Love Tomorrow Newsletter #3
Sustainable festival tips, fantastic fungi and making Flanders future-proof
Hey Tomorrow Lovers,
A big welcome to the 81 new people who joined our newsletter last month. Amazing to see people from all over the world joining us. We're putting our all into making this newsletter inspiring and useful for you.
Only 3 weeks left until our Love Tomorrow Conference on July 27th. With over 30 expert speakers, workshops, fashion and art shows, a job fair and of course amazing music of first-class DJs like Ida Engberg, you’re in for a life-changing experience.
Don't miss out on our Instagram giveaway - we're dishing out our final 3 X 3 tickets! You've got until Friday 3PM CEST to join in. If you'd rather not leave it to chance, secure your spot now by buying your tickets here. They're already 80% sold out, so act fast.
In the meantime, you can already get inspired by our monthly update on positive impact and topics like sustainability, mental health, technology, nature, and more.
In this month’s newsletter:
🌎 Aquafin helps Flanders build a blue-green future
👕 Revolutionising Fashion: H&M Foundation's Global Change Award Unveils Sustainable Innovations.
🎵 How the power of music can be your mood elevator and wellness booster.
💚 How to enjoy a sustainable festival season
🍄 On the magical power of mushrooms
🤝 Discover your dream career at the Love Tomorrow Job Fair
Love Tomorrow’s stories
Aquafin helps Flanders build a blue-green future
The effects of climate change can already be felt around the world, including in Flanders. Heavy rainfall and long droughts are becoming more and more common. In combination with our many paved surfaces, these weather conditions can cause flooding, heat stress, and other problems. Of course, there is no quick fix for climate change. But there are solutions to mitigate its impact, like creating more space for water and nature.
That’s why our partner Aquafin is helping Flanders build a blue-green future.
Many cities and municipalities in Flanders have rainwater and drought plans. These plans describe a vision for rainwater management in the middle and long term. However, taking the practical steps to realise this vision isn’t always straightforward. Moreover, these plans should be seen as a starting point. There are always many more opportunities to enhance the climate resilience, biodiversity, and experiential value of an area.
“With clever design, you can perfectly combine multiple purposes in the public space and improve the experiential value.”
Aquafin helps cities and municipalities seize these opportunities with blue-green advice on three levels. If there is no rainwater and drought plan yet, they help to create a vision based on the specific conditions of the area. Next, Aquafin can advise on making a climate-robust and financially viable design for the (semi) public space. Lastly, with years of experience and a broad range of in-house experts, Aquafin also supports the actual implementation of the plans.
🙌 Would you like to get involved in making Flanders more climate-resilient? On the website of Blauw Groen Vlaanderen (dutch) - an initiative of Aquafin and Vlario - you can find a wide range of measures to create more green and blue elements. From building a green roof to planting trees or rewilding a part of your garden. There is so much you can do.
💧About Aquafin: More than just Flanders' wastewater company, Aquafin is dedicated to creating a living environment in harmony with water. They strive for clean waterways and climate resilience through initiatives like Blauw Groen Vlaanderen. Explore their efforts on their website.
News we love
⚡ According to the energy think tank Ember, Europe’s electricity transition has hit hyperdrive. Their data show that wind and solar produced more energy in the EU during May than all fossil fuels combined. Ember attributes this all-time high to solar power growth, strong yields from wind energy and low electricity demand. Fossil fuels, on the other hand, generated a record low of 27% in May.
🥇Spectators at the 2024 edition of the Paris Olympics will sit on chairs made of recycled plastic. 80% of the plastic will be sourced from bins and will then be shredded and processed in the same area to make approximately 11,000 chairs. This initiative is part of the wider efforts of the Olympic Games to reduce their environmental footprint.
🦁 Over the past 21 years, the worldwide lion population has nearly halved due to habitat fragmentation and poaching. But in various African countries, like Chad and Mozambique, lions are making a comeback. Thanks to the creation of vast protected landscape mosaics, lions can once again roam over large areas. The co-existence of wildlife and people has also shown valuable opportunities to help human and natural communities prepare for climate change.
👕 The environmental footprint of the apparel industry keeps growing. But many companies are looking for alternatives. Since 2015, the H&M Foundation has organized a yearly competition for early-stage sustainable start-ups, called the Global Change Award. The winners share a grant of 1 million euros and get access to a year-long mentorship programme. Spoiler alert: this year’s winners include fabric made from food waste and seaweed, and technology to recycle dye from old clothes.
