Plastic ain’t so fantastic: World’s 1st plastic-free aisle in a Dutch supermarket in Amsterdam
This week was the opening of the world’s 1st plastic free aisle in a supermarket. And guess where it was? None other than the Netherlands! It seems like the world is beginning to listen when it comes to recognising the impact that plastic waste has on the environment. This is especially true after discussing how amazing the Dutch are at waste management, last week.
Plastic-free aisle in Amsterdams Ekoplaza
On Wednesday, a plastic-free aisle opened in one of the Ekoplaza branches in Amsterdam. Within this ‘plastic-free’ aisle, is around 700 items that are plastic free. They use alternative packaging methods, such as cardboard and glass, and bio-biodegradable’s. This way, customers have the option to opt-out of buying a lot of plastic items and will help result in a decrease in plastic waste. Ekoplaza, although only having this aisle in one store right now, is planning to incorporate this into all 74 stores across the country. This is just one step that the Netherlands is taking in order to try and save the environment. Hurrrrrah for taking this s**t seriously!
We live in a throw-away plastic culture. In fact, we live in throw-away culture full stop. So what can we all do to help the environment?
Start shopping in places like Ekoplaza’s plastic-free aisle duh. Once this is ruled out over the country, we have no excuse but to try and go.
Buy a proper coffee cup and use the refillable rather than throw-away coffee cups every morning before work.
Look for alternatives: for example, Coca Cola sells both glass bottles and plastic, so make the smart choice of buying glass where possible.
If the plastic is recyclable, recycle it! It may seem obvious, but make sure you make a conscious effort to recycle plastic bottles whenever possible.
You get the idea…
I could list off tips for days. Just make sure you’re smart with your choices guys and reduce your waste! Hopefully, some other supermarkets will follow suit.
What do you think about this revolutionary new plastic-free supermarket aisle in NL? Let us know in the comments.
Source featured image: a plastic planet/ekoplaza (twitter)
So today is the first day of March – the day we can usually just accept (EDITORS NOTE: yearn for it) that it’s going to get warmer and Spring is pretty much here. However, the weather has another plan. It’s currently the coldest start of Spring ever! (well, the meteorological Spring that is)
Yesterday was also the coldest 28th February on record, with temperatures struggling to get any higher than -4 degrees. In De Bilt, the temperature broke the record since 1904 – so it’s been a weird old couple of days. Despite it being an official ice day, it didn’t stop accidents and fatalities happening across the country with ice-skating. So please be careful folks!
Doesn’t look like we’ll be running through the Tulip fields any time soon
Yellow weather warning
Today the country has a code yellow warning for the cold temperatures. Again, the temperature is going to struggle to get above freezing and will be as cold as -8. Yet another chilling day. It’s also going to be very windy, which sets the ‘real feel’ temperature to almost ten degrees colder (it’s going to feel like -18)! There may even be a chance of some snow for some of us. This cold front is highly unusual these days for the Netherlands, at this time of year especially.
I really hope this doesn’t mean that we are going to get a late summer! Nooo.
It’s as cold as ice…
Sadly, there is more cold weather to come for the next few days folks. For more on the freezing weather, check out DutchReview’s weekly weather forecast for this week.
What’s your plans for the next few days with this crazy weather? Let us know in the comments if your hands aren’t frozen together. Also, don’t forget to check out our Facebook group (we don’t talk about the cold weather ALL the time, I promise). 😉
A very sad story has emerged today, of a 75-year-old man from Sleeuwijk, who has died after falling through the ice at Hank in Brabant, after trying to skate on it.
The man was seen skating alone in Gat van Loopgauw, on the edge of De Biesbosch nature reserve. He then fell through the ice whilst skating and members of the public tried to get him out. Unfortunately they were not able to and he was in the water for over 15 minutes before the emergency services arrived at around 11am. They then successful retrieved him from the water. He was resuscitated, but later died in hospital in Breda only a few hours later.
Safety on the ice
It’s important to know guys, that ice can be unsafe! The weather is extremely cold, but not quite cold enough and the sun is always helping the ice melt. So far in several places within the Netherlands, emergency services have been called to rescue people falling through the ice. 4 people have fallen through the ice today alone. 2 of these were only children and 1 ended up in hospital.
We all love a skate
Us a DutchReview want you to be safe this time of year, yet still have fun.
Tips:
DO keep checking the weather conditions – you will find plenty online about whether the ice conditions are considered safe in some regions
DON’T guestimate the thickness of the ice – it’s impossible to tell and especially if you add more than one person into the works it doubles the chances of something going wrong
DO inform yourselves on what to do in an emergency if you do find yourself or someone else falling through the ice. Watch this!
