the voice: reduce, recycle, reinvent (year 16, issue 3)

Reduce, Recycle, Reinvent

Year 16, Issue 3

Also in this issue: � Arab Spring & Dark Ages � Eco-friendly Living � Bike Theft � Rural African Marketplace � Regifting

International Student MagazineV ICE

THE

March 2013

2 THE VOICE, March 2013

NEWS

4 Arab Spring & Dark Ages

5 Doha: Keeping the Earth from Overheating

6 Cities Need to Smarten Up

7 Best Cities for Quality of Living

8 France Year at KU Leuven

9 2030: A Climate Neutral Leuven

FEATURES: REDUCE, RECYCLE, REINVENT

10 Eco-friendly Living

13 Do-It-Yourself: Origami Flower

14 Used & Vintage Is The New Black

15 Bike Theft: What You Don’t Know

16 Commentary How Green Is Green?

17 A Breath of Fresh Spring Air

18 Conversations Nikkie Melis

19 Never Thought You Could Be an Eco-Warrior?

CULTURE

20 The Rural African Marketplace

22 UMOJA Fashion Show

24 White Elephants & Gift Horses: Re-gifting

26 ‘Vintage’ Wine & Cardbordeaux

27 How I Fell in Love with... A Combat Sport

28 Through The Drinking Glass: Zythos Beer Festival

29 blog space The Perfect Mate

Editor-in-ChiefToTran Nguyen, Layout

Editorial TeamEvelyne Van Hecke, Editorial SecretaryCorieke Bonvanie, News EditorHai Nguyen Asst. News EditorOdette Rivera, Culture EditorSarah Jenkins Asst. Culture Editor, Copy EditorLimin Liang, Asst. Features EditorGabriel Martínez Miranda, Photo EditorSara Rich, Lead Copy EditorAndrew Horner, Copy Editor

Other Contributors to this IssueAdesoji Adegbulu Brian SiscoGijs Van den BroeckIlja PostelJessika NilssonJude MukoroKatia DemydenkoLiesbeth SchulpéMelissa SmithMuneer AhamedNils de NeubourgRuben BruynoogheSam PatelSang NguyenSanjin PajoWim Dehaen

Cover art by Gabriel Martínez Miranda & Limin Liang

Front cover: A toilet paper roll could be used to amplify your mp3 player. Give it a try.

Back cover: See our “Do-It-Yourself ” article on page 13 for directions on how to make an origami flower.

[email protected] 22 04 66

Printed by Peeters nv

Vesaliusstraat 343000 Leuven

Belgium016 32 33 95

Contents

We want to hear from you! If you have any comments regarding what you see (or don’t see) here, please share them with us, and we will select some messages to publish in the next issue of our magazine.

VOICE Mail

[email protected]/thevoice.loko

THE VOICE, March 2013 3

Dear Editors of THE VOICE,

I would like to point out a few factual errors that occurred in the article on the rise of Flemish nationalism in the most recent edition of THE VOICE. The fol-lowing paragraph contains several mistakes:

“For the federal parliament, the biggest parties on both sides form the govern-ment. ... In Flanders, this has been the Flemish Nationalist Party (N-VA) for the past few elections. Nationwide, the Walloon Socialists are always slightly more popular, so this only reinforces the will of the Flemish Nationalists to become (more) independent. Although the Flemish may elect a Flemish Nationalist, chan-ces are there will be a Walloon Socialist as prime minister.”

1. [The first statement is] untrue; there is no law which demands this. It is true that in general most governments were formed that way, but a notable exception is the current government, of which the biggest party is not a member.

2. [Secondly], the N-VA has only taken part in the Federal elections as a sepa-rate party once in its history, namely in the last elections of 2010. However, it has never been part of the federal government.

3. [The third statement is] untrue. The N-VA is the biggest party of Belgium, not only of Flanders. During the last federal elections, it received 1,135,617 votes, compared to 894,543 for the PS [Wallonia’s Socialist Party].

4. As a general trend, [the fourth statement] is blatantly false. Di Rupo is the first Walloon Socialist to become prime minister since 1973.

Concerning radicalism, [it was stated]: “Belgium is not the only country in Europe where radical right-wing nationalists are winning elections.” In fact, the ‘radical right-wing nationalists’ have lost in recent elections in Belgium. For the only party which deserves that characterization is the Vlaams Belang, which de-creased in popularity from 19% in 2007 to 12.6% in 2010. The nationalist party N-VA is, in general, not at all considered to be a radical party within Belgium. The opposite impression is mainly due to sensationalist and badly informed foreign media-coverage.

Lastly, concerning European trends, [it was stated]: “In comparison to Bel-gium, there is one difference. In these countries, the argument is not primarily about separatism between population groups, nor about more independence for a certain region.” Although this holds true for the countries mentioned (i.e., the Netherlands, Greece, and Hungary), there are several other countries which are not mentioned where there certainly is a separatist nationalism gaining ground: Scotland, Spain, and Italy.

I hope you will find these corrections helpful. Since everything I stated here is common knowledge in Belgium, I can imagine that the article in its original form will have a negative impact on the reliability of your magazine amongst Belgian readers.

Kind regards,Sander Beckers

Letters to the Editor

March 2013

Dear Readers,

Living an eco-friendly life can be challenging when moving from place to place. In a new location, we can eas-ily maintain our own habits of limiting consumption and finding new ways to reuse materials and goods.

It takes a bit more work, however, to properly follow local recycling poli-cies, learn how to buy local produce, un-derstand ingredients and materials in a foreign language, figure out the public transportation system, hunt for the best thrift stores and secondhand websites, and seek out repair shops (not to men-tion possibly paying more for locally-made products here than in our home countries).

This is why our magazine team chose to investigate the eco-friendly life in Leuven and bring you an issue brim-ming with tips and insights. Whether you are a homebody or someone who needs to get outside (and shop), you can find ways to gradually reduce your eco-logical footprint.

Who knows, you may discover in-novative reuses of trash. You may even discover that sophisticated technology can be synergistically used with the most basic element of trash – an empty toilet paper roll. But don’t let your discoveries stop here. Check the Internet and talk to others. Find ways to reduce, recycle, and reinvent. Then share your thoughts and findings with us.

There is always more to the story, and ours is just one perspective. We are pleased to have received a reader’s reac-tion to last month’s article, “The Rise in Flemish Nationalism.” We encourage more of you to share your perspectives and bring other information to our at-tention.

Best,ToTran NguyenEditor-in-Chief

From the Editor


Two years after the phenomenon known as the Arab Spring, re-

searchers point to climate change as an indirect but important factor in 2011’s wave of revolution across the Middle East and North Africa. As temperatures rise and rainfall – well, doesn’t – food shortag-es are of increasing concern, especially in poverty-stricken areas where people can-not afford the price jumps that accompa-ny shortages. Add hunger and poverty to tensions built up after decades of the same ruthless dictators – and religious frictions – and there is a clear recipe for revolution. In the relationship between climate and conflict, researchers call climate change a ‘threat multiplier’, an influencing factor that compounds the pre-existing issues that do directly cause conflict.

In Syria, it is hard to argue against the case for climate change as a major factor in the country’s current civil war. Begin-ning in 2006, farmland to the east dried up over the course of a four-year drought – the most intense and enduring drought the country has seen in recorded history. This resulted in the migration of 1.5 mil-lion agricultural workers from the east to cities in the south and west, putting pressure on Syria’s urban areas. Exacer-bating the four-year drought was the As-sad regime’s approach to agriculture. For example, instead of encouraging sustain-able crops suited for the region, he pushed cash crops – cotton in particular, which is a plant with enormous thirst usually grown in deltas to avoid irrigation. East-ern Syria has no deltas, so cotton planta-tions quickly absorbed groundwater, leav-ing people to dig illegal, unregulated wells

in search for water.Ongoing stud-

ies by KU Leu-ven’s Near Eastern Studies Unit and Centre for Archae-ological Sciences have demonstrated repeatedly that this is not the first time climate change has caused regime changes and mass migrations in the Middle East. Pol-len records from Tell Tweini, Syria, show that several times before the Arab Spring, the region encountered c limate-induced ‘Dark Ages’.

During the Crusades, the Middle East and much of Eurasia was in the Medi-eval Warm Period, when temperatures occasionally climbed to higher averages than those being cur-rently reached. Towards the end of the 12th c., European forces battled Saladin to reclaim Jerusalem in the Third Cru-sade, and Saladin’s Ayyubid Caliphate overthrew the Egyptian-based Fatimids. At the same time, the Seljuk Turks fought the Byzantines for Anatolia, and even-tually their empire collapsed, being ab-sorbed into the Ayyubid Caliphate. It too

was doomed. Shortly afterward, Genghis Khan conquered Asia and establish the Mongolian Empire. Although the Medi-eval Warm Period was not anthropogenic, Khan’s systematic slaughter decreased the Asian population so much that it initi-ated a slight cooling trend, when fields returned to forests.

Two thousand years before Khan and Saladin, there was another ‘Dark Age’. The Bronze-Iron Transition (ca. 1200-

NEWSArab Spring & Dark AgesClimate change in the Middle East

By Sara Rich

InternationalEuropeBelgiumLeuven

INTERNATIONAL

Relief fragment from Causeway of Unas (ca. 2350 BC), showing people starv-ing to death. The fragment depicts isolated conditions just before the onset of Egypt’s First Intermediate Period. Louvre Museum, Paris, France.


850 BC) saw the collapse of Mycenaean Greece, Hittite Anatolia, the Egyptian New Kingdom, and the Hurrian and Babylonian Empires of Mesopotamia. A mysterious, marauding group, called “the Sea Peoples” in ancient texts, rav-aged Eastern Mediterranean coastal cit-ies. They razed the Syrian city of Ugarit (Ras Shamra), once one of the most cos-mopolitan cities of the ancient world, and repopulated the Levantine coastline. Again, pollen records from nearby Tell Tweini describe a phase of climate chaos – drought and increasing temperatures, leading to decreased agricultural produc-

tion. Without food and water, people and other animals either migrated or died.

Still a thousand years earlier, a ‘Dark Age’ swept through the Middle East that triggered the fall of Egypt’s glorious Old Kingdom and the grand Akkadian Em-pire in Mesopotamia. Egyptian records describe insufficient fresh water, rampant disease, and such extreme hunger that people cannibalized their own children.

It may be ironic that much of the Mid-dle East has suffered these agricultural crises, since that is where agriculture be-gan way back in the Younger Dryas - yet another period of climate change. In the

modern era, rapid climatic fluctuations serve to compound political mismanage-ment, leaving the Middle East (among others) in a delicate, unstable situation. Although the Arab Spring is hardly the first instance of climate-related regime collapse, this is the first time in history when global warming is widely attrib-uted to anthropogenic sources. Sadly, as Earth’s warming trend continues, the Middle East is sure to become a literal ‘hotbed’ of further conflict. The question now is, what will be the Genghis Khan that will relieve human population pres-sures, and restore fields to forests?

Doha: Keeping the Earth from Overheating By Katia Demydenko

Climate change is attracting more attention from the global com-

munity, as extreme weather events (Arctic sea ice melting, hurricanes in the US and Southeast Asia, etc.) fall outside the range of periodic climate fluctuation. It is a well-known fact that recent observed disasters are related to global warming caused by an anthropogenic increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Recent research shows that with the alarming rate at which at-mospheric carbon dioxide is increasing, the goal of holding the global tempera-ture at 2oC above the 1990 level will be unattainable. An international treaty to prevent global warming is scheduled to be signed at the 2015 conference held in

Paris and to take effect in 2020. Before then, there are many issues to be settled on the international level.

The first milestone was reached at the United Nations Climate Change Confer-ence, held in Doha, Qatar, from 26 No-vember to 8 December 2012. It consisted of the Eighteenth Session of the Con-ference of the Parties (COP 18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Eighth Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Par-ties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 8).

Negotiations in Doha focused on ensuring the realization of already exist-ing agreements. The package of ‘Doha

Climate Gateway’ decisions included amendments to the Kyoto Protocol, which extends its action to 2020. Adopt-ed at COP 3 in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and taking effect in 2005, the Protocol was the only legally-binding international agree-ment for combating global warming until 2012. However, for the first commitment period (2005-2012), only Parties in An-nex I of the Protocol were obliged to cut their CO2 emissions. COP 18 marked a significant transition from the first period to the second period, as not only devel-oped countries but also developing coun-tries must reduce their emissions. Two hundred nations agreed to prolong the Kyoto protocol, but the deal covers only

INTERNATIONAL

Photo by Sarah Jenkins

Before the Arab Spring, (now ex) President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali was always watching the Tunisian people.


about 15% of global greenhouse emis-sion after Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and Russia withdrew. Russia, together with Ukraine and Belarus, claimed the extra credits for the emission cuts they made when their industries collapsed, but their objections were denied.