🎵 No better way to boost your mood than listening to music, right? Scientific research has shown that - besides enhancing your mood - music offers a wide range of other health benefits. From promoting relaxation and sleep, preventing burnout, and alleviating pain to improving focus and productivity. So blast your favourite beats: they’re good for you!
🧘 Meditation is a great practice to reduce stress, sleep better and be more present in your daily life. Despite what you might think, meditation is simple and anyone can do it. All you need are a few minutes, a quiet space and focus. Vox’s guide to meditation for people who don’t think they can’t meditate debunks common misconceptions about meditation and helps you get started today.
Tip for a sustainable tomorrow
How to be sustainable this festival season?
Festivals are first and foremost a celebration of life, love and good vibes! But hey, why don’t we also celebrate Mother Earth while we’re at it? 💚 According to a report by Creative Carbon Scotland, the average festival-goer creates 2.7 kg worth of rubbish per day.
Enjoying your festival season sustainably doesn’t have to be hard or a hassle, though. BBC Earth’s guide to a sustainable festival season shows you how. From bringing a reusable water bottle, shopping your festival outfit second-hand, to sharing a ride with your friends and splashing yourself in eco glitter.
Let’s celebrate like tomorrow matters!
Today’s must watch
Are mushrooms the building material of the future?
The built environment generates about 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions each year. One of the main reasons is the building industry’s heavy use of steel and concrete: two of the world’s most carbon-intensive materials.
That’s why the UK-based research collaborative PLP Labs is testing out the use of a more sustainable alternative: mycelium.
Mycelium is a network of fungi threads that resemble roots. These threads can hold together materials like wood, sawdust, hemp and flax to create building blocks with a low environmental footprint. In contrast to steel and concrete, mycelium is renewable and biodegradable, doesn’t require energy to make it and doesn’t generate harmful by-products.
“If you take one of these blocks and throw them into the forest, they will start to disintegrate and be taken back into the forest. And after 6 months, they are compost”, says Ron Bakker, co-founder of PLP Labs.
Besides the sustainability aspect, mycelium can also be easily moulded into various shapes, making it super versatile. Currently, it is already used as an insulation material for tiny houses and NASA even explored the possibility of growing fungi houses on the moon or Mars.
Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it?
Why we think fungi are truly fantastic
Of course, the magic of mushrooms goes way beyond the building industry. Under every footstep you take, there are about 500 kilometres of mycelium, connecting all the life on Earth. Exploring this fascinating underground network and reconnecting with nature’s intelligence, can help us heal our relationship with the planet.
That’s exactly what the acclaimed documentary Fantastic Fungi by Louie Schwartzberg is all about. So it is an absolute honour to welcome him on the stage of Love Tomorrow Conference 2023.
Louie Schwatzberg is a distinguished filmmaker and visual artist. With a passion for revealing the mysteries and wisdom of nature, people, and places, Louie’s storytelling connects with audiences on a profound level. As the director of the award-winning Netflix documentary Fantastic Fungi and the upcoming Gratitude Revealed, he has reached millions with his transformative messages.
Events for creators of tomorrow
🎫 Final give-away for the Love Tomorrow Conference 2023
With only 3 weeks left before the Love Tomorrow Conference 2023, we launched our final giveaway on Instagram last week. We’re giving away 3X3 tickets entirely for free, so make sure you don’t miss it!
Here’s how to participate:
Follow our page
Like the post on Instagram
Tag 2 friends in the comments
The winners will be announced on Friday, July 7th at 15.30 CEST.
Ignite your career with purpose
Discover your dream career at the Love Tomorrow Job Fair
Want to develop your talents in companies like Tomorrowland, Loop Earplugs or BMW? Discover your dream career at the Love Tomorrow Job Fair.
Make an online profile and upload your resume
Find open positions on the Job Fair Platform
Connect with purpose-driven companies
Apply with ease for jobs you love
If accepted, schedule an appointment at the Love Tomorrow Conference and get your free ticket.
Rock your job interview at the iconic Tomorrowland Ferris wheel*
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A big thank you from the Love Tomorrow team 🙏
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