Okay, okay, we’ve stopped being all parental with you now. 😉 But have fun this week and stay safe!
It’s time for a DutchReview weather forecast for the next week. Yet again, I’m shocked that the rain is non-existent and the sun is shining. In fact, it’s been sunny in the Netherlands for almost 3 weeks now (WTF). That’s all set to change soon though, as this is likely going to be our last week of cold and sunny weather (well it is March tomorrow after all). Let’s get to it.
Ice, ice baby
Today
Look outside guys and what do you see? SUN! And lots of it and the weather is not going to change for the rest of the day. Today we are all expecting ‘highs’ of -3 degrees celcius and lows of -8 (blimey). By far the coldest day of the week, so if you’re hatin’ it – no worries, it’s only up from here.
Thursday
Another sunny day for us all, with a slight chance of a bit of cloud. Again, it’s freezing, with highs of 0 degrees celcuis (at least it’s not in the minuses though eh) and lows of -8. Looks like all of your heating bills are going to go through the roof. Sorry about that.
Source: Weerplaza
Friday
The weather is the same old, sunny, small chance of some clouds, and very cold. On this day we see temperatures as high as 2 degrees Celsius and as low as -6. So the days are heating up, but the nights, not so much.
Saturday
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I would recommend that you get out this weekend. After this weekend the rain to set to return, so it may be the last time you’ll see a long spell of sunshine in a long time. The weather on Saturday is sunny, again with a chance of cloud. Highs of 5 degrees Celsius and lows of -3. So it’s definitely starting to get warmer.
Sunday
Sunday is a similar day to Saturday, only you can feel that it’s starting to warm up. AGAIN, a sunny and cloudy day, with highs of 8 degrees Celsius and lows of -1. A big increase of temperature from the start of the week.
Next week
Noooooooo, the typical Dutch weather is back! I won’t give too much away, and it’s too early to be completely accurate, but it’s gonna rain. In fact, it’s going to rain quite a lot. So enjoy the sun (even if it is freezing) while it lasts!
Despite what many would think, International students can actually vote in Dutch Municipal elections. In fact, not only can they vote in municipal elections, they can also vote for Dutch candidates in the European Parliamentary elections. This may come as a surprise to many internationals as the right to vote is not much of a pressing matter when you have arrived fresh off the plane, train, boat or bus. Most of us just want to get our housing and our timetable and we forget that registration in The Netherlands also means the ability to vote in The Netherlands.
Dutch Municipal elections: How can International Students vote?
What’s your superpower?
1- Have your Burgerservicenummer (BSN.) number ready
So how is this possible? And what’s the catch? Thanks to a little treaty called the ‘Maastricht Treaty’, every citizen in the European Union has the right to vote wherever in the European Union it is that they are currently a registered resident. This brings us to the first two conditions; firstly, you have to be registered in the Municipality in which you wish to vote for the Dutch Municipal elections. This means that you must have registered in your Town Hall and received your Burgerservicenummer (BSN.)
But this basically covers all international students who come to study in The Netherlands. If you want to stay for more than three months, you must register and each semester is 4 months, therefore, we’re all registered. (More bad news for Geert)
2- Are you from the EU? Good news!
The second catch is that you have to be an international student from somewhere in the EU. If you are an international student from somewhere outside the EU, you must be registered either in Amsterdam for 3 years, or for 5 years if you’re living anywhere else in The Netherlands. This is one of those moments when your EU friends would point and go HA! But in reality, this chance to participate in Dutch Municipal elections is very rarely utilized by international students at all, European or otherwise. Luckily for Geert. (here’s some specific voting information on Amsterdam for example)
This is very simply due because many internationals are not even aware that they can vote. It is not something we are told upon entering the country and it is not something we concern ourselves with either. Many of us remain blissfully ignorant of Dutch Politics for the duration of our stay in The Netherlands and there’s nothing wrong with this either.
Unanswered questions
Even if International students are interested in politics, without the Dutch language, how can they really become fully aware, or active in Dutch politics? But should the ability to vote in Municipal elections be something that is made clear to us?
Should there be more English friendly campaigns considering the proportion of Internationals registered throughout The Netherlands? Would this tackle the politics of the PVV? or would it further fuel the Geert Wilders fire that has been spreading throughout The Netherlands?
It always leaves us with more questions than answers. Will you be voting?