As the biggest producers of green-house gases, the US, EU, and China accepted the agreement with different degrees of reservation. Island states also reluctantly accepted the treaty. Accord-ing to the new version of the Kyoto Protocol, the buyers of unused carbon credits from the first phase of deals will be limited on their purchasing power or even cancelled by EU law.

The agreement on financing stated that developed countries would mobi-lize a total of 16 billion USD by 2020 to help poor countries cope with climate change, though no mid-term financing targets were made, perhaps a result of the economic crisis. Only Germany, the UK, France, Denmark, Sweden, and the

European Commission have made con-crete financial pledges of 6 billion USD over the next few years. In addition, the Climate Finance Advisory Service was launched at the Doha conference to provide negotiators from developing countries with expert technical advice on climate financing negotiations, and access for developing country board members to the Green Climate Fund.

The concept of ‘loss and damage’ from climate change was developed during the negotiations. Assessments of ‘loss and damage’ would provide finan-cial and technical support for the most vulnerable countries, but the pledges stopped short of any legal liability and compensation on the part of wealthy nations. Some questions were left un-answered: From what sources will funds come? How, and in what amount, will they be distributed?

Prior to the meeting, the Interna-tional Energy Agency and the World Bank Group published reports stating

potentially hazardous impacts would arise from average global tempera-ture increase of 4oC - a more realistic scale of heating should a business-as-usual scenario be kept. The participants mentioned with concern that there is a significant discrepancy between the promised levels of reduction in green-house gas emission and those actually achieved. Thus the negotiators declared their intention to identify and investi-gate the options to reach the ambition of holding global temperature increase at 2oC in 2013.

The conference was not a spectacu-lar success. It was clouded by worries about the global economy, frustrations and resentments of both rich and poor nations, low financial commitment and little interest from big emitters like the US and Russia. However, this Confer-ence of Parties also marked a step in the direction of the 2015 new deal on cli-mate change, issuing hope as the world edges closer to the 2020 deadline.

Cities Need to Smarten Up

From the Newsroom of Flemish Student Newspaper Veto

Originally Written in Dutch by Nils de Neubourg, Translated by Corieke Bonvanie

The ecological doomsday sce-narios are numerous. Through

their think-tank, YERA, a group of civil engineering students is trying to provide useful information and solu-tions to the ever-growing list of envi-ronmental concerns. One possibility is to organize life more efficiently in a ‘smart city’.

Together with global temperature and sea levels, the demand for a sus-tainable society is on the rise as well. Solutions to ‘green problems’ often re-quire us to sacrifice comfortable living. The civil engineering Masters students of think-tank Young Energy Reviewers Association (YERA) believe that com-fort and energy saving go hand in hand. The students aim to contribute solu-tions and advice to the broad discussion on energy.

Smart CityExpectations are that out of the

nine billion inhabitants of our planet in 2050, seven billion will live in urban areas. It is no surprise, then, that YERA focuses on reforming urban energy pol-icies. Policies should seek to make life the urban citizen’s life more efficient. Not only should the energy supply be-come more effective, but the whole city

needs to become smarter, including its inhabitants.

“A ‘smart city’ tries to increase effi-ciency of all that needs energy,” YERA president Ward Snoeck says. “The pro-cess of ‘smartening up’ is mainly based on technological innovation to make daily life more ecological but also more comfortable. Smart city life does not differ much from the life we are lead-ing now. Only the availability of luxury and hightech services for inhabitants will indicate that a city is intelligent.”

YERA tries to show that ‘smart city’ is not just a meaningless buzzword. Practical changes can turn urban life into a intelligent and hyper dynamic lifestyle. One can think of using smart phones to increase the efficiency of public transport, enhance the safety of the city and manage smart home appli-cations in an energy efficient way. The city of Singapore shows through its dy-namic and intelligent public transport that such ideas are not just a futuristic vision.

“It takes some adjustment in the daily routine of people, but the system works remarkably well,” Ward says en-thusiastically.

Furthermore, smart phones can be used to manage an efficient household. The device can automatically decide

when it is most cost-efficient to do the laundry. Such inventions save us energy, time, and money.

StockholmA founding example is Stockholm.

With the transformation of Stockholm Royal Seaport, a former industrial area, into a residential area, the Swedish cap-ital is building the world’s first actual smart city.

To ensure that the district will be-come an urban area suitable for living, the developers employ technicians as well as social scientists. Ward elabo-rates, “A smart city should serve the citizens and not the other way around. Inhabitants should feel good in such a city.” According to the YERA presi-dent, the fact that multinationals, like IT corporation IBM, help to develop the district shows that such projects have great economic potential - the smart city is not just a utopia of the green-minded.

Ward says that the initiative lies not only with policy-makers and corpora-tions, but also in the hands of citizens: “What the citizens should do is get in-formed on energy and climate issues, and form the electoral basis for policy that tackles climate change based on scientific facts.”

BELGIUM

At the end of last year, consulting firm Mercer published its annual city rank, according to quality of life. From this list, one might conclude that learning

German is a necessary step towards a good quality of life. Of these ten cities, seven are German-speaking countries. Germany and Switzerland have dominated this list, yet it is their neighbour, Austria, that takes the top spot for the world’s best city for living: Vienna was crowned number one for the fourth time in row. But what actu-ally makes Vienna the best city to live in? Of Mercer’s list of criteria, it is Vienna’s green lifestyle and sustainability that proved important factors.

The grounds of Vienna are not solely urban; 51% of the city’s area can be labeled ‘green’, which works out to 120m2 of green space per inhabitant. The city is sur-rounded by woods and is home to around 2,000 parks.

Concerning drinking water, Vienna benefits from its geographical location be-tween the mountains. Two Vienna mountain spring pipelines run from the moun-tains straight into the city, ensuring that 95% of its annual water supply comes through these pipelines. All natural and fresh!

In 1999, Vienna committed itself to reducing its 1990-level CO2 emissions by 14% before 2010. Incredibly, these goals were reached by 2006. A new programme calls for additional cuts by 2020, reducing the city’s emissions by 21% of the 1990 level.

The urban area of Vienna produces 625 kg of waste per inhabitant per year. To compensate for this, the city relies on its waste separation and recycling system. Its non-compostable bio waste, collected from canteen kitchens, bio-waste contain-ers, and markets, is processed into energy in the Biogass Vienna plant. This plant provides heating for 600 households in Vienna. This is only a small share compared to Vienna’s biomass power station in the Simmering area, providing 12,000 house-holds with heating and 48,000 with bio energy.

Getting around Vienna can be done without harming the environment. The to-tal length of its cycle lanes and paths covers 1,174km which means that you can cycle a week of the Tour de France without leaving the city. Another environmen-tally-friendly initiative is the faxi, a portmanteau of the German word for bicycle, Fahrrad, and taxi. This taxi is powered by a healthy pair of legs instead of fuel. And if the weather does not allow for man-powered transport, the public transport system of Vienna runs over 900 km throughout the city

Considering all that Vienna provides, a healthy and sustainable living is made easy by the city. As a green(er) lifestyle seems to be the lifestyle for this century, Vienna is the place to be to ensure a joyful and secure green life; so learning a bit of German is worth it. And for those who still do not want to learn German, English is also widely understood in Vienna.

Photo by Lukas Riebling

Spittelau waste incineration plant in Vienna, Austria. Exterior redesign by eco-architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

1. Vienna, Austria2. Zurich, Switzerland3. Auckland, New Zealand4. Munich, Germany5. Vancouver, Canada6. Düsseldorf, Germany7. Frankfurt, Germany8. Geneva, Switzerland9. Copenhagen, Denmark10. Bern, Switzerland

Best Cities for Quality of LivingBy Corieke Bonvanie

INTERNATIONAL



Faites attention à la magie de l’alcool!

Dans le noir, à deux heures du matin, tous est diffèrent. Un proverbe français nous avertit qu’À la chandelle, la chèvre semble demoiselle. Pour dire autrement, les apparences peuvent être trompeuses quand on manque de lumière. Cet an-cien proverbe a été écrit en 1576 par Jean-Antoine de Baïf—même à ce temps, les gens ont compris les dangers de la magie de l’alcool ! Prenez à cœur ce proverbe, et soyez sur que vous regar-dez un(e) vrai(e) beau ou belle, non pas une chèvre.

= Beware the beer goggles!

In the dark, late at night, everything seems different. A French proverb warns us that À la chandelle, la chèvre semble dem-oiselle. Literally translated, it means: “By the candle, the goat appears a lady.” To put it another way, when you only have can-dlelight, that goat across the table seems like a lady. This French proverb was first put in writing in 1576 by Jean-Antoine de Baïf—even back then they understood the danger of beer goggles! Take this proverb to heart, and make sure you’re really look-ing at a gentleman or lady, not a goat.

French Idiom

France Year at KU Leuven

LEUVEN

Bonne année de la France 2013! Si vous n’avez pas entendu, c’est

maintenant le bon moment. L’année dernière, KU Leuven a célébré l’année de l’Allemagne en coopération avec l’ambassadeur allemand et plusieurs insti-tutions allemandes. Cet élan nous propulse vers 2013, l’année remplie d’évènements qui visent le soutien l’interaction et la coopération entre la Belgique et leurs voi-sins viticole du sud. Les trois buts majeurs du projet sont d’encourager la coopéra-tion, la mobilité des chercheurs et étudi-ants, et l’intérêt à la France et la culture française. L’ambassadeur français en Bel-gique, M. Bernard Valero, soutient forte-ment ce projet, et a ouvert l’année de la France en janvier aux coté de M. Rector Mark Waer de KU Leuven.

Ce mois-ci, les évènements de l’année de la France incluent des performances musicales, des festivals du film, des con-férences, et des séminaires déjeuners, qui auront lieu dans plusieurs villes belges. Je recommande de voir un film du festival africain le 21 mars à 20 h : non seulement M. l’ambassadeur français sera présent, mais le film marocain « Les Chevaux de Dieu » qui a été primé au festival de Cannes en 2012 sera présenté. Pour le programme complet de l’année de la France, visitez http://www.kuleuven.be/frankrijkjaar/fr/programma.

Happy France Year! If you have yet to hear about France Year 2013,

this is the time. Last year, KU Leuven hosted Germany Year in cooperation with the German Ambassador and several German institutions. This momentum propels us into 2013, a year packed with events aimed at promoting interaction and cooperation between Belgium and their wine-imbibing southern neighbors. The three main goals of the project are to encourage cooperation, improved mobil-ity for researchers and students alike, and to provoke interest in France and French culture. The French Ambassador to Bel-gium, M. Bernard Valero, strongly sup-ports the project, and he presided at the opening event in January with Rector Mark Waer of KU Leuven.

This month, events for France Year in-clude musical performances, film screen-ings, lectures, and lunch seminars, which will be taking place in cities across Bel-gium. I would strongly recommend go-ing to see a film at the Africa Film Fes-tival on 21 March at 8 pm - not only will the French Ambassador be present, but the Moroccan film, Les Chevaux de Dieu (Horses of God), was honored during the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. For the full list of events for France Year, visit http://www.kuleuven.be/frankrijkjaar/en/pro-gram.

By Sarah Jenkins

French Ambassador Bernard Valero, at KU Leuven to kick off France Year.

Photo by KU Leuven / Rob Stevens


Despite the efforts of the Kyoto Protocol and various global cli-

mate change conferences, the emission of CO2 and other greenhouse gases is still going through the roof in many parts of the world. Smaller-scale initiatives, how-ever, are slowly coming into play, not in the least here in Flanders. The city of Leu-ven also aims to reduce its net emission of CO2 to zero in the coming decades so as to be fully climate neutral by 2030.

“Given that cities are responsible for 70% of global CO2 emission, it is only fit-ting that they take the lead in remedying that,” climate expert and KU Leuven re-search manager Peter Tom Jones explains. “I believed it was possible for Leuven to become climate neutral and that it would be easier for us than for cities such as Ghent or Antwerp; we have a fairly small population and don’t have any heavy in-dustry in the area.”

Jones joined forces in May 2011 with Mohamed Ridouani, City Councilor for Environment, and a project was set up to lay out a strategy to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to zero. By June last year, a baseline measurement had been established, from which it appeared that 60% of all greenhouse gases emitted in Leuven comes from buildings and 25% from traffic in and around the city. The further outcome of past years of the Leu-ven Klimaatneutraal 2030 team’s research was presented on 20 February at the Ar-tefact Festival at STUK, where a concrete course of action for the city that is both feasible and financially realistic was pre-sented.

Serge de Gheldere, CEO of Future-proofed, once more stressed the neces-sity of immediate action. Klaus Bondam, former Copenhagen mayor for Technical and Environmental Administration, fol-lowed by explaining Copenhagen’s trans-formation to a carbon-neutral and green city. Scientific coordinator Han Vandevy-vere focused on four chief fields of ac-tion: housing, non-residential buildings, mobility, and the use of energy. For each of these, he suggested a mix of measures, but the most important highlights were large-scale renovations and a new mobil-ity model with an equal share for bicycles, public transport, and cars. Vandevyvere repeatedly stressed the necessity of ini-tial high investments but also assured the audience of their certain profitability in the near future. Ridouani concluded the evening, stating that the city of Leuven is already busy making changes to their ex-isting infrastructure and adapting the city center to make it a traffic-restricted area.

