The Growcast

Vers bemeste landbouwgrond; een bekende maar niet per se geliefde geur voor iedereen die wel eens door de weilanden fietst. Als het aan Jente de Vries van rotterzwam ligt ruikt het boerenland binnenkort naar koffie - ja, koffie! Als projectleider van ‘Terug naar de Bodem’ onderzoekt ze de mogelijkheid om het organische restproduct (een soort compostachtig substraat) dat overblijft na het kweken van oesterzwammen op koffiedik, toe te passen als bodemverbeteraar in de landbouw. Op die manier wordt koffiedik afkomstig uit de stad, op een hoogwaardige manier verwerkt in het omland. Maar hoe pak je zoiets aan?

Je hebt het vast wel eens gezien; een sloot met een deken van groene smurrie. In grote hoeveelheden zorgt dit plantje genaamd eendenkroos ervoor dat leven onderwater verstikt. Mede daarom wordt het verwijderd. Het weggehaalde kroos wordt normaal gesproken verbrand, maar start-up Flip the City brengt hier verandering in en maakt tegels van het kroos. Emma Raijmakers, mede-oprichter van Flip the City, vertelt hoe ze op het idee voor de kroostegel zijn gekomen en hoe deze de biodiversiteit in de stad kan bevorderen.

De drukbezochte markt op het Afrikaanderplein in Rotterdam-Zuid laat aan het einde van de dag zijn sporen achter: van plastic tasjes en kartonnen dozen tot overgebleven fruit en groente. Jan Jongert, mede-oprichter van architectenbureau Superuse, vertelt over het grondstoffenstation dat Superuse samen met de Afrikaanderwijk Coöperatie en Stichting Freehouse op de markt heeft neergezet. Hier wordt aan het einde van de dag afval verzameld, gescheiden, gewogen en verwerkt met als doel het zo veel mogelijk in de wijk nieuwe waarde toe te kennen. Staat er in de stad van de toekomst straks op elk plein zo'n grondstoffenstation?

Jaarlijks gebruiken we in Nederland zo'n 25 miljoen m2 aan binnenmuur; op het eerste gezicht een niet zo'n spannend onderwerp. Maar wat als we dit giga oppervlak zouden kunnen gebruiken om CO2 uit de lucht te halen? Marjanne Cuypers (onderzoeker, biodesigner en oprichter van BlueBlocks), ontwikkelt lokale bouwmaterialen gemaakt van CO2 slurpend zeewier. Daarvoor gebruikt ze bruinwier uit de Noordzee, een soort die ook in ons koudere water graag groeit. Vanuit haar studio aan de Maas vertelt ze wat we allemaal kunnen maken met wier, en hoe de stad eruit zou kunnen zien als we meer gaan bouwen met zeewier.

In seizoen 2 worden Emma en Barbara bijgestaan door iemand die alles weet over hoe we deze planeet leefbaar houden: Louise Vet. Louise is voormalig directeur van het Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie (NIOO) van de Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (KNAW) en emeritus-hoogleraar evolutionaire ecologie aan Wageningen University. Naast haar wetenschappelijke loopbaan ziet Louise het als haar missie het grote belang van ecologische kennis voor een duurzame economie uit te dragen naar politiek, bedrijfsleven en het brede publiek. En dat is niet onopgemerkt gebleven. Zo was Louise o.a. te gast bij De Wereld Draait Door en heeft ze als winnaar van de Trouw duurzame top 100 in 2018 de duurzame troonrede voorgedragen.

In this final episode of The Growcast, host Emma van der Leest talks more about her work as a biodesigner. Emma has been inspired by microorganisms for a long time and uses them as the basis for her design. From her project 'The Microbial Vending Machine’ that contains collectible organisms that can produce food, medicine, materials and cosmetics to a 100% natural water-repellent coating derived from mushrooms. And not unimportant - she is also the founder of BlueCity Lab. Her goal is to lower the threshold for anyone interested in working with micro-organisms and waste streams in the development of new materials.

In The Growcast, biodesigner Emma van der Leest and program maker Barbara Vos, interview eight Rotterdam based pioneering biodesigners – our so called bioneers – about what the future will look like if we design with nature as our guideline. In 8 episodes we’ll take you on a journey through biodesign: if we designed the new economy with living organisms, could it be the change we need for today’s current and future environmental and ecological challenges?

The Growcast is made possible by BlueCity and BlueCity Lab with the support of Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and the municipality of Rotterdam.

Creative centipede and biohacker Nico Bouchard moved from the US to The Netherlands to make a change as an artist and teacher to visualize the science side of things. Nico volunteered in one of America’s first community biolabs, BioCurious in California, but he wanted to challenge himself and contribute more to regenerative cities. He is currently learning to apply various manufacturing techniques in his studies and he uses the biolab of BlueCity Lab to test his concepts, such as mycelium-grown models made from cardboard waste.

In The Growcast, biodesigner Emma van der Leest and program maker Barbara Vos, interview eight Rotterdam based pioneering biodesigners – our so called bioneers – about what the future will look like if we design with nature as our guideline. In 8 episodes we’ll take you on a journey through biodesign: if we designed the new economy with living organisms, could it be the change we need for today’s current and future environmental and ecological challenges?

