Sustainable Rotterdam

Going out in a hip and trendy club and still be responsible. This idea forms the base of the Sustainable Dance Club. The presentation and kick off party of this concept, named "The Critical Mass", are at the 14th of October. It combines contemporary lifestyle with the latest ideas within sustainability. This club night is the kick off for the realization of the Sustainable Dance Club.

Producing and consuming in a responsible manner are no longer reserved for a small group. Enviu and Doll - Atelier voor Bouwkunst have developed the Sustainable Dance Club together. An attractive way of clubbing combined with a low impact on the environment. Soon you can generate energy while dancing and flush the toilet with rainwater. The color of the walls changes as a reaction to the heat without any energy use and you can drink a biological beer at the water basin on the "relax roof". These are just a few examples of what the Sustainable Dance Club can entail.

The program of The Critical Mass has been compiled by the bookers of CrimeJazz and Sound Architecture with the best soul, funk and electro. Enjoy the visuals of Urbi et Orbi and the innovative design of Doll. Surprise yourselve with the culinary theatre of Mischa van Teeffelen. Customize your clothing by the honest fashion brand Kuyichi. Drink a responsible beer from the province of Limburg. Pick Oke fruit in The Garden of Delight with TruusTrendy and dance in the light of the energy efficient LED-wand from Philips. Be a part of The Critical Mass!

Enviu stimulates sustainable entrepreneurship and the architect agency Doll combines sustainable design with experiment and research. The Critical Mass is the kick off for reaching that critical point of no return. The chance to make a difference while having fun.

The Critical Mass: Kick off party of the Sustainable Dance Club
14th of October 2006
22.30 hours
Off_Corso, Rotterdam
Tickets 6 euro (limited number of tickets available)




Line-up
Rednas_audio, TrackAddicts, Jahi Sundance (USA), The Subs (B), Monica Electronica & Josz le Bon / Mischa van Teeffelen, TruusTrendy & Urbi et Orbi.

Cities are about people, architecture, sounds, colors, and also odors. Sometimes pleasant, sometimes disgusting, smell is an intrinsic aspect defining the character of the city just as it does with humans.

At Gawker (always innovative) they developed the New York City Subway Smell Map, displaying particular smells - horrific and sublime - encountered throughout New York's subway stations and submitted by Gawker readers.

For those of you who still don't know, Gawker is an on-line meeting point for New Yorkers, including all the "in & outs" of the Big Apple. You may be also interested to check their Stalker Map (a map of Manhattan displaying where celebrities have been spotted)

Does any odor pictured above smell familiar to you in Rotterdam? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below or via a voice message clicking here.

via ELSE/WHERE Mapping

Do you know how to communicate your fantastic ideas for the city to the people that make the decisions? Now it is easy; visit Rotterdam Idee, an initiative from Gemeente Rotterdam, and leave your proposals. Every entry receives a t-shirt with the motto "Rotterdam Original" (really cool) and has the chance to be selected as Idea of the Month, highlighted in front page.

We are happy to see that the municipality is open to citizens' proposals with the aim to make a better Rotterdam. It's true that becoming Idea of the Month does not mean that authorities may consider applying the idea. However, by opening a communication channel between the municipality and the citizens, may help to identify potential improvements.

What are you waiting for? Visit Rotterdam Idee, make a cool proposal, and get the t-shirt for free!

What?
Another 20 x 20 fast paced action and an excellent line up

When?
Wednesday, 27 September. Doors open at 20.20 hours

Where?
Off_corso. Kruiskade 22, Rotterdam

How much?
Tickets cost 5 euros (this time, the place is so big that it's not necessary to reserve tickets)

Check the program at the Pecha Kucha site

I'd love to provide you a detailed review of last weekend, comprising Open Monumentendag and De Wereld van de Witte de With. However, I don't have much time for this.

Instead, you can check the pictures as you browse Rotterdam at Google Maps. For a while, I've been geotagging all the pictures at Flickr with loc.alize.us; a simple to use tool to geotag and display pictures from Flick.


Want to contribute with your own pictures? Use loc.alize.us, geotag them, add "sustainablerotterdam" tag. Let's cover the map!

Note: Flickr just released an integrated geotagging service, however I personally find that the quality of its satellite pictures makes it difficult to define the exact location. In addition, loc.alize.us looks really neat.

Some arrangements

I'm glad to present two brand new features launching today at the blog: voice messaging & Google Calendar.

1. From now on, you can leave voice messages using the Odeo button at the top menu. You just need a mic, press "rec" and the rest is there for you. Leave suggestions, comments, critic, proposals, whatever you want to shout out, and which may contribute to the conversation. Try it out!


2. Plan your next Rotterdam experience via the new Rotterdam Google Calendar. Rotterdam Google Calendar is meant to be a service from the users to the users, so if you feel like adding your own events for everyone else to know, please do so (if you know how to do it !?) If you have a Google (gmail) account, simply add it to your list by clicking the button. In any case, you can still bookmark this link and regularly check the latest activities at the city .

Hopefully, the mentioned changes and additions will make navigation more engaging and easier. However, since I'm not attending PodCamp, I would like to take the opportunity and ask you for help regarding basic blogging issues:

• How can Google Calendar visitors add/modify entries?
• How to insert a "previous page" link at the bottom of the blog? (Blogger user)
• Should I care about a Creative Commons License?

Use the new Odeo voice messaging service and leave me your thoughts.

From easy to wild, we plan to;

• Mi casa es tu casa. Saturday morning will be visiting some of Rotterdam's architectural landmarks at the Open Monumenten Dag 06, running from 10:00 till 17:00. Get the flyer and feel like at home.
• Creativity + beer = De Wereld van de Witte de With, running from Friday till Sunday. What else to add?
• Say what? Paul Collins' Beat, The Kids, and Supercharger (amongst others) at Rotterdam Rumble? See you at Whaterfront then!

Going to any of those? Leave us a comment

The blog is back to regular activity (shake it baby!) and this time we look at the "do's and don'ts" of Rotterdam through the lens of two newly released free pocket-guides. Both guides include tips and general info for the accidental tourist and the curious local. Here's a brief impression.

Fanzine look for the young, curious, and on budget travelers by Use-it

At least, I can recall three previous editions of this pocket guide (I permanently have one at the toilet, so when guest come they can get an instructive time), and this shows at the quality of the information offered and pal-like talk; whispering secrets no one else knows. It includes many interviews with locals who express their view of the city and a good selection of tips.

Rzine, Rotterdam in the Pocket
High-end magazine look for the general visitor; from family to business men, and the shopaholic by Rotterdam Marketing

The guide acts as a capsule where all relevant information regarding the city is compiled. I personally like the explanations about how the city has evolved, and it seems that in 2007 the city will more than ever be dominated by architectural themes. As part of the Year of Architecture, all kinds of exhibitions and events will show the historic and future importance of Rotterdam architecture. So, stay tuned.

Get your free copies of the guides at Rotterdam Shop (Coolsingel 5)