MetaforumSo far, KU Leuven has played a con-

siderable part in the initial stages of the

project, contributing financially and plac-ing research staff at the LKN 2030 team’s disposal. The university will con-tinue to be involved, but is also intent on making significant internal changes. A working group was set up within Metaforum, a mul-tidisciplinary think-tank at KU Leuven concerning relevant social debates. Jones says, “The goal of this work group is for the university as an organization to become climate neutral. It works twofold: firstly, there are the practical, concrete measures to be taken with regard to logis-tics, mobility, and energy efficiency. How can we become a green campus? Secondly, there is our research and education: how can we make KU Leuven an example of sustainability and climate neutrality in that area as well? We aim to have a plan of action ready by the fall of 2013.”

Citizen participationThe initial steps may have been taken

by KU Leuven and the city, but other or-ganizations and companies quickly came on board. According to Jones, however, the whole project does really work because it also involves citizens. “Citizen partici-pation is an important aspect of this pro-ject. It can only succeed if all participants to the story are actively involved. Policies laid down from above without support of local organizations or citizens never have much chance of success.”

LCN 2030 called out to the people of Leuven to come up with ideas, make sug-gestions, and even volunteer to become climate ambassadors. “These climate am-bassadors would then organize meetings that anyone interested could attend to exchange ideas to stop climate change,” says Yanti Ehrentraut, organizer of the Klimaatparlement (Climate Parliament) last December. “By now, all citizen input has been processed, so what remains for us is to take their suggestions into account in the further outline of the project. Many participants were, for instance, willing to reduce the use of cars or expressed an in-terest in car sharing. They would opt for the bicycle as an environmentally friendly alternative but would then also look to the city council to facilitate bicycle use in and around the city. The main goal was to give citizens a chance to have a say in the story of LCN 2030, and that is something we definitely managed to achieve.”

Student initiativesStudents, too, are taking a stance on

sustainability and the future of our city. In the spring of last year, masters students of industrial engineering at Groep T Univer-sity College founded CORE, a coopera-tive aimed at developing and promoting sustainability. CORE team member Dries Bollaerts says, “We set up several projects a year, and we are free to choose what we wish to work on. Because we ourselves are fully responsible for the entire process, we also gain a lot of entrepreneurial experi-ence as well.” His colleague, Ruben Vos, continues. “A project we did in Leuven, for instance, was to take a closer look at Alma De Moete. We took a critical look at the building, assessing how it could be improved with regard to energy efficiency and worked out a proposal on how to alter it accordingly. Another project we worked on is TV48. Here we made some recom-mendations about the renovation of a student house at 48 Tervuursevest so as to make it more sustainable.”

There is no way Leuven can become climate neutral without the student body joining in, the CORE Team justifiably thinks. Bollaerts, one of the students who volunteered to become a climate ambas-sador, says, “We decided we especially needed to tackle energy-inefficient stu-dent dorms and houses. This is where an-other project of ours, Coöpkot, came into being: a co-op aimed at renovating stu-dent houses and dorms, whose members can rent ecological and energy-efficient rooms. Essentially, climate neutrality and sustainability are topics everyone needs to work on together; that is why the idea of a cooperative appeals to us so much, not only within CORE, but also in gen-eral. There is so much knowledge on hand in this town - what we need most is to combine all that knowledge, sensitize the community, and work together on a sus-tainable future.”

2030: A Climate Neutral LeuvenBy Liesbeth Schulpé

LEUVEN

Photo by Sang Nguyen


features

Eco-friendly LivingBy Evelyne Van Hecke

Buy, throw away, buy, throw away, … the capitalist economy made us believe that eve-rything is disposable and replaceable. It’s completely ingrained in the whole system.

Industrial engineers, for example, are trained to create products that break down after a short period, so consumers have to keep buying them. Just one of the twisted ways to ensure a grow-ing economy.

The climate has been telling us for awhile now that this mentality has to change. How can students in Leuven contribute to a more eco-friendly world? That’s what this issue is all about.

Photo by Gabriel Martínez MirandaHeverlee Forest, Leuven.


Buy locally-grown food and save the planet

True, world cui-sine is delicious, and international students will try to recreate family recipes while abroad. Supermarkets are full of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, … and they might be native to your home-land, but they do not grow naturally in Bel-gium.

Either they are imported or they are grown in a conserva-tory. Import and ex-port has a big impact on the environment due to transport emissions. Production of fruits and vegeta-bles in a conservatory is sometimes even more damaging. Day and night fossil fuels are used to create the perfect conditions to grow our tomatoes.

However, Belgium has its own fine selection of local veggies, some of which are not eaten any where else in the world. Why not add them to your diet from time to time? You could go for a traditional Belgian dish, or use Belgian-grown veg-etables in a self-invented recipe. Leeks, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, red cabbage, endives, fennel… do find out what de-licious things you can do with the local vegetables. With no greenhouse necessary and being locally produced, you can’t do better for the environment.

Thursday = veggie dayVegetarians are not rare in Bel-

gium and the number keeps growing. Although vegetarianism started out of protests against malpractices in the meat industry, more and more people are won over by vegetarianism because the meat industry has the biggest share in CO2 emissions on this planet. Most eco-minded vegetarians do not want people to give up meat completely, but eating a lot less meat would help sig-nificantly if we would all do it together. And thus, the flexitarian was born. A flexitarian has a couple of vegetarian days per week.

Why not go along with this trend by starting with the veggie day? EVA (Eth-ical Vegetarian Alternative) proclaimed Thursday as Veggie Day. A lot of Bel-gian schools, restaurants, and companies are joining this initiative and don’t serve meat or fish on Thursday; instead, they serve a delicious vegetarian alternative. If you don’t know how to cook vegetar-ian food, there are a couple of inspiring vegetarian restaurants in Leuven. Green Way on Parijsstraat and Lukemieke on Vlamingenstraat can definitely make you cross the veggie border. STUK also serves a vegetarian dish on Thursdays, and of course, Indian restaurants always serve some fine vegetarian dishes too.

Be trendy: go for secondhandPeople used to scoff at the idea of

secondhand goods. ‘Secondhand’ meant poor-quality items for the poor. If you wanted to have a cool image, buying a sweater that was already used by some-one else was not the thing to do. But in Europe, the financial crisis made a lot of people see that secondhand is maybe not that bad after all. Saving a euro for an extra beer in the fakbar became more of priority. That’s how ‘vintage’ became hip. Because of the crisis, secondhand house-wares started becoming popular too. Why buy a new sofa when someone will sell the same one used for a year and sold for half the price? Some also start the search for cheap secondhand furniture because they are sick of IKEA interiors.

Still not everyone has jumped on the secondhand train. They may consider sec-ondhand items unhygienic, or they might be put off by a little damage. Stores like IKEA, H&M, and Aldi offer cheap prod-ucts, and we are happy to buy them. But remember this: cheap things are expen-sive. If their production is not damaging the environment, it’s often at the expense of factory workers - oftentimes children. Cheap products are often made in so-

called developing countries, where for in-stance, child labour is not forbidden and employees are not paid a fair wage. When you are paying an incredibly low price for a new item, that probably means someone else is paying for you. Shopping second-hand can give you the opportunity to buy something cheap, and it’s less damaging to something or someone else in the world. To make life easier, more sustainable, and human-friendlier for you, all the secrets of Leuven’s secondhand markets are revealed in this issue’s article, “Used & Vintage Is the New Black.”

When you want to get rid of some-thing, consider if you could make some-one else happy with it. You can either resell it or donate it to an individual or or-ganization. In Leuven, you can drop your old clothes in containers around the city that redistribute them to humanitarian organizations. Or take them directly to SPIT’s secondhand shop, so you can make someone else’s day with your used goods.

Used doesn’t mean used up: a two-wheeler sets the perfect example

The modern human definitely throws his things away too quickly. Something may be considered garbage by one per-son, but someone else can give it a second life. All you have to do is combine a bit of imagination and handicraft. In Leuven, people are definitely the most imaginative and handy with their bicycles. If bicycles could talk, I would ask them how many owners they’ve had. The answer would most likely be more than two.

Once a year, the City of Leuven cleans the Dijle River, where they find hundreds

Left photos by Gabriel Martínez Miranda; bottom photo by Hai Nguyen

Repair Café held at STUK during Artefact Festival. For more information on the global Repair Café initiative, go to www.repaircafe.org.


of bicycles. The bikes are taken to VELO, where they are examined for usability. Parts of bikes are salvaged to assimilate a bicycle that can carry a new owner again. Unfortunately, bikes are also the victims of re-users outside the official circuit. You can read all about that in this issue’s arti-cle, “Bike Theft.”

Recently, the NMBS (Belgian railway company) started to work with second-hand trains. Often, secondhand trains still drive perfectly, but the interior may not live up today’s standard. They used to throw them away or donate them to a de-veloping country. Now they give the car-riage a little bit of paint, new seats, etc., and the train looks as good as new. Travel-ers are content to ride a secondhand train, and it costs less to refurbish an old train than to buy a brand new one.

You can apply this cunning business strategy to your own day-to-day life, even

when you lack the skills to refurbish your own goods. Take the example of shoes. The streets of Leuven are not nice to shoes, and especially models with high heels tend to wear out quickly on those vi-cious cobblestones. You might be tempted to throw them away and buy a new pair in a cheap shop. STOP! There are many schoenmakers (shoemakers, or cobblers) who can make your old pair look and feel as good as new. That solution is the more sustainable and cheaper option.

There are also tailors in Leuven who can do the same for your clothes. But when your clothes are too far gone, you can still think outside the trash can. Your ripped jeans could be turned into a stylish purse, your thin top into a dust cloth. Fur-niture can easily receive the same treat-ment. Develop an eye for the potential of an old piece of furniture. How would it look with a splash of paint, some stickers, or new fabric? If you like the looks of that mental picture, buy it and go to the DIY or craft shop to make it a real gem for your student room. With a little creativity, even your trash will serve you well.

Pollute less, consume lessTry to keep your amount of garbage

as low as possible. Unfortunately, we can’t go through life without producing it (yet), but we can change some of our habits in order to pollute less.

Before you go to the supermarket, don’t leave home without a reusable shop-ping bag. Remembering your reusable will not only save some money, but you also save the planet from some extra non-recycable plastics. You can also take your reusable bag when you go for your next fashion hunt instead of taking the shop’s bag. When you do end up with a plastic bag after shopping, try to reuse it as much as you can. When you buy unpacked veg-etables, you can group them together in one bag.

Speaking of unpacked vegetables, the biggest part of our garbage is packaging. Try to go for items that are the least pre-

packed, and use sustainable packaging that can be reused, like tupperware boxes, lunch boxes, or Boc’n Roll reusable lunch wrappers.

Sharing your meals with friends or ‘kotmates’ is also beneficial to the plan-et. When you shop together, you throw away less. For example, your milk would not have time to turn sour with everyone sharing it, so you avoid the risk of getting sick or being forced to pour it down the sink. You would only have to cook and do the dishes once, which will not only save time but also water and energy (gas and/or electricity). Not to mention the fact that food tastes so much better when you share it!

If you decide not to share, but you have unwanted leftovers, you can sell them to someone else. In Leuven, you can do that via www.thuisafgehaald.be. You can act as a takeout restaurant for the day, and put your leftovers up for sale to some-one too lazy or busy to cook. You earned some extra cash, you didn’t have to throw away food, and chances are the takeout will be transported with a bike instead of a moped.

Public transport, a bicycle, carpool-ing, and car sharing are ways to make your travel on this planet less damag-ing. For short distances, you can use your bike or feet, emissions-free except the ones from your breathing - hurrah! For longer distances, consider the bus (to Heverlee and Kessel-Lo, it’s free with the bus pass), the train (long live the Go Pass for -26 and the Rail Pass for +26, for travels inside Belgium!) or carpooling (www.roadsharing.com) for your travels around Europe.

Recently, Belgian public transporta-tion companies started the concept of car sharing (www.cambio.be). It’s mostly meant for people in cities, who have easy access to public transport, but who may experience its shortcomings. Some loca-tions are poorly connected, and trains/buses unfortunately don’t operate 24/7. An answer to these shortcomings is car sharing. You pay a per-km fee to use a car from time to time. You can reserve it, pick it up at one of several places in the city, and then return it. By only us-ing the car when it’s really necessary, you consume less petrol and reduce your con-tribution to atmospheric CO2.

