During the summer holidays we organized the first ‘Simmerskoalle Flaaks’ in Bollingwier. We did this together with the European project Craft your Future to raise awareness of flax as a raw material for a circular and plastic-free future.
The Simmerskoalle got the participating students, entrepreneurs, policy makers and local residents to think about the transition to plastic-free. With lectures by Eileen Blackmore and Thomas Eyck, among others, but also through workshops.
We could not have wished for a better ambassador than Alderman Jelle Boerema of the municipality of Noardeast Fryslân, who took care of the opening of the day. According to him, flax can make a nice contribution to a broad prosperity along the Wadden Sea coast. In his opening words, Boerema discussed the value of flax for biodiversity and the contribution that the crop can make to the circular economy, partly due to its high insulation value. He also believes that the government has a role to play in this. This can stimulate development through sustainable tendering. In addition, Boerema pointed out the importance of flax for recreation and tourism. More and more people are finding their way to the Wadden Sea coast, he said. This trend dates back to before corona. “People appreciate our tourism products. A flax route and a flax museum fit in nicely.”
You can read the entire report (in Dutch) on the Wad van waarde website.
Workshop manden maken. Foto: Janna Bathoorn.