So, fellow Dutchies are after a nostalgic ice-skating experience once more. Back when seasons were actually seasons and not just pure rain. We all long for the days that we can ice-skate to work again and blame our lateness on the bad skating congestion. (If you haven’t heard about that theory, then where have you been!?) My ability to be able to ice-skate from Rotterdam to Leiden to go to work will be the epitome of my life in NL.
Will we ever see this again?
It’s been a long time coming since Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour) and we shattered your dreams when we posted an article yesterday about Elfstedentocht and why it may never happen again. Now you’ve got over that horrendous prediction and wiped your tears away, we don’t think it’s impossible to NEVER be able to skate again. Canals are still on the cards for some places, so before you frantically sell your ice-skates on Marktplaats, listen up.
More ice-skating updates:
So all we’ve been banging on about on DutchReview recently is the cold weather. We all know you looooovvvvveee talking about the weather! As the weeks have gone by, we have watched the weather get colder and colder and every week we hope that it’s going to be cold enough this time to skate. With the crazy record temperatures and windchills of -17, lets discuss once more whether skating is on the cards. We say it COULD happen this weekend (but don’t hold your breath).
It’s been so long, do you even remember how to skate!?
I’m getting bored now DutchReview, can I skate or not?
Aye, aye, we don’t control the weather here from our office (if we did, I’d grant your wishes). In short: it’s looking unlikely but not impossible. It’s hard to give a yes or no answer, as the weather is always so unpredictable.
However we bring you some good news. Amsterdam’s water authority, Waternet is trying its hardest to make it possible within the city. Currently, due to the flow of water, the layer of ice is too thin to skate on. They have closed the pumping stations, so water flows a lot more slowly. Therefore this gives the canals the ability to freeze much better. This is going to mean that the ice is going to build up a lot faster now. So, if you want to skate, better keep checking back and seeing if Amsterdam is the place to be.
YEAHHHHH!!! ❄IT GIET OAN!!! ⛸?❄ We gaan er écht alles aan doen om schaatsen mogelijk te maken; de #IJsnota GAAT VAN KRACHT! Nu allemaal duimen dat het weer meewerkt ❄
Let’s get talking about how much you loved ice-skating here. Share with us your most favourite memory of ice-skating in the Netherlands in the comments! A pic would even be nice 😉
Had enough of issues such as overflowing rubbish containers? Well, a new app (MyCleanCity app) in The Hague has been launched to try and combat just that. It’s part of a cleaner city initiative and includes issues like waste, all the way to issues such as a cracked pavement.
The app was even at Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona last year, before its launch with its founder, Prashant Shukla.
How does the app work?
The MyCleanCity app allows you to report these issues (such as waste) and it sends them straight to the municipality of The Hague. Once you report an issue, you are rewarded with ‘credit points’, these points can then be used to purchase items such as coupons, certificates and a digital tree. The best part? The app is completely free! So it works on both ends, you help clean up The Hague and you earn points to score real-life goodies!
If you’re after a bit more info, check this out:
MyCleanCity app: Pilot project
The app was launched on 24th January and has already undergone a successful pilot project, in the Laakkwartier area of The Hague. A total of 450 ‘ORAC’ Reports (aka waste placed besides underground containers) were reported. So less litter on the streets! So far, 7 of these users have used their ‘credit points’. 2 received a coupon for their participation and 6 adopted their own digital tree.
Don’t let the city ‘waste’ away 😉
This app is a great way of ensuring that issues are reported and are dealt with promptly and effectively. This contributes to both a safer, and cleaner city, which is never a bad thing! Want to be a part of this new venture? Then download the ‘MyCleanCity’ app on the app store and Google Play for free!
If you are looking for the mycleancity app in your neighbourhood, please write an email to co*****@*********ty.nl
*Sorry guys, this is only available in The Hague…hopefully it will be rolled out to other cities soon. 😉
The end of the dreary cold months might seem close but despite the sunny days, the Netherlands is freezing. Bad news is, it looks like the below-zero temperatures are here to stay. So here is what is awaiting the Netherlands in the upcoming days: from ice skating to tips on how to stay warm!
Coldest start to spring
Looks like freezing temperatures won’t change anytime soon
According to the weather reports, this Thursday will be the coldest day of the whole week. With temperatures dropping to as low as -8, the 1st March 2018 might the coldest since 1947.
With the courtesy of buienradar.nl
And here we are all dreaming of sitting in a park somewhere with a cold beer in our hands and short sleeves on our shoulders. Instead, back to thick sweaters and staying warm it is.
It’s not all bad though: Despite freezing cold, February 2018 has been an extremely sunny month. Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) stated that we have experienced the second sunniest February of all time! I guess you can’t have it all.
