A creative solution for the waste problem on festivals

10-3-2016

Everyone who ever visited a festival does know the waste problem. In no time the whole festival grounds is covered with empty plastic bottles, little pieces of paper and napkins. ThinkScream has the solution: 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi for those who throw their waste in a special bin!  lees verder

Bugsolutely – pasta made of crickets

22-2-2016

Some people may be disgusted by it, but the edible insects are becoming more popular. Currently you only see them as an exciting snack on exclusive parties, but they already are in the supermarket as well. This superfood pasta Bugsolutely consists of 20% cricket flour and also has loads of protein, calcium, iron and vitamins. Besides, cricket flour makes the pasta even tastier. lees verder

The KarTent: the disposable festival tent made of cardboard

17-2-2016

Every year one out of four festival visitors leaves their tent behind on several festival campsites all over the Netherlands. The amount of waste that this creates is bad for the environment. The solution is simple: from now on you can camp in a cardboard. lees verder

Flourish makes a difference!

22-1-2016

The people of Flourish try to bring positive publicity to properties in order to interest guests and potential investors. So far they have mainly used the concept of pop-up restaurants to bring attention to the empty properties.

About Flourish

A potential client sees the property in an innovative way due to the events. So far Flourish has done this by creating pop-up restaurants for several days in the empty properties. By up-cycling, building the restaurant with recycled products and materials which have lost their value, the property has been placed in a whole new perspective. The collected materials, to create an attractive atmosphere, have a price tag and will soon be sold online.

Omroep Brabant, a local broadcasting legacy, has filmed during the pop-up events in the Sacramentskerk in Breda, in the video above Danielle van Houtum explains what she wants to achieve with Flourish.

The possibilities at Flourish

Together with concept entrepreneurs they discuss how to present the best in every property, to eventually sell it, rent or stimulate further developments of the property. Therefor the property can  be changed into a lunchroom, café, pop stage or for example a conference room in a short amount of time. For the owner of the property there are no direct costs. New footage will be made which can be used by the owner for marketing purposes.

Dutch Oven made of 100% recycled rails

10-12-2015

Combekk Rails Edition, pans made of 100% recycled rails from Dutch Railway tracks, for tough cooks! The pans are also called a ‘Dutch Oven’.

Sustainable: made of 100% recycled rails

The very first Combekk pans tell the story of Dutch railways. The bottom of each Combekk Rails Edition pan bears a stamp that refers to its origin. The fully enamelled cast iron products are made entirely from recycled materials with a tough and functional design. With a proper furnace and a balanced mix of materials Combekk indicates that they succeed to deliver the best quality possible, without even having to dig for iron.

Dutch Oven

‘Dutch Ovens’ are known all over the world. The name refers to a production technique, which is invented in The Netherlands whereby molten iron is poured into a sand mold. Combekk is proud that they are the only brand producing all their Dutch Ovens in The Netherlands, like it should be! Some of the models have an integrated temperature gauge.

The ‘Schroefkurk’, the innovative wine cork

4-12-2015

  • De Schroefkurk 1
  • De Schroefkurk 2
  • De Schroefkurk 3

‘The luxury of the cork, with the ease of a screwcap’ that is the slogan of the newest invention in the world of wines. The ‘schroefkurk’ (a screwcap made of cork) can easily be opened and the wine bottle can, contrary to the traditional wine cork, easily be closed thanks to the subtle designed screw technique in the cork.

The ‘Schroefkurk’

Many wines come with a screwcap nowadays. Which hurts in the hearts of wine and innovation lovers, Sharan Visser and Arjan Bomkamp. “Of course it’s nice to be able to close a bottle of wine that is half empty without any effort, but the pop sound that is associated with uncorking a bottle is also part of drinking wine.” Says Visser. When he wondered if there wasn’t another possibility to open a wine bottle, he discovered the ‘schroefkurk’. ‘The luxury of the cork, with the ease of a screwcap’, says the slogan of the newcomer in the world of wine. ‘Besides it is user friendly, the ‘schroefkurk’ is also more durable compared to the screwcap’, says Bomkamp, because of the fact that cork is very recyclable and it helps to decrease the Co2 emissions.

Schroefkurk.nl

Right after the discovery of the ‘schroefkurk’, the idea for schroefkurk.nl was created. Schroefkurk.nl is the first wine shop that focuses on quality wines that all come with a ‘schroefkurk’. At this moment, the red and white wines are exclusively bought from the wine house ‘5 Estates’. Sharan and Arjan are hoping to expand their assortment into a big selection of quality wines soon.

HomeBiogas – turn your waste into energy

2-12-2015

Turn your kitchen leftovers into 3 hours of cooking per day. HomeBiogas is a family-sized affordable biogas system. It converts any organic waste into clean cooking gas and a high quality liquid fertilizer for the garden.

How to use the system

On average, one kilogram of food waste produces about 200 litres of gas, which generates around one hour of cooking over a high flame. Therefore, one can generate 1 up to 3 hours of cooking gas each day with six kilogram of food waste – the perfect amount for three meals.

HomeBiogas is easy to use, doesn’t need any electricity and can be connected to your stove. You will need to place the system outdoors or in a barn, it works optimally in places with an average day/night temperature above 17 °C.

