GT2.0 Citizen Observatory ‘MeetMeeMechelen’ nominated for ‘Volunteer of the Year’ Award of the city of Mechelen

Great news for the members of MeetMeeMechelen and for Ground Truth 2.0: the Belgian citizen observatory was nominated for the ‘Volunteer of the Year Award’ of the city of Mechelen! This prize is awarded each year since 2005 to a person and to an organisation that support an initiative in Mechelen on a voluntary basis. The timing of the nomination couldn’t be better, as the second measurement campaign of MeetMeeMechelen on air quality is going on at the moment!

Stijn Vranckx (VITO) presents the MeetMeeMechelen activities

The prize was awarded on Sunday 4 March 2018 in Community Service Centre De Schijf in Mechelen. Ten nominated organisations, including MeetMeeMechelen, and eleven individual candidates shortly presented their activities and received a small present from the City Council. For 2018, the local Animal Protection programme received the title of ‘Volunteer of the Year – organisation’, together with the coordinator of one of Mechelen’s neighbourhood hubs, as ‘Volunteer of the Year – individual’. The event offered the opportunity to meet about one hundred engaged citizens, volunteering for various social and environmental organisations. It was also a great outreach opportunity for MeetMeeMechelen and a nice recognition that the work of the volunteers is of value for the citizens of Mechelen.

About MeetMeeMechelen

MeetMeeMechelen is one of the six citizen observatories that are being set up in the Ground Truth 2.0 project. The Belgian citizen observatory addresses environmental quality in Flanders and it started its activities in Mechelen, Flanders’ fifth biggest city in terms of population. One of the main challenges in Mechelen is air pollution and noise disturbance. These issues have an impact on health, quality of life and social cohesion in all neighbourhoods and villages of Mechelen. The MeetMeeMechelen citizen observatory wants to achieve a future in which all stakeholders in Mechelen cooperate in a sustainable and constructive manner to keep on improving the air quality and the soundscape. Currently, the second measurement campaign on air quality is going on, with volunteers cycling through the city with portable air quality sensors.

For more information on MeetMeeMechelen, please visit the website (in Dutch): https://mechelen.meetmee.be/.

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