The Belgian ‘Regenerative Garden’ won the Sustainability Award at the 2022 Floriade Expo in Almere, the Netherlands. This was announced on 9 October 2022, at the closing ceremony of the global horticultural exhibition that is held every ten years. The Belgian garden is a textbook example of circularity for the other exhibitors and visitors.
Every ten years, the Floriade Expo is held in the Netherlands. The theme for 2022 was ‘Growing Green Cities’. Thanks to assistance from the Flanders’ Agricultural Marketing Board (VLAM) and supported by the know-how of the Flemish horticultural sector, Belgium participated with a pavilion bearing the name ‘Regenerative Garden’. The Belgian garden was full of edible plants and flowers. The Belgian pavilion was small in size but had great purpose. It had a modern, geometric, yet playful design and was extremely sustainable. The plants were chosen on the basis of their climate adaptability and all the materials used were completely reusable or biodegradable. The pavilion could decompose naturally without human intervention. For example, use was made of cross-laminated timber which can be completely recycled and the walls and tiles of the courtyard were unbaked bricks, made of compacted earth combined with microalgae starch-based bioplastic.
In accordance with the regulations of the AIPH (International Association of Horticultural Producers) and BIE (Bureau International des Expositions), at the closing ceremony on 9 October 2022 the organiser presented 22 awards to the participants who contributed most to the success of the Expo and best showed how horticulture can be used to contribute to Growing Green Cities, the theme of this year’s Expo.
The Belgian garden was presented the special award for sustainability. “The award is an important recognition of the expertise of the Flemish horticultural sector,” says Filip Fontaine, CEO of VLAM.
The 2022 Floriade Expo in Almere welcomed 685,189 visitors from 96 countries (78% of visitors came from the Netherlands, 22% from other countries).
Copyright: AVBS - Ivan De Clercq