Floris
and Quinn are enthusiastic about the Rainproof project in which their class
participates. Now they are walking around with flyers to convince their fellow
villagers to remove the paving stones along the façade and to create a
beautiful façade garden! They want to win the NC tile-swiping 2022 competition!
Their motto: "Tile out, plant in!"
Floris and Quinn used the website climatescan.nl
to find out where heat stress and water nuisance occur in their village. They
went to those places and interviewed the people living there about how they
experience heat stress and water nuisance and what they themselves do about it.
What they noticed in their conversations with people is that people who have
lived in Amstelveen for a very long time immediately started talking about
raising the groundwater level, now that there are far fewer farmers in the
area. That would be good for nature. They also think the municipality should do
more maintenance, such as removing mud and reeds in ditches. A lot of young
residents, however, complain about wet cellars and do not want the ground level
to be raised at all. They find the reeds very natural. This is precisely why
they moved to an outlying area. Because there were quite a few differences in
the residents’ opinions about heat and flooding, it was difficult to come up
with an action that would suit all residents.
But Floris and Quinn finally found it! What
helps against drought, flooding and heat is a green environment, with plants in
the ground. And this is definitely possible in the built-up environment. Unlike
paving, water in a green flower bed or garden can sink in quickly when there is
heavy rainfall. The roots of the plants retain moisture and prevent dehydration
and erosion. Besides, the greenery also has a cooling effect. You can work on
this yourself very easily. Just lift a few tiles from the street next to your
house and put plants in them. This action can be done almost anywhere in any
municipality.
Floris and Quinn are particularly motivated
to inspire residents to get their tiles flipped. By means of an appealing flyer
with tips on tile-flipping and the creation of façade gardens, they hope that
as many people as possible will participate. It would be fantastic if their
municipality wins the championship!