Recycle away The next best thing to consuming

less is recycling as much as possible. You might disagree with the Belgian re-cycling system, but it is what it is, so try to cooperate. Because it’s so Belgianly complicated, THE VOICE interviewed the recycling expert of Leuven, the ad-visor on domestic culture and sustain-able living of the Housing Service (see “Housing Service” in this issue). Now you have to promise us something: make reminders. Write, draw, paint, photoshop on a card what can and can’t go in the brown bag, blue bag, green bag, and with the paper. Hang those reminders close to your garbage bags. That way, you can remember it once and for all. One more big tip for glass: return your beer bottles, and get your deposit back. Bottle money: you recy-cled, and you saved some money! The bottles go back to the factory, where they are cleaned and refilled with the Belgian golden drink. They do the same for some other glass bottles, like wine bottles, so check the label.

Now why should you recycle? Recy-clable goods can be reused, decreasing dependence on raw materials. Thanks to recycling, we have to mine our planet less in order to pack our food. In the best case scenario, the trash that can’t be recycled ends up in the incinerator. The heat is used to generate electricity, which is done in a relatively eco-friend-ly way. Worst case scenario, it ends up in a dump. Though it’s a rare sight in Belgium, they do still exist. So it’s al-ways better to make sure that you don’t waste what can be recycled.

These are our simple, low-impact tips, but when we all apply them to-gether on a daily basis, we will have a highly positive impact on Mother Earth. So please join the eco-friendly club.

Photo by Odette RiveraMarché Place du Jeu de Balle in Brussels.


Do-It-Yourself: Origami Flower

Photos by Limin Liang & Gabriel Martínez Miranda

Step 1: Start with a square piece of used paper.

Step 2: Fold the paper in half diagonally. Step 3: Fold the left corner to the top corner.

Step 4: Fold the right corner to the top corner.

Step 5: Open the left flap (into a cone), then flatten it down, creasing the sides.

Step 6: Do the same thing with the right flap.

Step 7: Fold the top-left corner down. Step 8: Do the same thing to the right flap.

Step 9: Fold the left flap in half.

Step 10: Do the same thing to the right flap.

Step 11: Bring the right and left flaps together and glue or tape them to each other to make one petal.

Step 12: Repeat all of the previous steps to make five petals. Then glue or tape the petals together.

Have you ever thought, “I want to decorate my place with flowers, but I’m too lazy (or cheap) to go to the market to get fresh flowers every two weeks.” Well, pick up some used paper and some glue or clear tape and follow the steps below to create homemade flowers.


We’ve all been there at least once: you’re in need of a nice set of

shot glasses, a unique and original outfit, or maybe even some extra furniture, but you’re just a bit low on funds at the mo-ment. Why not kill two birds with one stone by doing some secondhand shop-ping? It’s easy on the wallet and good for the environment!

First stop on the hunt for any sec-ondhand item in Leuven must be SPIT. Situated next to the Bodart parking lot, SPIT is by far the biggest secondhand shop in town. Clothes, shoes, furniture, books, carpets, mirrors, kitchen utensils... you name it, they have it all. Their array of crockery and glassware is impressive, and you’ll find yourself a comfortable sofa or a nice set of chairs in no time. What makes this place even more inter-esting is that at the end of your stay in Leuven, you can return whatever you’re not taking back home with you!

Or sell your old things and buy oth-ers at Leuven’s Ecoshop (just past the harbour on Kolonel Begaultlaan). This warehouse-turned consignment store has an enormous selection of furniture, appliances, and knick-knacks.

An equally eclectic array of goods can be found at the Saturday market on the Mathieu De Layensplein. Grown attached to those big, beautiful beer glasses? Get your own right here! With its books, glassware, and little curiosities, this small market gives off a pleasant ga-rage sale vibe.

With interior design taken care of, continue your hunt for bargains in the fashion department. The Leuven branch of Think Twice (T2) is located at 255 Diestsestraat and offers vintage items as well as daily basics. You’ll be hard pressed to find a dull piece in the quirky collec-tion for sale here. With items costing around 10 euros apiece, you can easily jazz up your wardrobe for just a little money. They change collections every five weeks, at the end of which there are sales. T2 operates on two main principles: re-cycling clothes and keeping fashionable clothing available for everyone.

Just down Diestestraat at number 217, you’ll find Cyaankali, a secondhand shop with more upscale fashion. This is place to go if you’re interested in own-ing an affordable designer piece. Owner Elke is quite particular about the clothes she accepts, stating that she only sells top labels and nothing purchased over three years ago. It definitely shows; the small shop is a label paradise at prices down to one fourth of the original. Be sure to have a look at the accessories - you just might find yourself a gently used Del-vaux or Louis Vuitton bag, good as new!

A shop similar to Cyaankali is Rawette at 13 Den Tempst. You’ll find Armani and Boss rather than high street

fashion in this exclusive secondhand shop just be-hind the Oude Markt and Parijsstraat, open since 1979. Be sure to have a look at the displays with stunning vintage jewelry and other accessories on both sides of the counter.

Quite different from these two is De Kapstok on Mechelsestraat. De Ka-pstok runs entirely on vol-unteers, with proceeds go-ing to the CAW, a centre for social work and assis-tance. Although you’ll find less snazzy items here, the clothes hangers may hold some surprises yet. Their democratic prices and the fact that pur-chases support a good cause makes De Kapstok a worthy addition to the list.

Book lovers on a budget needn’t be left empty-handed in Leuven either. You’ll have no trouble finding books in Dutch, English, French, or German in any of the following book shops, al-though a search for books in other lan-guages might leave you rummaging through the bookcases a little longer. Start your hunt for your next favourite read at De Slegte (47 Bondgenotenlaan). This Dutch chain is the biggest second-hand bookshop in Leuven, though not necessarily the cheapest. Be sure to also check out the smaller, antiquarian book-sellers in town, such as In ‘t Profijtelijk Boeksken (180 Diestsestraat), Procopi-us (62 Naamsestraat), and Vanhove (16 Muntstraat), if only for their dusty book-ish smell and a brief look at the selection of first editions.

Of course our beautiful town does not hold the monopoly on secondhand retail. A trip to Brussels wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the daily flea market on the Vossenplein. Nothing beats stroll-ing around the huge square among the sometimes bizarre pieces on display and trying a hand at haggling once you’ve set your mind on something. Once in the city center, stop by Lucien Cravate at 24 Kartuizerstraat, and feast your eyes on the retro accessories and trinkets. Ramon & Valy (19 Verversstraat) is the oldest secondhand shop in Brussels, and they boast a collection of clothes from all the big labels of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Lastly, there’s the Second Life Festival at La Tentation, a monthly festival that combines vintage shopping with exhi-bitions and live music. Check out their website for the dates of future editions.

In Antwerp, be sure to stop by Re-tour, flea market and vintage shop in one (48 Graaf van Hoornestraat). Located in the trendy Kammenstraat at number 58 is Feelings, a shop brimming with

retro furniture and knick-knacks. Fans of Cyaankali and Rawette will have a field day at Ann-Vers (10 Mechelsesteenweg) or dALi’s wysiwyg store (393 Lange Leemstraat).

Ghent would not be deserving of its status as hipster capital of Belgium if it weren’t packed with artsy, quirky shops. Here’s the 411 on all things retro and vintage: The Fallen Angels (29-31 Jan Breydelstraat) for curiosities and post-cards, Pieternel (5 Bij Sint-Jacobs) for all your vintage shoes and designer handbags, and House of Vintage (27 Dampoortstraat) and Chato Retro (47 Sint-Kwintensberg) for clothes and ac-cessories. These are by no means the only secondhand places; you’ll no doubt stum-ble upon many more on a walk through most neighborhoods.

Of course, this would not be the 21st century if you could not shop for all of the above simply through your computer. And who better to exchange things with than your fellow exchange students? Have an online look at the Pangaea Fa-cebook group, the Leuven Junk Shop Facebook group, or the official KU Leuven Pangaea forum: http://forum.kuleuven.be/list.php?59

Naturally, there are also myriad non-KU Leuven websites at your disposal, but here’s the rub: secondhand websites operating in Belgium are only available in Dutch and French. So either brush up on your French or nudge a Belgian friend to help you out with transla-tions on your search for some new old things. Websites like www.kapaza.be and www.2dehands.be are good places to start; koopjeskrant.be is only avail-able in Dutch.

Additionally, all the websites men-tioned above are good alternatives to SPIT for the stuff you won’t be taking back with you at the end of your ex-change in Leuven, provided you manage to sell them before you’re due home, of course.

Photo by Sanjin Pajo

Used & Vintage Is The New BlackBy Liesbeth Schulpé

The store Think Twice, Leuven.


Bike Theft: What You Don’t KnowBy Ruben Bruynooghe

There’s a bit more to bike theft than just petty crimes. This month, the

Leuven police department publishes its annual report, revealing some remarkable numbers that say a lot more about police protocol and Leuven culture than you’d guess at first glance. Here are some facts about bike theft that you probably didn’t know.

Police are legally required to ‘steal’ your bike

It may sound contradictory at first, but police forces and other city services are actually Leuven’s most prolific bike-lift-ers. There’s good reason, however, because wrongfully parked bicycles can seriously block normal traffic. To prevent traf-fic pile-ups, police are constantly towing away bikes.

Patrols are also required to take care of so-called ‘orphaned bikes’. Bikes that are left unattended for three weeks are declared orphaned, and they will also be moved away. City guards will first label your bike with a piece of paper, and if they return three weeks later with the label still intact, they are allowed to confiscate your bike, regardless of how respectfully you parked the so-called orphan.

Things get weirder though: police forces are also legally required to take your vehicle into custody should you leave it unlocked. The same goes for cars with valuables on clear display and with the windows open. Police won’t tow away your car, but they will remove the valu-

ables. The legal logic behind this is that servants of the law need to prevent any crimes from happening. This means they also have to intervene in situations where someone might be tempted to commit such an act, like lifting an unlocked bicy-cle. Of course, officers will return your be-loved transport when asked for it, but they will only guard it for six months before giving it away. “Situations have occurred where I took six unlocked, unguarded bikes into custody after a routine control. Those bikes just stood at my office for months because nobody ever bothered to ask for them,” says Nick Vandenbussche, police officer.

Next time you assume your bike is lost without a trace, you might want to check with the police. Chances are, you left it unlocked, or you’re just a lousy parker.

Only six bikes were stolen from campus grounds last year!

While some numbers are astounding, others are just plain unbelievable. Secu-rity personnel from the several campuses around Leuven only noted six cases of bike theft last year. As far as official num-bers go, this one is a hilarious underesti-mate. The fact is that most people won’t report a theft to the police, let alone to security guards.

In 2011, police registered only 2,256 complaints of bike theft. Estimates say the real number is way up. Vandenbussche says, “There is a gigantic dark number. I’ve seen bikes disappear piece by piece in a pe-

riod spanning more than a week. Nobody ever came to file a complaint.” Reporting a theft to the police is important for many reasons, but for all you know, your bike might already be ‘safe and found’.

You’re probably already driving a stolen bike (if you’re renting)

In case you’re wondering what hap-pens when nobody comes to pick up a bike after a six-month wait, the answer is simple: like other orphans, it is given away to the city’s bike servicing centre, Velo. At Velo, bikes are registered, repaired, and rented out. This bicycle cycle means that when you rent a bike from Velo, you are almost certainly driving around on confis-cated goods. At least the criminal sensa-tion should be more than enough to make up for the bike’s horrible suspension.

The fact that Velo bikes were stolen before does not make them immune to another round of bike theft however. Offi-cial numbers show that last year, 311 Velo bikes were stolen. That amounts to 13.8% of all complaints of bike theft! Some bikes will just never learn.

Spraying it pink won’t workAs you might have noticed already,

lots of bikes in Leuven are painted in horrendous, bright colours. Usually this is deemed to act as a repellent from thieves. Consequently, it has nothing to do with their owners aggressively want-ing to shout out their personality all over town.

Graphic by Wim Dehaen


The bad news is that, apart from looking extremely stupid, this almost never works. Bike thieves in Leuven are mostly ‘users’. This means that these thieves will just ‘borrow’ your bike, take it for a spin, and drop it immediately when they’ve reached their destination. Only a small portion of bike thefts are conducted by an organized gang or criminal. It fol-lows that regular bike thieves will only look for a bike that is easy to steal, rather than being afraid that the fashion police is going to arrest them.

If you thought a colourful bike would be more easily recognizable in Leuven, you might be right if you were the only one thinking that. However, if you ask the police to be on the lookout for a pink ladies bike, you might as well ask them to be on the lookout for a bike with two wheels on it.

Being able to recognize your bike af-ter it gets stolen is a good idea though. The fact is that some bikes never get sto-len at all, but rather, some group of trou-blesome gnats decided it would be a fun idea to pick up your bike and put it down a couple meters further down the road, just out of sight.

If you really want the police to recog-nize your bike, you should strongly con-sider marking your bike with a registered number. This can be done at Velo (Hol-lestraat 1), Fietspunt (Leuven station), the bicycle service of the Leuven police (Mechelsestraat 162-168 or De Vunt 2 in Holsbeek), or at periodic events where the service is offered. The good thing

about this is that the police will auto-matically warn you when they’ve found your bike, meaning that you don’t even have to check for yourself, and it’s only half the fee to pick it up (5 euros). Even with all these benefits, only a small por-tion of bikes are registered. A sample of 225 bikes showed that only 10-30% of all bikes are registered.

