A selection of Holland’s finest green ideas

FDV GOES GREEN - Waterless printing & Ecofont

The fourth issue of Fresh Dutch Views magazine (LINK FDV 4) was printed at the Dutch frontrunner in printing sustainability: Kempers. In 1989, Kempers was the first printing company to introduce waterless offset in the Netherlands. Waterless offset uses plates and ink, like traditional offset lithography, but no water or IPA (isopropyl alcohol) is involved. Depending on the type of printing press used, it can save up to 25,000 litres of water a year. Moreover, Kempers also works without the use of chemical additives; their ink has a vegetable base.
At the Global Climate Change Leadership Summit in Woodstock, Chicago, USA on 28 February 2009, Kempers received the prestigious Butterfly Vision Award 2009. This environmental prize was awarded by the International Waterless Printing Association (IWPA), a worldwide non-profit organisation for frontrunners in waterless and environmentally friendly production of print materials. The award was conceived to promote the use of waterless offset printing and inform the branch about its applicability. Owner Chris Kempers: ‘This award was the crowning touch on our work. We’ve been making an effort to link high-quality printing to saving the environment as well as saving costs for twenty years now. The best thing is that we didn’t get the prize just for waterless printing, but also for our effort to promote this environmentally friendly printing method to our customers. Environmentally friendly printing isn’t more expensive or harder to do; it is a different way of working, and goes much further than just printing on certified FSC paper. This prize is a true recognition for our work.’ Kempers uses green energy and recently achieved ISO 14001 certification.
To further maximise sustainability, this issue of Fresh Dutch Views has been printed using Ecofont, a special font that incorporates holes inside the letters to minimise ink usage. Ecofont uses up to 20% less ink and is free to download and to use. A special professional edition is available for business use, allowing companies to work in their corporate typeface and print in the ink-saving eco-friendly version.

www.kempers.nl & www.ecofont.nl (both websites only available in Dutch)

Greenwheels - Conscious driving

Dutch company Greenwheels was founded to offer a solution for the problems car ownership causes. In the Netherlands, a car stands still for 23 hours a day on average. In the cities, this causes parking problems; people who do have a car in front of their house are easily tempted to use it for small distances instead of using a bicycle or public transportation.
The initiative for Greenwheels was taken by Gijs van Lookeren Campagne and Jan Borghuis in June 1995. They started with three cars in Rotterdam, which subscribers to the service could use day and night, only paying for the actual use of the car. Greenwheels soon became an accepted concept. In the first few years, a great deal of attention went into developing the technique to increase the user-friendliness of the concept. Greenwheels was the first company to fit its cars with on-board computers, GSM data communication, drive interlock and contactless smart card readers. It’s really as simple as plugging in the smart card and driving off.
The company has come a long way since its early years. More and more people have discovered how easy it is to use Greenwheels; almost all major train stations and cities have Greenwheels cars available now. Studies have shown that the use of Greenwheels can realise a reduction of 30% in car kilometres, increasing the use of other, more sustainable means of transportation. Greenwheels: a more conscious way of driving.

www.greenwheels.nl (website only available in Dutch)

Marqt - Delicious, healthy and sustainable

Marqt is a sustainable alternative for the supermarket, offering a food retail outlet where fair trade and quality are paramount. It’s a place where producers sell their goods directly to the consumer, without intervention from a buyers’ cooperative.
Marqt was founded by Meike Beeren and Quirijn Bolle in 2008, and currently consists of two stores in Haarlem and Amsterdam. Marqt receives a percentage of the revenues; the producers receive a fair price for their products. Most products on offer are locally grown and pure. Bolle: ‘We thought it was time for a change. A change in the way food is presented in the Netherlands and a change in the way of working with suppliers. One of our starting points is a fair division of the risks and the benefits. Besides that, we want the customer to get to know the producer and vice versa. But most of all, Marqt wants to offer delicious products in an inspiring surrounding. Where possible, our fresh products are produced locally and delivered to us directly. The same day the vegetables are harvested, they are available for sale at Marqt. Our bread is baked fresh every day. We work a lot with seasonal products, to make sure that fresh really is fresh. Our staff has a passion for the subject and can explain exactly where a product comes from and how it can be used best.’
Marqt works from five basic principles: real food is original, made with respect for the environment, really fresh, really tasty and made with enthusiasm. All of their products are tested against these principles so that customers can do their daily shopping without having to wonder what they’re buying. Delicious, healthy and sustainable.

www.marqt.com (website only available in Dutch)

Qurrent - Renewable energy

As a young Dutch company in a cutting-edge field, Qurrent focuses on decentralised renewable energy. Decentralised energy is generated locally: in office buildings, warehouses, homes or apartment buildings. The energy is produced right where it’s being consumed, which has many advantages.
Managing director and CEO Igor Kluin: ‘In a decentralised energy system, many thousands of units each provide a small portion of the energy needed, instead of a few power plants each providing enormous amounts. The problem is: how do you control and divide the flow of energy? We came up with a system, the Qbox, which serves as a Local Energy Network Interface. It is at the heart of a building’s infrastructure and it communicates with the surrounding buildings, enabling smart use of all electricity sources (solar, wind and power grid). The benefits of decentralised renewable energy and Local Energy Networks are very clear and simple: it is clean, efficient and reliable energy, the costs are controllable and it has a scalable infrastructure and system.
The best thing about all this is that decentralised renewable energy is not some futuristic concept; it can be realised today. It uses proven technology and the energy efficiency can be predicted effectively. The financial returns will improve over the coming years due to rising energy rates and increased government support. Also, this investment retains its value very well. Both financially and technically, it can be done today; it’s a real chance to support the energy of the future.’

www.qurrent.com
 

Lemnis Lighting - Sustainable lighting with LED technology

Lemnis Lighting is a forerunner in the field of sustainable lighting solutions, based on LED technology. In November 2006, Lemnis introduced the first LED lamp that can realistically be viewed as an up-to-par replacement of the incandescent light bulb. Early in 2009, the company won the World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneer Award for that year, as well as the World Bank’s Lighting Africa Award.
Lemnis Lighting puts sustainability at the centre of the design process. Using this approach, the company develops innovations that help consumers, companies and policy-makers to combat climate change by replacing traditional lighting with LED technology. The advantages of LED lighting are bigger than energy savings alone: the costs of maintenance and replacement are both reduced, while performance is enhanced. The technology also has other applications in public lighting and greenhouse lighting, from street luminaires that improve visibility to greenhouse lighting that makes plants grow bigger.
Lemnis Lighting is all about sustainability without compromise, which does not require concessions from the end user. Frans Otten, chairman of Lemnis Lighting: ‘With an ever-growing population and an increase in demand for energy and raw materials, we need to look at technology for solving these challenges. 20% of the world’s electricity is now used for lighting, and LEDs can make a huge difference in reducing that consumption. We looked at the profit-driven model for light bulb production, where short life span for light bulbs means profit for the producers, and decided that we would rather provide light instead! We make LED light bulbs that last more than twenty years, are easily recycled, and offer a level of sustainability that other lighting options just can’t match. We produce sustainable lighting that illuminates lives on every continent, and let’s today’s users enjoy products that won’t compromise the earth for generations to come.’ 

www.lemnislighting.com