long evenings� this is the motto of the new collection of like it� for 2018. with the soft, cozy materials of the like it� collection the brand defies the cold-wet weather and pamper body and soul.

A FASHIONABLE SERIES IN BLACK

modal with delicate stripes, decorative bow and delicate lace insert convinces with its seductive feel.

STRING, MINI, HIPSTER AND THE STRAP TOP THE KIM SERIES

are the perfect underwear for the coming winter.

in elastic modal comes in dark grey in november: either tonein-tone or with a lace finish in bright pink hip. like it� also offers the new fashion colors rosehip and graphite in the polyamide fabrics of the olivia series and the lace series lisa. cozy winter accessories include a warm, checkered fleece blanket and cuddly socks in pink hip with abs knobs.

WITH THE FASHION COLORS

coffee-bean and coffee-latte for autumn 2018, the basic mood at like it� is basically soft and natural.

WITH THE BOLD SECOND COLOR

ink-blue in the top series lisa and the microfiber series olivia, the delivery date will also have a colorful upbeat highlight.

THE FASHIONABLE SERIES

in warm coffee bean with delicate leo-design trim and sophisticated lace inserts offers 3 current slip forms and 1 fashionable top. the styling element leo pattern is also taken up again in the fluffy loungewear series with a gold print on the hoody, long-sleeved shirt and lounge dress. like it� combines casual trousers with a straight cut and practical pockets.

underwear

BACK IN THE NORTH ANTONELLI

THE SUMMER IN WINTER COLLECTION

YOU KNOW THAT?

in winter you wish it would be summer again and once the summer heat hits, you wish it would be winter� i’m sure we can all relate to this feeling. however, there is an opportunity to experience summer all over again, while being in the middle of a cold but cozy winter. the collection, which plays with colorful and fun tones, eye catching contrasts and overlays that exceed all boundaries is presented this winter by

ANTONELLI

THE COMPANY

that is based in florence was founded in the 1950s by luciano antonelli. originally, it was a lingerie manufacturer, then named vicad. once the daughters of the founder stepped in in 2001, the company opened a new chapter in its existence. the couture shirts, table skirts made an appearance that was very welcomed in both the domestic market as well as abroad. “by women for women”, have you heard this� it was antonellis’ slogan in the 2013 collection that hit the market like a storm. the collection detailed italian style combining it with natural elegance. introduces now their summer in winter collection that even by the name, sounds unique and promising.

ANTONELLI

THE STUNNING VISUALS ICELAND,

of the collection were shot in having the great contrast between cold tones and warm tones that the collection yields. moreover, it also makes one appreciate the season that we are in right now, including the frozen ice, the snow, the deep blue sky. you can almost feel the coldness and beauty through the imagery.

IT’S AN EXPLOSION

of bold colors with rich personalities: when transposed onto winter fabrics and patterned jacquards, they lose their seasonality and present new ways of combining with whites, greys and camel colors.

IN WINTER,

we are used to see dull grey colors that are boring to an eye, however this collection is simply stunning and creative, presenting colors such as sunyellow, flame-red, rust-orange, blue and turquoise. the colors of the iceland are used wonderfully on the collection. sometimes they reflect the blue sky or the frozen ice and sometimes they bring contrast to it with an eye-catching yellow coat.

THE RED COAT

of the “summer in winter” collection will make you to an eye-catcher, even from 200 miles far and you will be the one bringing the warmth into the dark cold city. moreover, blue is the new black for more formal occasions, where silk trousers are worn with oversize lightweight angora sweaters.

THE ASSUMPTION OF ANIMAL PRINTS

being tacky is completely gone with this collection in patterns such as corduroy, plain, jacquard that are printed and used on skirts, trousers and blazers. the pieces are elegant yet daring, encouraging to try out something new and different this season. is simply stunning and a must have in this cold winter season. you can have the best of both worlds. you might be in the middle of winter, but this collection will linger of summer and warmth.

THE OVERALL COLLECTION

NEW YEAR'S TRAVEL TIPS

we are coming to the end, and we want to complete this issue as we have started it; with a journey. because, we as well as many other people love to use the holidays to visit friends and family and, hereafter, a nice town. short as well as weekend trips are very popular. let’s see, where we could go this winter.

COLD BUT COZY

talking about beautiful scandinavia, a lot of mountains, cold and peaceful nature, EVANEOS has another great tip: norway. in this northern country, the focus is on the comfort of new year's eve. if you want to spend the turn of the year between mountains and fjords, this is the place for you. away from the cities, exciting activities with huskies and snowmobiles await you. with a little luck you can even watch the spectacular northern lights in the sky on a snowshoe hike, too. also, in the larger cities such as oslo, in contrast to other european metropolises, no mass event is organized, but rather a cozy dinner in the restaurant with family and friends. at midnight the new year is introduced with fireworks in a very relaxed atmosphere.