Day or night, makes no differenceStealing a bike is surprisingly easy.

A quick scan will reveal that a lot of bikes aren’t even locked at all. But even when they are locked, not every lock will do. Some locks can just be yanked open. As for trusting that eyewitnesses will come and prevent any attempted theft, you are seriously mistaken. Num-bers show time and time again that most bike thefts happen on the busi-est streets: Naamsestraat, Bondegen-otenlaan, and Tiensestraat are all in the top four riskiest locations. Finally, to destroy any claims to social control, the official numbers show that there is no difference at all between bikes be-ing stolen at night compared to those stolen in broad daylight.

All this does not make Leuven a cy-clist’s hell. Just don’t take your most ex-pensive ride to town, secure your bike with a lock that can’t be cut with rela-tive ease, and make sure your bike can’t be moved by simply picking it up. If you follow these simple rules and park properly, you’ll likely never encounter any problems at all.

More and more, the media re-minds us of the planet’s state.

Global warming, never-ending poverty – we seem to be heading the wrong way. Luckily for those who want to head off the damage, the business world is jumping at the opportunity to build a new, ethical, sustainable economy. Green economy is a hot topic; on one hand, it is a great op-portunity for a more ethical way of doing business, but on the other hand, it seems ‘green’ is riddled with false advertising.

Through what we buy in the super-market, we send a message. We may buy more organic foods, not only for health reasons, but to save the earth from all kinds of ‘unnecessary’ chemicals. There is no clear proof that organics are superior to conventional food. Organic just means that there were no chemicals used in pro-duction; it does not mean that buying them necessarily supports a small co-op that hires locals for farming and vending. Furthermore, producing organics requires more land and water, meaning that about three times as much farmland is needed, resulting in even fewer forests.

Besides ‘organic’, there is also the ‘green’ label of Fairtrade. By buying prod-ucts with the Fairtrade label, we make sure that whatever we consume is traded for a fair price. Note – there is a difference between being fairly traded and Fairtrade. Critics of the Fairtrade label reason that it takes away the incentive for innova-tion and change. From a strict economic view, a low price means overproduction, so Fairtrade acts as a subsidy for overpro-duction. It misses the root of the prob-lem: there is more supply than there is demand, and the ‘fair price’ that is paid is an extra incentive to enter the market, pressing the non-Fairtrade prices down even more. Besides, Fairtrade only sup-ports smaller co-ops, thereby not protect-ing the majority of employees who work on bigger plantations. Ironically, these are perhaps the employees that need the most protection.

An alternative to the Fairtrade label is Rainforest Alliance, which is not depend-ent on the size of production. And beyond regulating minimum prices, it assists with training to make companies competitive in the global economy.

So do these not-so-green labels mean that we should stop buying organic, fair-ly-traded, sustainable products? No – but it does mean that we should think twice about how we want to preserve this plan-et. In many cases, ‘fair’ and ‘green’ are pro-motional tools – there are a lot of com-panies that use the green trend to boost their profits. This goes against all the goals of labels like Fairtrade and Rainfor-est Alliance, but it also defies our goals and standards as consumers. In every case though, buying power is in the hands of the well-informed consumer.

How Green Is Green?By Ilja Postel

Commentary

Photo by Sara Rich

Café In Den Rozenkrans, Vlierbeek Abbey, Kessel-lo.


The vernal equinox is 20 March, marking the first day of spring and the time of year when long, cold nights retreat in favor of longer daylight hours. But

where can you go to enjoy a breath of fresh spring air in Leuven? Believe it or not, there are a few areas in- and outside of Leuven where a glimpse of the natural world can still be found.

Recent studies have indicated that Belgium’s high population density (almost 400 people/km2) has had a drastic effect on its environment. Analysts rank Belgium’s environmental performance index (EPI) the lowest among the EU, and in a study of water quality in 122 countries around the world, Belgium again fell all the way to the bottom of the list – raw sewage in fresh water sources was a main contributor to the dismal statistics.

In Leuven, the population density rockets far beyond Belgium’s national aver-age to 1,700 people/km2 (57 km2, population 100,000). Students and others living in Leuven’s centre may have a difficult time getting a breath of fresh air amidst the exhaust fumes, vile-smelling canals, and the Stella brewery’s industrial perfume of yeast and sulfur.

However, there are several places in the area that offer some olfactory peace – where you might actually want to stop and smell the flowers. In Leuven’s centre, there is the Kruidtuin, the botanical garden on Kapucijnenvoer off Brusselsestraat. Entrance to the breathtaking gardens is free, and visitors can enjoy some fresh air scented with fabulous plants from all over the world, while relaxing to the sound of water fountains on a sunlit park bench.

Just outside of Leuven, there are also a few places to go for a healthy dose of Mother Nature. Leuven’s provincial domain is in Kessel-lo, where you can find walk-ing trails around several ponds brimming with fish, ducks, even a few resident cranes. For extra peace and quiet, take a row or paddle boat out on the biggest pond, where the only sounds you’ll hear are the ones coming from songbirds.

If you live on the other side of Leuven, Heverlee also has a wide spread of woods and trails where you can spot some wildlife and find some fresh air. Take Naamses-teenweg to the Heverleebos, which, together with the Merdaalwoud and Eigen-hovenbos, comprises over 2,000 ha of nature-ridden peace and quiet. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a few wild deer, foxes, hares, or boars, all of whom make their home in these woods.

Also try the area abbeys for a quiet so peaceful that even monks approve. In Leuven, the Keizerberg Abbey has a lovely ground complete with fruit trees and a pasture full of sheep that makes it easily worth climbing the hill to get there. In Kessel-lo, the Vlierbeek Abbey is surrounded by fields, horse pastures, and trails through quiet woods. Heverlee hosts the Park Abbey, which is likewise surrounded by fields and kilometers of walking and biking trails. A special plus: each of these abbeys also offers its own beer, so you can sample some local flavors on the grounds where they’re brewed – without suffocating from any industrial fumes.

A Breath of Fresh Spring AirBy Sara Rich

Photo by Sam Patel

Leuven Botanical Garden.


Housing Service: Nikkie MelisBy Hai Nguyen

Do you recall that kind-looking, sweet-smiling and oh-so-funny lady who came to our orientation day and made quite a show out of the colour-coded garbage

bags of Leuven? Ms. Nikkie Melis has devoted most of her career to environmental protection. To her, sustainability is what citizens of developed countries could achieve through altering their lifestyles. She takes pride in her role of introducing one of the top recycling systems in Europe to international students. And she believes that recycling is the key to sustainability on planet Earth.

HN: Who are you and how long have you been doing this job?

NM: I have been working at the Hous-ing Service of KU Leuven for six years. My job is to sensitize international stu-dents to the kot (residential) culture of KU Leuven, including environment, mo-bility, and sustainability. And of course, Leuven’s famous recycling system is a part of this.

HN: What do you normally do on a daily basis at the Housing Service?

NM: My job at the Housing Service of KU Leuven involves environmental ad-visory and organizing eco-friendly pro-jects. I advise international students who need help on the recycling system. I am also involved in several other projects on sustainability. One of them includes the Veggie Bag. Every Monday afternoon, we go to different places in Leuven to sell fresh, healthy, eco-friendly bags of veg-etables produced locally. There are seven pick-up points in Leuven altogether, and this project is going very well. We have quite a number of clients and most of them are students. The city of Leuven is going to become climate-neutral in 2030, and we are preparing ourselves for that.

HN: Are there going to be changes in the current policies? Changes to a city as old as Leuven are not always easy, are they?

NM: Yes. And one of the challenges we have to face is collaboration: local gov-ernment, university, companies, citizens, and students. Everyone will have to con-sume less energy! But as you know, most buildings in the city are quite old, up to several hundreds of years. Considering that many historic buildings are not in-sulated, it will not be easy to save energy. Also, not everybody is sensitive to envi-ronmental issues, which makes it quite difficult to change consumption patterns.

HN: The recycling system in Leuven is one of the strictest systems in the world. Is this one of the key factors in turning it to an envi-ronmentally-friendly city today?

NM: Our waste system is the best in Eu-rope. We collect waste selectively so we

can give it a second life. Garden waste becomes compost. Rare metals are ex-tracted from mobile phones. Drinks car-tons are turned into pullovers. A second life for waste reduces the pressure on our planet. I believe that recycling, together with consuming less, is the key to making our planet a better place in which to live.

HN: Is that the reason why the system is so strict? The truth is, international students may have trouble memorizing all the rules of the system, especially the PMD bag. Can you briefly explain to us how the system works and how we can find relevant infor-mation?

NM: Since the system is so complex, I would advise consulting the KU Leu-ven website. Type ‘sorting waste’ into the English search engine. And then click on ‘environment’. On that page, you’ll find all the information, including a transla-tion of the Leuven waste calendar. Prints of this translation also can be collected from the Housing Service in Naamses-traat or at Residence Management if you live in a room from KU Leuven. But I can give you a tip for the PMD bag: only plastic bottles and flasks, metal packag-ing, and drink cartons can be thrown in the blue bag!

HN: Has this sorting system been used for a long time? Is it part of people’s everyday lives?

NM: It is our culture now. The system has been in existence as long as I can remember, and I am living quite a long time (laugh). I came to Leuven in the 1990s, and the system was in place then.

HN: How can students get in touch with you?

NM: My email address is : [email protected]. Feel free to send me your questions. Also, we are now or-ganizing projects to further improve our eco-friendly policies, and we are look-ing for ideas, especially from students. If you have any ideas on how we can make Leuven become a pollution-free, eco-friendly, energy-saving city, feel free to send your ideas to us. We wel-come your input.

Conversations

Nikkie Melis, Housing Service.

For more information and to download instruction leaflets on the waste sorting and colour waste bags, please go to this website:http://www.kuleuven.be/studentenvoorzie-ningen/advisorsresidential/environment.html

Photo by Gabriel Martínez Miranda


Society is educated about environmental issues now more than ever be-fore. Yet all we keep hearing is that the world is ending, and we’re all

going to die. Of course we will all die; welcome to Human Existence 101, thanks for stopping by. But while you’re here, why not try to shape the world in your own image? In five easy steps, you can become the eco-warrior that no one ever wanted you to be.

Be Militant. Contrary to popular belief, we do not live in an age of relativism. Moderation is for the undecided. There is only one correct view of reality, and that is yours. A position of tolerance will not get your message across, as people truly appreciate a hard sell. Need further convincing? Look at how successful religious zealots, militia militants, and cult leaders are. Exactly.

Reduce Waste. Westerners waste a lot of food. Whether this is due to over-sized portions, entitlement issues, or capitalist-generated insatiability is irrel-evant. The only way to stop this behaviour is through intervention. Try sitting with a stranger who has a large portion of food. Look warily at the food and ask, “Are you going to eat ALL of that?” Stare until you get an answer, or the person leaves. You may find yourself with an incredibly tolerant new friend or get a free meal, and isn’t that a win either way?

Decrease Productivity. Productivity = excess. The problem is not that we’re doing too little; it’s that we’re doing too much. Productivity is what got us into this mess, so reverse the trend by doing as little as possible. If this leaves you feeling useless or dissatisfied, always remember – there’s medication for that.

Nature is Beauty. Reframe your thinking and learn to see beauty where others do not. If your dog defecates on the sidewalk, do not clean it up. This is an unnecessary use of carcinogenic plastic (and your valuable time and effort) to dispose of a perfectly natural and biodegradable process. If a bystander gives you grief, stare at her compassionately while sadly shaking your head.

Embrace Life’s Contradictions. People who point out inconsistencies are being petty just for the sake of hearing their own voice. Complain about smok-ers as you’re driving your car or pulling on a spliff. Lecture people on vegetari-anism while chewing gum and wearing leather shoes. Ignore inconsistencies, at least in your own behaviour. You know your own heart is pure, but what about the rest of humanity?

Life as an eco-warrior isn’t always easy, but it has its rewards, such as bask-ing in the glow of self-satisfaction and righteous indignation, while doing very little to actually resolve the issues. Maximum results for minimum effort. Isn’t that what saving the planet is really about?

Never Thought You Could Be an Eco-warrior? Think Again.By Melissa Smith

Photo by Sam Patel


Cultural InvestigationTheoretical PerspectiveEntertainment & ArtLifestyle

In most of the villages and rural areas of southern Nigeria, where I grew

up, perhaps the most sacred and ostenta-tious place, after the local shrine, is the open marketplace. It stands apart by its structure, design, and function.

The structure of the typical rural mar-ket is that of a large open space, like an agora, sprayed with bamboo-built shades, locally constructed kiosks, a few stores and/or traders simply hawking their wares. From human economic exchange, the marketplace is often dusty and noisy.

