Dutch citizen observatory Grip op Water Altena launched
On Saturday 16 June 2018, the fourth citizen observatory of Ground Truth 2.0 was launched at the Meadow Bird Festival (Weidevogelfestival) at Fort Giessen in the Netherlands. Members of Grip op water Altena engaged with visitors of the festival to make them aware of the shared responsibility for a climate proof region.
The Weidevogelfestival was organized by one of the stakeholders of Grip op water Altena, the nature conservation organisation Altenatuur. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their successful meadow bird protection group, they created a lively event with music, theatre, demonstrations and stalls occupied by befriended organisations.
The main attraction of the stall ran by Grip op water Altena was a physical 3D model showing six houses with their gardens, varying from entirely paved to green and climate proof. Visitors were invited to put a marble in the pot above the garden on the model that most resembled their own garden. Perhaps not surprisingly, half of the visitors were found to already have a climate proof garden!
Visitors interested in greening their gardens or inspiring others were provided with a paper sheet with embedded flower seeds. By replacing a stone tile in their garden with this ‘flower tile’, they take the first step towards increasing water storage and improving the quality of life in their garden.
Besides the contact with visitors at the festival, Grip op water Altena also had airtime on the local radio station A-FM. One of their reporters interviewed the demo case leader at the festival, which was broadcasted live in Altena.