Freezing? Grab your skates!
Looks like the cold days are about to get even colder. So what do the Dutch do? Plan their possibility to skate of course (Duh! I can hear the Dutch roar). Dutchies love their cliché role of skating on natural ice. Regardless if we will ever have Elfstedentocht again or not, they are determined to make the most of these frosty days.
The Dutch Skaters Union (KNSB) is planning to announce their first skating marathon on natural ice somewhere today. The host of this fun event will be one of the four skating clubs in the North East of the Netherands namely Noordlaren, Arnhem, Veenoord or Haaksbergen. During a recent talk with the RTL News, marathon coordinator at the KNSB Willem Hut said:
“The question is not whether we can hold a marathon, but where and when we can start, As it looks now, the chances are that we can finally hold a four day event again.”
In order to make the marathon happen, the ice must be at least three cm’s thick. With this weather, we’d say they have a great chance!
What do you think? Will we ever see them compete on natural ice again? Don’t forget to share with us in the comments!
Tips on how to stay warm:
Stay warm y’all!
The cold days might be around for a little longer but at least that means we can continue to drown ourselves in hot chocolate. So here are some of the tips we got ready to stay warm:
1- Layer up!
The golden rule to stay warm goes without saying: Layer up! Throw a legging under those jeans or double your sock game. Better yet? Maybe invest in some thermal wear to wear under your sweaters. When you enter somewhere indoors it is always easy to adjust by taking some of the pieces off rather than feeling the freezing cold while biking around.
2- Get a little help!
Don’t hesitate when it comes to buying gadgets to help you stay warm like hand warmers or a hot water bottle. If you are looking for a more budget-friendly option: keep your family pet with you at all times!
3- Let the sun in
Since we are having one of the sunniest February’s of all time. Keep your curtains open during daytime to let the sunshine in. At night time, close them again to fight the cold. It may not make the biggest difference but every bit helps!
4- Warm up with warm drinks
Always keep coffee, tea and hot chocolate on hand. Not only the tastiest way to keep warm but also one of the easiest. You might want to avoid alcohol though. Even though you feel warmer after a shot or two, but this is only because it temporarily enlarges your blood vessels.
What are your go-to-tips for staying warm? Share with us!
A baby was kidnapped in Eersel (North-Brabant) this morning. The half-year-old girl was removed from her parental home by youth care. The police assume that she has been taken away by her biological parents and according to the police, the safety of the child is at risk. An Amber Alert, the Netherlands signal for a missing child, has been sent out.
Kidnapped in Eersel with violence
The man would have taken Hannah, as the child is named, from her carer’s arms this morning when she walked out of a supermarket in Eersel. Bystanders say to Omroep Brabant that he used violence. Then the man and his partner speeded away in a car, apparently a Mercedes.
Immediately after the kidnapping the police asked people via ‘Burgernet’ to look out for the car. An attempt has also been made to contact the parents, but without result. That is why an Amber Alert was sent out at the beginning of the afternoon. The police asks people who see the baby or her parents to call 112 immediately.
We should also look out for a black Mercedes ML 270 with license plate 94-GK-PB
Wij zijn een grote zoektocht begonnen naar een ontvoerde baby is #Eersel. Kind is vermoedelijk meegenomen in een donkere Mercedes ML 270 met het kenteken 94-GK-PB. Gebeurde op parkeerplaats bij de Lidl aan de Nieuwstraat. Zie je de auto? Bel direct 112! Meer info volgt!
There’s this lovely Dutch word called ‘gevoelstemperatuur’ now before you break your tongue by trying to pronounce it, I looked it up on the interwebz to see what the proper English phrase for it is – turns out it’s called ‘windchill’ (instead of the official Dunglish translation of gefeelingstemperature). Good to know since this week the ‘windchill’ will be at a forking minus 17 degrees!
The weather this week in the Netherlands
In the coming days we can expect some real winter cold. Up to and including Friday the temperatures are just below freezing. At the end of the week, the thermometer can drop to -10 degrees in some places at night. During the day it is just below zero, but just like the last few days it can feel a lot colder outside by the wind. That was also this morning: it was 3 to 5 degrees below zero, but it felt a lot colder.
There might be some snow later in the week, the news will give us useless tips like ‘don’t let grandma outside for a ski-adventure of 2 days this week’ and obviously each and every true Dutchie will ramble on about ice-skating (we will too).
This is Amsterdam for the next 7 days, doesn’t look too bad right?
Good luck everybody tomorrow and don’t forget to send us your gorgeous icey pictures!
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