It serves the local community’s needs, not just in sales and purchases, but also in engendering regular contacts between inhabitants. The local market day occurs once a week, and this is the day when most of the villagers gather within a single geographical space. It is a common say-ing in Africa that “you should not throw a stone into the marketplace because your mother may just happen to be there.”

Regardless of whether or not media technology, such as radio and television, are available, these resources provide information that sits outside the every-day lives of most villagers. Instead, the marketplace takes on the function of local media, where recent gossip, useful information, and editorial opinions are collected, cooked, and dished out. The vitality and speed with which local news is transferred from person to person, until it becomes common knowledge, is remarkable and unique to the rural mar-ketplace.

This sort of media is built on oppor-tunity, the kind that inevitably opens up where the majority of the people neces-sarily and regularly have to gather. Here, the community’s social positions, indi-vidual tastes, worth, and dispositions find publication. Here, groups and individuals meet with the praise or blame that comes along with ‘public judgment’.

Defining public opinionNot surprisingly, public opinion is

simply the opinion of the public. Basi-cally, that would be my apt reply to a curi-ous 6 year-old kid. The sweet aptness of the answer may suddenly turn sour if he is curious enough to ask, “Then who is the public?”

In my intellectual quest to articulate, or find my way within the maze of, what public opinion essentially is, my greatest difficulty lay within the word ‘public’. In-stead of a single opinion, it seems more reasonable to me to make it plural: ‘public opinions’.

That may solve the problem of ar-ticulation, but it creates another problem, what I call a ‘functional problem’. How useful will a collection of divergent views tagged ‘public opinions’ be for the politi-cian, economist, sociologist, business or industrial planner, the academic research-er, or even a public personality trying to

cultureThe Rural African Marketplace

Photo by Brian Sisco

The value of public opinion By Jude Mukoro

Cultural Investigation

Banjul, Gambia.


position the self in the polls of popular-ity? A collection of divergent views simply cannot add up to become just one view. However, what is useful and really needed for someone whose stakes lie on the pub-lic table, is the true, one and only opinion of the public.

I will proceed with the definition of Gabriel Tarde. He defines public opinion as the “totality of judgments.” This in-sightful definition presupposes the possi-bility of complexes in what we call public opinion. It is also a pragmatic definition that allows for at least one dominant voice at the end of the evolutionary process of public opinion. It is this domi-nant voice that we may call pub-lic opinion.

Dominant, yes, although not because everyone agrees with it. As Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann’s Spiral of Silence demonstrates, it is dominant because it is that voice which is loud enough to dominate, or better still, drown within itself the other smaller voices to produce what seems like a symphony. Loud enough to be heard, yet harmonious enough to reconcile opposites in one voice.

We may not exactly capture or articulate in precise terms what public opinion is or what it looks like. It may appear like a myth, but it is obviously a kind of myth that bites. However, in some situations, public opinion carries inside it the deepest yearnings and aspirations of the people. It is able to be-come a living flesh, with teeth that can re-ally bite hard.

The rural marketplace as formulator, in-terpreter, and enforcer of public opinion

I recall here an incident that hap-pened when I was a child. My mother came home a bit tired and frustrated. She swore at the rising prices of foodstuffs and showed visible dissatisfaction with the few items she managed to buy – and that was after much bargaining and price comparison within the marketplace.

She also talked about those like Mrs. Ngozi who was worse off. She was known and mocked in the market because of her unique character. It is common custom to taste items like peanuts, fruits, and some other consumables, at least from two sell-ers, before settling on a purchase. She was known to manipulate this opportunity, to fill up her stomach before returning home, most times without making a purchase at all. Needless to say, she was not a welcome client at the kiosks.

On the other hand, there was Madam Paulina, wife to the local government in-spector. She was known to buy the most expensive foodstuffs, especially meats and fishes. She would ask the fishmon-ger to cut off the heads of the fishes that she bought, which she either left with the fishmonger or shared amongst the growing numbers of admiring women around her. Consequently, she was well-liked and honoured by both sellers and fellow women because of her class and

style. Each market day, her status was re-enforced within the marketplace, but this honoured treatment spilled over to how she was treated outside the marketplace too. In short, the economic centre is the centre of the circle of public opinion in a rural culture.

It quickly became my pastime to eavesdrop into private conversations be-tween my father and mother, usually held late into the night. The conversations on the evenings of market days were the most interesting, when Mother told tales from the market: how Okoro beat up his wife again yesterday morning, how the fa-

mous palm wine tapper Nkolu fell from the palm tree and broke his neck, and lots of other stories. In all these instances, I notice three elements: 1) news is brought into the marketplace by at least one per-son; 2) the stories are modified, amplified, and broadcasted - in other words, pieces of information become public property as they are changed from the original story into something recreated by the public, into its own; and 3) these converted pieces of information are carried back to various households as the definitive summary, where subtle modifications are ongoing.

Instead of dwelling on these modifi-cations that are manifest in public opin-ion, I will just articulate the processes in-volved in the formulation, interpretation, and enforcement of public opinion in the marketplace. I base the intrinsic ethical strength and the substantial moral power of public opinion on two main proposi-tions:

1. Public opinion might not be nec-essarily ethical or moral, but it is functional and pragmatic.

2. Public opinion might not be necessarily guided, ethically con-structed, or emotionally sensitive, but it has the backing of human nature and what I call ‘facial eth-ics’.

As for the first proposition, the vir-tues of efficiency and productivity are celebrated, since speedy decisions have to be made, and along with a low-risk men-tality, premium place is given to estab-

lished reputation. If we are to work with him, who is he? What do others think of him? In small African villages, marriages are not normally consummated without prior approval of families of both groom and bride. This approval or disapproval is a based on a thorough search into the reputation of both families, and this repu-tation is mostly the by-product of public opinion. In the marketplace, being credit-worthy is also defined by one’s past record of dealings. Thus, public opinion might not be necessarily ethical or moral, but it is of practical importance to human in-teraction. ‘Of good reputation’ is always a

strong recommendation for mar-ket vendors guided by the values of efficiency and productivity.

The second proposition re-fers to my current study of Af-rican rural ethical systems. This study, largely drawn from em-pirical data and first-hand con-tact and experience, has allowed me to perceive a nuanced kind of ethical system, which I call ‘facial ethics’. There is a strong culture of the face in Africa, a moral force hidden in everyone’s physi-cal face. In a small rural African village, everybody has a recogniz-able face, since almost everyone seems to know and recognize the other. In the face are lines of one’s history, one’s identity and one’s social destiny. Even a small African child, when caught in a shameful act instantly and intui-

tively uses both hands to cover her face.Since we are accountable for our face

to conform and relate, we always try to ‘keep face’, so we try not to become the lonely and isolated face. It then becomes natural to adapt, and to belong to what I call ‘the big face’, something like a dialec-tic collection of all faces situated within an ethos. There is a desire, often repressed, to look at someone in the face, and also a greater desire to make and sustain the social worthiness and legitimacy of our own faces.

I find that this psycho-ethical side of the normal peasant binds him in a way to public opinion. His face is how he relates to the world, and this relationship is nec-essary to his survival, which depends upon his facial worthiness and connection with the ‘big face’. Senses of connection and worthiness are often defined by public opinion. Thus, public opinion might not be necessarily guided, ethically construct-ed, or emotionally sensitive, but it has the backing of human nature.

Public opinion should be recognized for what it really is: a collection of vary-ing tones of judgment amplified by the strength of numbers. It is powerfully loud, necessarily important, and functionally human, yet it is an opinion. The true test of democracy is an openness of society to the structures and collective actions aimed at forming and encouraging the individu-al to call into question, properly discern, and still contribute to that ‘big cooking pot’ called public opinion.

Photo by Adesoji AdegbuluLagos, Nigeria.


By Jessika Nilsson

Two years ago, a group of KU Leu-ven students dressed in anything

African that Katrien Rennemeier and Di-ane Birungi could find, walked an impro-vised catwalk (i.e., a wood platform that vibrated with every step) through a packed crowd at Pangaea. It was fun and relax-ing, but most importantly, the audience had made Diane and Katrien’s point: you can bridge cultural gaps through fashion. The African Film Festival heard about the students’ initiative and wanted to team up for an even larger fashion show, since the show aligned with its mission. This led to last year’s professionally choreographed UMOJA Fashion Show at the University

All photos copyrighted by Stefaan Cordier


Museumzaal, where the Vice Rector of International Policy, Bart De Moor, gave the opening speech as the guest of honour.

Founders and organizers Katrien and Diane, both KU Leuven graduate stu-dents, have vowed to stick to the concept of ‘a fashion show for students and by students’. Diane hails from Uganda, and Katrien, a Belgian, grew up in Tan-zania. Both bring a unique and complementary set of skills to create an inter-cultural team. Led by its core principle of celebrating diversity through fashion, UMOJA breaks stereotypes about Africa, culture, and the fashion world. The UMOJA approach to fashion is an empowering one, reminding us that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. UMOJA strives to change the horrible stereotypes we can find in the fashion world about the ‘perfect’ size and beauty.

Last year, about 500 guests saw students modelling outfits by seven profes-sional African but European-based designers from Berlin, Brussels, and Ant-werp, among other cities. This year, the organizers promise to make the show even more exciting. In partnership with the African Film Festival, KU Leuven Intercultural Office, Pangaea, and different student organizations, the UMOJA Fashion Show will take place on 14 March at 8 p.m. in Museumzaal (Naam-sestraat 22, Leuven), a day before the film festival and Leuven Partycipation Week start. Tickets are on sale at Pangaea and include welcome drinks and an African Film Festival movie screening at Cinema ZED or Kinepolis.

In February, UMOJA cast the show’s models, women and men from differ-ent cultural and racial backgrounds. The student models are trained by a pro-fessional catwalk coach to help them relax, grace the catwalk, and showcase over seven professional designers of uniquely selected collections with African themes. A crew of lighting technicians, photographers, and professional hair and make-up artists are also in place to complete the image.

While the show is a fun-filled hour with lights, colours, fashion, and music, Katrien stresses that the event aims to bring people from all over the world together in a creative multi-cultural setting. Diane strongly believes that there is still a lot to be learned about Africa, its fashions, and its cultures, and that stereotypes all too often leave people in the dark. Thus, although UMOJA is an African fashion show, it will always remain one that welcomes and connects all nationalities.

UMOJA is as African as it is global, and it is a source of inspiration for creative people from all over the world. Michael, a philosophy student who premiered on the runway last year, describes his experience: “Unlike the cir-cumstances that surround the word umoja, the resiliency for the emancipation of the African community, this coined African expression goes beyond its literal meaning: ‘Unity’ in Swahili, to stem a threshold for togetherness, a stronghold for dynamic diversities, a springboard for unique change, and a landmark for innumerable facets of creative minds...amongst others, to all and sundry. As a result, I am honoured and elated to be part of this forum!”

Personally, UMOJA has spurred me in creative terms. Having walked the runway the last two years, I have now gotten behind the sewing machine and fused East African fabrics with classic colonial/safari gear. With anthropolo-gists in mind, I created the fashion brand Ethnography. I’m proud to be a part of the UMOJA family and hope to welcome you to this year’s fashion show.

Top: Vice Rector of International Policy Bart De Moor.Left: Founders Katrien Rennemeier and Diane Birungi.


Lifestyle

Everybody has had the now-familiar experience of receiving a gift that

you have absolutely no use for. Usually when this occurs, many individuals keep the present and increase the mess around themselves, throw it away, or even worse in my opinion, return the present. How-ever, if you are unable or feel rude asking for a receipt, there may be other ways that you can make use of the item.

The process of ‘re-gifting’ still carries something of a stigma, but it is generally practiced among a large majority of indi-viduals. If done respectfully and properly, there is really nothing wrong with pre-senting someone else with an object that you have been given. It may be hard to de-termine when this practice is acceptable; if you will not be able to make use of the gift or if you already had it, there should be no shame in re-gifting.

Historical precedentSince the time people decided to give

gifts to others, some of these presents have been re-gifted (consider the situa-tion of receiving a lovely and oh-so de-sired brooch or piece of jewelry from your grandmother). Even so, until recently, re-gifting between non-family members was

kept secret and thought of as a taboo or unacceptable social practice.

Re-gifting has not always had such a bad reputation. Historically, people have been re-gifting since the start of civiliza-tion, and it was acceptable in many coun-tries. Economic development, along with prosperity and luxury, pushed the idea of re-gifting outside of accepted etiquette norms. Since that time, the act of re-gifting became a total taboo. It was quite common to hear sniffy clichés like “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” and “It’s the thought that counts.” So it is not sur-prising that the once popular practice of re-gifting became regarded as ‘poor taste.’