The Growcast is made possible by BlueCity and BlueCity Lab with the support of Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and the municipality of Rotterdam.

Textile researcher Eduarda Bastian works as an independent researcher and is a participant at the MA coursre Practice Held in Common at ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem. Her work focuses on textiles and fibers, exploring different plant materials and our relationship with them. She crowdfunded her project The Hop Project to research hop plant fibers for a local textile production.

In The Growcast, biodesigner Emma van der Leest and program maker Barbara Vos, interview eight Rotterdam based pioneering biodesigners – our so called bioneers – about what the future will look like if we design with nature as our guideline. In 8 episodes we’ll take you on a journey through biodesign: if we designed the new economy with living organisms, could it be the change we need for today’s current and future environmental and ecological challenges?

The Growcast is made possible by BlueCity and BlueCity Lab with the support of Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and the municipality of Rotterdam.

Fashion designer Ilfa Siebenhaar and textile designer Laura Luchtman are both located in the fashion hub De Wasserij, in Rotterdam. Ilfa is specialized in fashion design and does research in biodesign with the main focus on how to innovate the design processes and the impact it has on the environment. Laura’s work is focused on experimental colour and material research. Together they started Living Colour, a sustainable alternative to artificial textile dyes. With their work they bridge the gap between design and science and establish a new natural colour aesthetic. They advocate for positive change and by doing so prepare the market for a future where clothes and textiles are dyed by bacteria. Joining this conversation is special guest and researcher Barbara Schrammeijer.

In The Growcast, biodesigner Emma van der Leest and program maker Barbara Vos, interview eight Rotterdam based pioneering biodesigners – our so called bioneers – about what the future will look like if we design with nature as our guideline. In 8 episodes we’ll take you on a journey through biodesign: if we designed the new economy with living organisms, could it be the change we need for today’s current and future environmental and ecological challenges?

The Growcast is made possible by BlueCity and BlueCity Lab with the support of Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and the municipality of Rotterdam.

Lisa Jongejans, founder of Studio Lisa Jongejans, is fascinated by death and what happens to our bodies after we die – and especially in what we leave behind. She designs mycelium urns and is currently undergoing a coaching program to start her own business. She is one of the pioneers in BlueCity Lab and wants to collaborate with funeral directors and other partners to bring her bio circular solution to the market.

In The Growcast, biodesigner Emma van der Leest and program maker Barbara Vos, interview eight Rotterdam based pioneering biodesigners – our so called bioneers – about what the future will look like if we design with nature as our guideline. In 8 episodes we’ll take you on a journey through biodesign: if we designed the new economy with living organisms, could it be the change we need for today’s current and future environmental and ecological challenges?

The Growcast is made possible by BlueCity and BlueCity Lab with the support of Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and the municipality of Rotterdam.

Tim van Koolwijk and Dr. Brent Jackson from Spireaux produce fresh spirulina paste: a healthy, vegan and sustainable ingredient used to fortify a wide variety of existing food products. Made from seaweed, their fresh spirulina contains essential amino acids, food fibres, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Spireaux has recently developed led-based photobioreactors in order to produce the spirulina paste in and near urban environments for a fraction of the ecological cost of other protein sources, allowing its production in regions presenting unsuitable climate conditions.

In The Growcast, biodesigner Emma van der Leest and program maker Barbara Vos, interview eight Rotterdam based pioneering biodesigners – our so called bioneers – about what the future will look like if we design with nature as our guideline. In 8 episodes we’ll take you on a journey through biodesign: if we designed the new economy with living organisms, could it be the change we need for today’s current and future environmental and ecological challenges?

The Growcast is made possible by BlueCity and BlueCity Lab with the support of Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and the municipality of Rotterdam.

Anna Alessia Viggiano is a chemist turned designer and winner of the Circular Challenge in 2019. She trained herself to be a creative professional who can contribute to a regenerative city. She designed solar cells that use the coloring agent of red cabbage to catch light and transform that into energy.

In The Growcast, biodesigner Emma van der Leest and program maker Barbara Vos, interview eight Rotterdam based pioneering biodesigners – our so called bioneers – about what the future will look like if we design with nature as our guideline. In 8 episodes we’ll take you on a journey through biodesign: if we designed the new economy with living organisms, could it be the change we need for today’s current and future environmental and ecological challenges?

The Growcast is made possible by BlueCity and BlueCity Lab with the support of Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and the municipality of Rotterdam.

Ermi van Oers is a designer and founder of Nova Innova, a Rotterdam based creative studio which combines nature, science and design to create sustainable applications. In 2017, she graduated from Willem de Kooning Academy with the project Living Light, which is a lamp that works on photosynthesis of a plant as an energy source. She’s now working on the first floating network in the world which will harvest its energy from organic compounds in the water. This project was showcased at the Water Pavilion at the Dutch Design Week.

In The Growcast, biodesigner Emma van der Leest and program maker Barbara Vos, interview eight Rotterdam based pioneering biodesigners – our so called bioneers – about what the future will look like if we design with nature as our guideline. In 8 episodes we’ll take you on a journey through biodesign: if we designed the new economy with living organisms, could it be the change we need for today’s current and future environmental and ecological challenges?

The Growcast is made possible by BlueCity and BlueCity Lab with the support of Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and the municipality of Rotterdam.