WWW.EVANEOS.COM

FAIRYTALE MOSCOW

the next recommendation is also something for the cold-lovers and a very special new year’s eve. EVANEOS makes clear - who really wants to have a big celebrated new year’s eve in a metropolitan city, should head over to our russian friends in moscow. in russia, on new year's eve, young and old receive gifts from father frost, as christmas is not celebrated until january 7 due to the orthodox faith. true to the proverb "how to start the new year, you will spend the whole year", there are some great celebrations - some people even go partying for a whole week. shortly before midnight tourists meet the sociable russians on the red square in moscow and toast to the new year in a fairytale atmosphere between imposing palaces. if you're lucky, you'll even meet father frost with his granddaughter, the snow girl.

WWW.EVANEOS.COM

START 2019 AT THE THE TABLE MOUNTAIN IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA for the next tip, the holiday pirates group offers, we geographically stay in africa. high above the rooftops of the south african capital, holidaymakers can enjoy the turn of the year with a breathtaking view over cape town at night from table mountain. shortly before midnight, the cable car takes you up to the mountain - on time for the fireworks. but you are only allowed to stay until 1 a.m. at the top, afterwards you return to the city. there you can party in one of the many clubs or bars. in public places, however, there are usually no parties.

WWW.HOLIDAYPIRATES.GROUP

BE ONE OF THE FIRST WHO WELCOMES THE NEW YEAR

there are people who want to celebrate the new year's eve with friends at home. others love to travel far away. they seek rest as well as a quiet and calm atmosphere. an almost hidden destination and likely tip by the HOLIDAY PIRATES GROUP is located in the wide ocean between australia and south america: samoa. in case you come from europe, here the new year has already started, when it is 11 o'clock in the morning in european countries. in addition, the country offers very beautiful beaches with offshore reefs where the new year can begin very relaxed.

CELEBRATIONS WITH A ROOFTOP VIEW

you want to immerse into a totally new culture to celebrate the new year’s eve there� EVANEOS recommends to buy a flight to thailand’s most popular city: bangkok. the mainly buddhist population of the country, which actually celebrates the turn of the year only in the middle of april, also likes to take care of "foreign" holidays and so the 1st of january is rung in with breathtaking fireworks. whether a merry new year's eve party in one of the trendy roof top bars or a chic new year's eve dinner and gala event in one of the many restaurants and hotels - an early reservation is always recommended for the planning of new year's eve in thailand. bangkok's highlights include live concerts, spectacular shows and above all the fireworks display at central world square, which is expected to attract around 2��,��� visitors.

STREET PARTY IN THE THE MOST VIBRANT METROPOLIS OF ASIA rooftop views and huge, impressive skylines is something that the next destination, recommended by the HOLIDAY PIRATES GROUP, can provide to you as well. who wants to spend their evening with lots of different people in a huge city, should consider going to hongkong. the city celebrates on the streets� together with everyone, the party takes place in the center of hong kong. what you can't miss: watching the fireworks in front of hong kong's skyline - whether from the water or from the harbor.

RIO'S LATIN SPIRIT speaking of south america, the HOLIDAY PIRATES GROUP picked up another great city which surely offers a colorful and sensational new year’s eve 2�1�: rio de janeiro. the brazilians know quite well how to celebrate. new year's eve is not the biggest party of the year, because that is without doubt the carnival. but, also on new year's eve the brazilians let out their party spirit. additionally, while celebrating with a lot of samba and caipirinha at the copacabana, with over �� degrees you will definitely experience another summer. if you want to adapt to the tradition, make sure to bring white clothes. that’s what the brazilians traditionally wear while celebrating on the beach.

WHERE THE NEW YEAR STARTS BRIGHTLY

whom hongkong still isn’t far enough away to take a rest from the christmas feast, EVANEOS has another quite special destination tip. every year about 1.� million visitors come together for the pompous and probably best known fireworks in front of the opera house in sydney. during the exactly twelve-minute spectacle, every minute stands for one month of the finished year. another big festival is celebrated at the waterfront city in melbourne. at �.1� p.m. and midnight, fireworks are lit from several skyscrapers. those who prefer to start the new year in a smaller group can have a picnic in one of the many parks thanks to the high summer in australia. but be aware of the fact that drinking in public is strictly forbidden.

BIG APPLE

WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE

while rio de janeiro with around 1�,� million of people already offers one of the biggest parties one could imagine for their start into 2�1�, the HOLIDAY PIRATES GROUP has one last phenomenal tip, which megacity can bring you into furore. the city we are talking about is nothing else but – new york. there, you have at least two great options. standing in time square at midnight and watching the famous ball drop. but other places in the big apple also promise goose bumps: opposite the southern tip of manhattan, holidaymakers in the brooklyn height district have a great view of the fireworks. far away from the hustle and bustle, but still incredibly impressive.