Recently, people have passed on un-wanted gifts via ‘white elephant’ gift exchanges or swap meets, or simply re-wrapping them in the hopes that no one would notice. The term ‘white elephant’ refers to a gift that is more trouble to keep than it’s worth. A white elephant party is a popular holiday game originally in-vented in North America. Generally, the game needs at least six participants, each bringing one wrapped gift - something the person doesn’t want to keep anymore. The gifts are placed in a central location, and participants take turns selecting pre-

sents in a particular order. The first person opens a wrapped gift and his turn ends. On subsequent turns, players have two options: either ‘stealing’ one of the un-wrapped items from another person or choosing one still in paper on the gift pile. The game is over when the last gift is un-wrapped.

These days, re-gifting is becoming accepted in the social mainstream, and soon the popular opinion of re-gifting will change dramatically. According to a survey conducted by the Money Manage-ment International Institute, more than half of the respondents find re-gifting ac-ceptable. The scientists from this institute connect this phenomenon with the popu-larity of online auctions, where buyers can bid on desired items. Other sources pos-tulate that in a modern society oriented towards sustainability and operated on re-cycling, reselling, and recession, re-gifting couldn’t stay away.

According to the Webster’s New Mil-lennium Dictionary of English, ‘re-gifting’ means the process of taking a gift that you have received but cannot use and giving it to someone else. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld first coined the term of re-gifting. Af-ter this, the popularity of the ‘green gift’

Awkward Social Situations by Katia Demydenko

White Elephants & Gift HorsesA guide to the culture of re-giftingBy Katia Demydenko


multiplied enormously. In some countries, such as the USA and Canada, re-gifting has been raised to the national level and coincides with the Christmas holidays, a time traditionally associated with gift-giving. Re-gifting can save money and keep holiday budgets on target, as well as give a second life to gifts you once re-ceived but have no need of.

The main obstacleThe common opinion of people sur-

veyed is that the main disadvantage of re-gifting is prejudice. When you get a present second hand, you might think that something is wrong with the item if the owner wants to get rid of it. However, a study conducted by psychologists from the University of Illinois suggests that it is far less likely to offend the original giver by re-gifting than is commonly believed. Experts at the London Business School found that original givers often think that receivers should treat the gift as they wish, and would rather see it re-gifted than thrown away. Furthermore, according to a recent survey by marketing agency, Arc, a quarter of respondents would choose to give an unwanted Christmas gift to some-one else.

If you are earth-friendly, re-gifting may be the way to go. Re-gifting is a good form of recycling, and it supports the re-cent push towards sustainability. A bright presentation of the concept can be found in the animated children’s classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys. Considering that natural re-sources and money are used in purchasing a gift, rather than letting it sit at the bot-tom of the toy chest, it deserves a second chance. Even if you don’t want it, an item may still have value to someone else.

Donating an unwanted gift can serve several aims: you get rid of an unneces-sary item and simultaneously bring pleas-ure to someone in need. There are a lot of programs initiated by towns, religious institutions, or specialized organizations aimed at collecting wrapped and lightly used gifts to distribute them to under-privileged people. This is re-gifting on a grand and extremely worthwhile scale.

This practice could equally be applied to students. How often do you notice yourself bringing home some cute small items from a day out shopping? Once a thing which seemed absolutely essential to you, with a closer look it turns into a

bauble that will barely be used in the fu-ture. In this case, you should simply look around; there is probably a person near you to perfectly match this re-gift. How-ever, in order to escape the embarrassment potentially associated with re-giving, one should always keep in mind some impor-tant guidelines.

Rules of re-giftingOne of the keys to re-gifting is that

you should always think about the person to whom you will re-gift. Evaluate the present with precision and criticism, as if you were buying something brand new. If for your birthday, you got a heavy metal CD you dislike, don’t give it to your friend who also hates the same genre of music. This is inconsiderate and demonstrates your inattentiveness toward your friend.

Likewise, avoid re-gifting a present back to the person who gave it to you in the first place, unless you’ve prepared a hi-larious come-back, like the well-known: “Well, I liked it so much that I thought I’d get you one too!” No one likes liars.

Always ensure the item for re-gifting is in almost perfect condition and doesn’t show traces of use. Reject re-gifting something that has missing parts. The gift receiver will know it’s been used and won’t appreciate your gesture.

While re-gifting is an attractive and practical way to ‘shop’ during the holiday season, it is sometimes better to hide the truth from people about the re-gifted ori-gin of the present. Additionally, you prob-ably shouldn’t tell the person who initially bought the item for you that you gave it to someone else. There is no need to hurt feelings with a present you regret. How-ever, it’s sometimes wise to admit you did not purchase the gift. Simply tell the re-cipient the gift was so perfect you couldn’t bear to keep it.

If you own something that you don’t need and it can’t qualify for re-gifting, re-member that there are a lot of homeless shelters or donation spots for people in need that would appreciate your contribu-tion in any form. However, the item still should be in good condition (gently used). So, either way, the joy of giving is always an option.

‘Golden fifth’ from Vicky OliverYet the question remains: how do we

overcome the initial shame of re-gifting? These suggestions come from Vicky Oli-ver, an image consultant in Manhattan and the author of a couple of bestselling books about personal branding, etiquette, and career development. She presents the etiquette of successful re-gifting with the

‘golden fifth’ of how to pull off re-gifting:

1. Do it on purpose. While shop-ping with a friend, develop the habit of paying attention to which items attract your friend’s interest. Then buy a couple of them. Keep one for an appropri-ate moment (within six months of purchasing), then swap for the other. Intentional re-gifting is a guaranteed way to get 50% sav-ings — with no bruised feelings on either side.

2. Do it thoughtfully. Just because you hate the book your sister-in-law gave you, it doesn’t mean you should lazily pass it on. Try to think of someone for whom that book or other item would be re-ally great fit — even if it is a per-son not normally on your gift list.

3. Do it with style. The secret of a gift previously being used could be hidden by a fancy cover. Spend time finding stylish boxes, gift bags, or ribbons priced at next to nothing. Wrap the unwanted perfume, picture frame, or knick-knack in knockout packaging, and your re-gift will get an in-stant facelift.

4. Do it as a party. Throw a swap-till-you-drop party around holiday time with your favorite friends, some food, and great drinks to make it more fun. Ask everyone to bring a bag of high-quality tchotchkes, clothes, acces-sories, or new household items they do not want.

5. Do it for good. It’s great to give to the needy. Re-gifting to those who are in need makes everyone happy.

With regards to the social, fiscal, and ecological benefits, re-gifting is an ac-ceptable form of holiday and birthday economy. It is also a practical lesson on understanding the meaning behind gift-giving, gift-getting, recycling, and charity. Remember that re-gifting remains a way to express gratitude, love, friendship, and thoughtfulness by considering the old ad-age “It’s not the cost of the gift, it’s the thought that counts.” Well, when you’re re-gifting, there’s no cost to the gift, so the thought behind it is the only thing that counts.

“It’s definitely better than throw-ing it away! It’s a good thing to bring pleasure to someone by giving it to him or her instead of leaving it for a lifetime in the basement or in the attic.”

~Belgian student, Faculty of Science

“In my opinion, re-gifting is a bit tricky. But if [the recipient of the gift] understands, it’ll be fine.”

~Chinese student, Faculty of Science

“I would feel a bit sad because the gift wasn’t originally concerned with my personality, however, I’d appreciate the act of gifting.”

~Spanish student, Faculty of Social Science


When I was in college in the US about a decade ago, I was living

a life of proud poverty and punk rock. My anarchist friends and I ‘squatted’ in aban-doned houses in lieu of paying rent. We hitchhiked and hopped trains instead of buying a car or a plane ticket. We slept in sleeping bags on the floor instead of in beds. And we used hobo pillows for our heads.

Hobo pillows. This is what we called the plastic bladder from boxed wine. After you drink all the wine from a 5-liter bag-in-a-box, blow it up like a balloon through the spout, et voilà! You’ve got a pillow for the night.

When I started graduate school, it was time to present myself as a more mature young scholar. So I upgraded from hobo pillows to those big clear-glass jugs of bottom-shelf wine with a little handle at the top. They come in varieties like red, white, and pink.

Then I moved to Europe for still more graduate school four years ago, and I thought, “Okay, from now on, I’m only drinking wine from a 0.75 L green bot-tle, and it will come from France or Italy, and it will have a year on the label.” Surely with the prestige of being a doctoral can-didate, one should also enjoy the prestige of drinking vintage wine.

Alas, the old American dollar just ain’t what she used to be. On my budget, I was forced to decide between a danger-ous, desiccating thirst and re-embracing the hobo pillow. Once, boxed wine was only considered appropriate for winos and trailer trash. But these days, boxed wine doesn’t always live up to its reputa-tion of low-class swill. In fact, plastic bags of wine in a box have acquired a clever new moniker: cardbordeaux (cardboard + Bordeaux). Although the nickname is tongue-in-cheek, several quality wineries are starting to bag and box their Bordeaux and Merlots instead of bottling them.

Cardbordeaux: breaking the reputationVini France (22 Ladeuzeplein) started

selling boxed wine about a year ago, and it’s proved a hit during vacation and holiday periods across the democratic board. They give two reasons: 1) the more the merrier; and 2) boxed wine is shatter-proof, mak-ing it easier to haul to the beach. Con-venience also pushes regular sales of white wine in a box, which is easier to stash on the refrigerator shelf than ‘tipsy’ glass bot-tles. While they agree that in years past, the quality of boxed wine was “a little iffy,”

its reputation has recently soared, “with-out a doubt” breaking through some of those social barriers that kept it on the bottom shelves.

Wine snobs may continue to turn up noses and raise pinkie fingers, but many wineries are making a decided move to-wards the acceptance of boxed wine. For one, boxed wine can be a win-win situ-ation for merchant and consumer; in a market where packaging is sometimes more expensive than its contents, winer-ies bag wines in 3-L and 5-L containers, and customers invest in multiple liters at a time instead of a much smaller bottle. If they like it (or don’t remember not liking it) they come back for more.

For the more sophisticated consumer, vintners claim that quality is not neces-sarily compromised with quantity. For example, one benefit to bagging wine is that the risk of oxidation is far less. The standard bottle size is 0.75 L because once the cork is popped, the process of oxida-tion begins. With exposure to oxygen, wine starts turning to vinegar and must be consumed within a couple days at most. If you’re drinking out of a bag, there’s no rush. The spout keeps most oxygen from entering into contact with the bag’s con-tents, so once opened, wine in a box can last up to a couple weeks before starting to turn.

Of course, there are aesthetics to con-sider. A box of wine just isn’t as pretty as a bottle. At home, that may not matter as much, but if you walk into a classy party carrying a plastic bladder full of wine, you may get a few upturned noses and pinkie fingers pointed in your direction. Winer-ies have come up with a clever, classy solu-tion even to this dilemma. I used to fill up my Spanish bota with wine from the spout before setting out for a party (it worked well with my rugged, traveller look), but now we ladies have the option to take the whole box – elegantly shaped like a designer purse. The French winery Vern-issage has created a purse-shaped box of wine that resembles a Prada handbag, spe-cially conceived by Swedish fashion de-signer Sophia Bloomberg for the thirsty, sophisticated lady on the go.

Vintage wines vs. cardbordeaux: envi-ronmental factors

Besides price and aesthetics, there are other considerations when deciding between wine from a box or a bottle. In terms of the environmental impact of boxes, bags, and bottles, it’s a tough call

that depends on a number of factors, like recyclability, reusability, and biodegrada-bility.

With bottled wine, glass is easily re-cyclable; in fact, unlike materials such as paper and plastics, glass is also infinitely recyclable. For every 1,000 kg of recycled glass, 315 kg of carbon dioxide is spared from the atmosphere during the process of manufacturing new glass containers.

However, if your bottle of wine comes with a plastic cork, that cork won’t be bio-degrading for the next few zillion years. Besides being cheap to manufacture, there are really no benefits to a plastic cork. Supposedly, they eliminate concern for ‘cork taint’ (a chemical compound that gives wines a musty flavor), but in fact, they don’t seal as well as natural cork, and they often admit oxygen to the bottle af-ter only 18 months. So you can forget a truly ‘vintage’ wine if it was bottled with a plastic cork.

Aluminum screw caps may be recy-clable, but they sometimes come with the opposite problem of oxidation: reduction. They actually don’t let enough air in, so some wine varieties, especially Sauvignon blanc, experience a suppression of aroma that can turn fancy into nasty. For vintage wines, the screw cap works great for the first ten years, then the plastic goes brittle

Cultural Investigation

‘Vintage’ Wine & Cardbordeaux

By Sara Rich

Personal, social, & environmental considerations



and lets oxygen come pouring in, turning that 2003 Vin de Pays d’Oc into Vinegar de Pays d’Oc.