Successful crowdfunding

HomeBiogas is a crowdfunding project on the website Indiegogo. Their target was to fund at least $ 100,000.=. They already reached 130% of their target within 7 days and still have 24 days left. If you would like to support this project you can choose between several perks. One of the perks contributes to the HomeBioGas-Arava Institute to support peace-building, social justice, and environmental leadership and research in the Middle East. It is also possible to support the project and at the same time order the HomeBiogas system.

HomeBiogas within the hospitality?

For now the HomeBiogas is perfect for families. It’s not meant for industrial use such as hotels or big restaurants. The big amount waste they produce, can’t be handled at this stage, by the system. It can convert a maximum of six kilogram of food waste. For smaller restaurants and cafés the system could be an option to become more sustainable.

Global warming and carbon footprints are from major importance to the world’s future. Using HomeBiogas will certainly contribute to your sustainable image.

The system also fertilizes your herbs and vegetables. A lot of people already make their own compost at home and with this innovation we think that many more people will follow.

Buzzed – beer as a refill for your 3D printer?

16-11-2015

‘Buzzed’ is an invention made by 3Dom USA for your 3D printer. This refill for your 3D printer is completely produced with the waste and by-products derived from the beer process.

With Buzzed you can…

The latest product from 3Dom USA is ‘Buzzed’ an official refill suitable for the use in a 3D printer. The thread is 100% made from waste and by-products derived from the beer process. The produced wire (‘Buzzed’) is 1.75 mm thick and gives your homemade product a rich golden colour and a distinctive natural grain. The bio-based ‘Buzzed’ is already the second product in the line of ‘c2composites’ that 3Dom USA brings to the market. The first product, also a refill for 3D printers, is made entirely of waste and by-products of coffee called, ‘Wound Up’.

Drinking beer from a home-made beer mug

As an example 3Dom USA made a beer mug of ‘Buzzed’. So for the real beer lovers and owners of a 3D printer, from now on you can drink your beer from a home-made mug made from beer!

You can use the refills of 3Dom USA in almost all PLA (a type of plastic made from natural raw materials) 3D printers. The cost for a role ‘Buzzed’ is $ 49, =. Are you inspired and did you make a nice product with the ‘Buzzed’, please let us know!

Seaweed that tastes like fried bacon?

9-11-2015

US researchers have discovered a strain of seaweed that tastes like fried bacon when fried. The seaweed not only tastes delicious but is also very nutritious.

The strain of seaweed ‘dulse’

The discovered ‘dulse’ is a red algae that can be found along the coast of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is often used in the Asian cuisine. This is due to its high protein content and ‘umami’ taste. ‘Dulse’ has been used in Europe as an ingredient for smoothies and as a dried product it is used in a dietary supplement. The smoky bacon flavour can only be brought out when it’s fried. The seaweed grows in offshore farms in an environmentally responsible manner. The ‘dulse’ grows in recycled water and it only needs a limited amount of sea water and sun.

Seaweed as a substitute for meat

This seaweed could be a replacement for meat in the future. Besides that, it also allows vegetarians to taste the smoky flavour of bacon, without actually eating meat. With the impressive nutritional values, ‘dulse’ will be seen as a superfood, even though we are getting a bit bored with the ‘superfood’ hype. Anyway whether we stigmatize it as a superfood or not, this seaweed is another possible alternative food source.

Inspiration

It might be a great idea for restaurants, especially those located at sea, to start experimenting with this ingredient. The Food Innovation Centre (FIC) is currently also experimenting with this product, along with two other parties. Their Agricultural Experiment Station is located in Portland, Oregon. Read more about this meat substitute here.

Bitter Balzz, variant of our famous Dutch ‘bitterbal’ filled with insects

2-11-2015

At BUGZZ they create food with insects. Their goal is to bring the sustainable snack ‘Bitter Balzz’ in production and that is why they started a crowdfunding project.

Bitter Balzz

BUGZZ uses our traditional ‘bitterbal’ (a Dutch treat; a small round croquette) to let us, consumers, get acquainted with healthier insects in an accessible way. BUGZZ created the ‘bitterbal’ with buffalo worms. Everybody in the Netherlands has tasted a ‘bitterbal’ at least once, why wouldn’t they try the Bitter Balzz? At events where BUGZZ was present, the Bitter Balzz were very popular. Because of the fact that the insects are hidden, it is easier to move beyond prejudices against insects.

Why insects?

80% of the world use insects in all their dishes, and insects are, according to BUGZZ and their customers, very tasty and versatile. In recent years, we increasingly hear about insects as a healthier and more sustainable alternative to meat. Insects take up much less space, they need less nutrition and water and produce much less emissions in relation to, for example, the cow. Next to those facts they also contain a lot of calcium! There are many more initiatives in the field of insects, we spotted amongst others a pizza with grasshoppers and a spread made of mealworms.

Who are the people behind BUGZZ?

Anne-Marie and Patrick, the founders of BUGGZ have different backgrounds, but have one thing in common: they love to cook tasty and adventurous meals. BUGZZ has only been operative for half a year and they have been seen at different festivals like the NeighbourFood Market, ‘Rollende Keuken’, Best Kept Secret, Amsterdam Kookt and the Amsterdam Woods Festival. Anne-Marie, Patrick and their team try to convince people to try insects as an alternative food source, in an enthusiastic manner.

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