Without a doubt, using good old-fashioned cork stoppers has the best en-vironmental impact. Cork is manually cut from cork oaks, which produce the material as bark that can be harvested every nine years without damage to the tree. The very ancient and sustainable cork industry provides thousands of jobs across Iberia at a time when jobs are like old bottles of Château Lafite Rothschild – rare and seriously valuable. Whole for-ests of these evergreen oak trees flourish in Spain and Portugal, and besides the socio-economic benefits, forests of cork oak also house great biodiversity, includ-ing the critically endangered Iberian lynx. If you buy a bottle of wine or champagne stopped with natural cork, you can drink with the comfort of knowing that you helped a harvester keep his job and a lynx keep his habitat. And, you can throw that cork in the back yard and it’ll be gone by next year.

As for cardbordeaux, there are re-ally only two materials to be concerned with: cardboard and plastic. Cardboard is recyclable, but paper products can only be recycled a few times before the lignin fibers become too short to introduce into new material. Some of the plastic blad-ders are recyclable, but I’ve found that most are not. However, besides reducing consumption and recycling what is con-sumed, re-using is the other step towards

being a more eco-responsible consumer – of wine, or anything else for that matter.

Although ‘squatting’ could be an ar-guably eco-friendly lifestyle, I no longer have much need for a hobo pillow. How-ever, wine bladders can be re-used in other ways, since most aren’t fit for the recycling bin. Once any remaining wine is rinsed out, you can refill the bag with water through its spout and place it in the refrigerator. It beats the taste of luke-warm tap water and by far outweighs the environmental impact of drinking refrig-erated bottled water. Similarly, you can refill the bag with water part-way (don’t worry about rinsing the remaining wine), and put it in the freezer as an ice-pack for your cooler or first-aid kit.

You can also keep empty bags around for packing material. The next time you want to send a Duvel beer glass back home, put the glass in a cardboard box (could also be re-used from your cardbor-deaux), and place partially blown up wine bags around it for cushioning. Other creative solutions abound: in the sum-mer, use a blown-up wine bladder for a volleyball, or tape two together to make arm-floaties at the swimming pool.

Facts and fables of wine’s social prestigeThe difference between wine consum-

ers and wine connoisseurs is like the dif-ference between rectangles and squares: all wine connoisseurs are consumers, but very few consumers are connoisseurs. At blind taste-testing soirees, most people

will not be able to tell the difference be-tween vintages of a certain winery. Most people will not even be able to tell the difference between wineries. Varieties of grape, on the other hand, can be pretty clear-cut for even amateur oenophiles. Cabernet sauvignon has a bouquet of berries and herbs, while Chianti features a nutty and floral bouquet. Chardonnay is fruity, while Riesling is sweet and flowery. Et cetera.

Wine lovers with shallow pockets, like students, no longer have to decide between quality and quantity, prestige or shame. Boxed wine used to be notorious for being labeled by color (red, white, or pink), but now it is easy to find decent, even good, wine in a cardboard box that is labeled, if not with a year, at least with a variety of grape – or maybe two (Syrah-Merlot blend, eg.).

And speaking of labeling, perhaps the surge in boxed wine’s reputation and quality is evidence of a changing attitude towards wine in general. Wine has long been considered the classy, bourgeois choice in alcoholic beverages, while beer was for the working classes, and hard al-cohol was for the hard alcoholics. Because wine has become more popular with the proletariats, the anarchists, and the poor college students, wineries have started supplying these non-traditional consum-ers with an increasingly wide range of products that match quality with quan-tity - and that mature along with the ages of some of their younger patrons.

Ever since primary school, I have hated physical education (PE)

and sports. Forced to play cricket for four years by a teacher who was a dis-gruntled ex-semi-professional cricket-er, I was green with envy at the kids with asthma who didn’t have to do sports. Later on, in high school, my no-show

record during senior year (the last year of high school before university) was so high, I still have nightmares I never gradu-ated because of all the PE classes I skipped. I went to PE three times during my senior year,, and if it wouldn’t have been for the teacher admiring me for my anarchistic attitude then the no-graduation scenario could very well have been true.

Thanks to all those useless lessons of cricket, played out under scorching heat in the East African highlands, I’ve always battled a fear of balls, bats, running, and, last but not least, getting picked last. I always got picked last in all the seven schools I attended in three countries. Only when we played dodge ball, would I be first to make the team because I was so afraid of balls (even soft ones) heading in my direction. Last

time my ego got trodden on was during a heart exam here in Leuven two years ago. Cabled up and forced to spin this stu-pid wheel, the icy doctor concluded I had the physical health of a 65 year old. In my defence, my heart was racing because her attitude was making me nervous. I could turn her advice anyway I wanted: I still knew I had to get into shape, despite my phobic fear of sports.

I found my calling reading about Krav Maga being prac-ticed here in Leuven. Krav is a close combat self-defence sport (not a martial art!) used by the Israeli army to train the best soldiers and intelligence operatives in the world. Krav is not something I am excellent at. I’ll never be world champion at kicking someone in the balls. But, Krav is a sport I enjoy practicing, and in fact the only sport I have ever enjoyed doing. Krav is effective, and there are no silly rules. Being a border-line-psychopath when it comes to efficiency and completely failing to adhere to any rules, the principles of this sport are clearly to my liking. Now, a year and a half later, here I am go-ing to practice twice a week, travelling to Israel to attend boot camps, and never hesitating to surprise groping nitwits on the Oude Markt with a painful knee to the groin.

How I Fell in Love with... A Combat Sport

By Jessika Nilsson


Where do I start? That was the question that arose when I en-

tered the Zythos Beer Festival in April of last year. Where do you start when you can choose between 500(!) different Bel-gian beers, brewed by 100 different brew-ers, and you have only one weekend to do so. How can one describe the vibe of the largest Belgian beer festival there is, and the vibe of thousands of beer lovers in the same place? Let me attempt to describe this beer wonderland that you may not have known existed in our backyard. I am not going to tell you how it ended though, that part is kind of fuzzy.

One day I was cycling in the country-side just outside Leuven when I caught sight of a white rabbit. Nothing special in itself, so I would have continued my journey, were it not that the rabbit was holding something which seemed like a small beer glass. I started following the rabbit, and it led me into the Brabanthal in Haasrode.

When I entered, I found out that I had fallen into a place that held the most marvelous collection of species and crea-tures my eyes had ever encountered. There were people with strange hats and Delir-ium elephants on their heads. There were gnomes wearing La Chouffe hats and people with beer holders hanging around their necks. The creatures that invoked the most awe, however, were the ones that walked around showing off huge beer bel-lies; in this strange world, they seemed to be a symbol of experience and endurance.

The most interesting and varied spe-cies though, and the ones that all these creatures seemed to be attracted to, like bees to a rose garden, were the ones stand-

ing on the tables. It was not as in some silly children’s story, where there was just one bottle on a table labelled ‘drink me’, but there were over a hundred tables with hundreds of bottles all screaming out to be drunk. And there weren’t any looking glasses either. Just a whole lot of drinking glasses. And so I drank. And I drank. And I drank.

And when I drank, I did not shrink, though somehow it did start to change my perception of the world. Yet when I drank, it felt as if different swarms of tiny creatures had invaded my mouth and started a war right on my very tongue. Not just a war with guns, but I mean a proper war, with airplanes and artillery and precision bombing. All possible dif-ferent tastes soared through and exploded in my mouth: from sweet over to bitter to sour, from superficial to deep and com-plex, from the expected beer taste to what you would have never expected beer to taste like.

I ran across beer poured out of whis-key barrels (the Peated Oak Aged Em-brasse from brewery Dochter van de Korenaar), beer bottled in the same way as champagne, where you keep turning the bottle around during the fermentation (Malheur Brut), fruit beers as strong as a Westmalle (Gauloise Fruits Rouges) and as sour as your mother-in-law (traditional old kriek). I tasted beers with the strang-est ingredients: port (Angel Port from the Leuven bar and brewery Domus), saffron (Safranaise), cookies (Cookie Beer), and Goji, whatever that may be (Goji Beer).

I saw hobby brewers and multination-als, a brewery run by three young rebels (Het Verzet, ‘The Resistance’), a brewery

led by an old man and his four young beautiful daughters (brewery Dilewyns) and a brewer whose son was drinking most of the beer himself (no, I won’t tell you the name of that brewery).

I came across beers with the strang-est names. I found ‘Eternal Love’, met a fairy-tale figure (a ‘Golden Dragon’), and encountered heroes and heroines (Goliath Tripel, Hercule, and Hoppahontas). But I also ran into ‘Weirdoes’ (Kwibus), ‘Rascals’ (Deugniet), some ‘Jesters from Bruges’ (Brugse Zot), ‘Naughty Boys’ (Stouterik), ‘Irritating People’ (Ambetanterik), a ‘For-est Farter’ (Bosprotter, no kidding) a Drunk Monk, a cheshire cat, a dodo, a talking caterpillar, and marching playing cards. Even though I might have tried a lot of them, I did not make them up.

I heard languages from all over the world: Italian, Danish, English, Spanish, Norwegian. And in the end, I thought I spoke them all. I said proost, cheers, salut, nazdarovje, kippis, nazdravie, and skål. I was brillig, and found that the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe. But when the Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, came whiffling through the tulgey wood, and burbled as it came, I knew that go home I should!

Don’t believe me? Take a look for yourself. The event takes place on Satur-day 27 and Sunday 28 April. All informa-tion can be found on www.zbf.be. A good thing to know is that there will be shuttle buses available departing from the train station. During the event, a lot of bars (including all the bars at Oude Markt) and restaurants will also serve even more special beers and even special beer menus.

Entertainment/Art

Through the Drinking Glass

By Gijs Van den Broeck

Zythos Beer Festival


Belgian beers.

Photo by Gijs Van den Broeck

“I no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I was be-ginning to believe that a very few times in your life, if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because he was perfect, or because you were, but because your combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together”

~Lisa Kleypas, Blue-Eyed Devil

Why do men and women want to be together? The simple

answer is we want to, and there is noth-ing strong enough in between to stop us. There are also some ordinary reasons we all know, like for practical consid-erations, for attaining a different social status, to reduce stress, to feel pleasure, for love and commitment, an expression of happiness and self-esteem, etc.

Scientifically, we can make the ar-gument in many different ways, and we have theories to back us. A well-known scientific basis exists for the three main types of attraction humans have: the sex drive, which is ruled by testosterone; romantic love, which is ruled by dopa-mine and other feel-good hormones; and attachment, which involves bond-ing chemicals like oxytocin. During romantic kissing, for example, swapped saliva increases testosterone and feel-good chemicals. These are distributed to help fuel romance. Kissing also helps unleash chemicals that promote bond-ing, which facilitates long-term attach-ment.

However, there is also an interesting philosophical reason behind attraction. The Symposium of Plato, dated between 385-380 BCE, is a philosophical text and a very famous treatise on desire. Plato describes a drinking party or ‘symposium’ in which Aristophanes, one of the seven participants (Socrates was also among them), spells out a mystical story of why we humans have such deep longings for union with each other, and which explains why our acts of union can sometimes be so unsatisfying.

According to Aristophanes, long ago, humans did not look the

way we look today. Instead, we had two heads, four legs, and four arms. Hu-mans were perfectly symmetrical crea-tures, composed of two people seam-

lessly united into one being. We came in all the three possible gender combi-nations: the male/female blend, male/male blend, and female/female blend.

Since we all were blended togeth-er with our perfect partner, we were happy and proud, endowed with the unmatchable strength and swiftness to scale heaven and attack the gods. These double headed creatures were perfectly content and lacked nothing: they had no needs, no desires - they were whole. In our contentedness, we became overly proud and neglected to worship the gods. Hence, the gods punished us for our neglect by cutting all the double-headed, eight-limbed humans in half, and so we became lonely one-headed, two-armed, and two-legged humans, as we exist today.

The gods chose to split humans instead of annihilating the whole race because human extinction meant that there would be an end to the sacri-fices and worship that humans of-fered to them. Also, dividing humans in half would diminish their strength and increase their numbers. This had the advantage of making humans more profitable to the gods. Yet in this mass amputation, the gods inflicted upon hu-mans a deep, dull, and constant sense that we are not whole. We always long for our perfect other half, the lost half which we love almost more than we love ourselves. This other half is out there somewhere, so we are made to search relentlessly in attempt to achieve our original forms. The male creatures who had once been part of a a male/male blend, sought out another male, and the females who had once been a female/female blend, looked out for a female. The creatures who were once both sexes, sought out the opposite half.

In fact, though, the cleaved, half humans were far too scattered for any of them to find their perfect match and become a contented species again, Aris-tophanes said. Consequently, the gods gave humans the gift of orgasm out of pity, so that we would not die of depres-sion and despair.

The dream of completeness, the at-tainment of wholeness with our other halves through love, is possible. The perfect melding does exist, when hu-

Muneer Ahamed did his PhD in Chemistry at The University of Sydney, Australia and now work-ing as a post-doctoral fellow in KU Leuven. His research primarily focuses on imaging of brain tumors. Besides academic research he also enjoys reading English literature and occasional blogging. He can be followed @ahdchem on twitter.

The Perfect Mate

blog space


By Muneer Ahamed


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the voice: reduce, recycle, reinvent (year 16, issue 3)

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