Why are toxin-free plants so important for biodiversity? And where can you buy them in Amsterdam? Discover it during the free Amsterdam Green! Festival (Amsterdam Groen! Festival) on May 26th at the city nursery Noorderbloemen. Between 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM, experts will share knowledge about nature, gardening, and biodiversity, with a focus on toxin-free plants. Enjoy lectures, live music, and a plant market, and learn why avoiding pesticides is crucial for preserving insects and biodiversity. Green is good, but toxin-free green is even better.
Initiator and organizer of the festival, Mila van der Wall, explains: “It’s crucial that people understand how important it is to buy toxin-free plants. When a bee lands on a regular garden center plant and takes some nectar, it has a direct damaging effect. Few people understand this because it’s much worse than we think.” The festival therefore spreads the message about the importance of toxin-free greenery.
The festival offers a program with workshops and lectures by green experts such as Katja Staring, known for the ‘Slowflowers’ book on toxin-free flower cultivation, and Elise Groothuis, also known as ‘Juf in ‘t groen’, an ecological garden designer. Other speakers include Nicky Castricum from Vlindertuin Mot in Mokum, Koen Wonders, city ecologist from Vogelatlas Amsterdam, and Diana Jurgens from tuinvrouwen.nl, who shares tips and tricks about urban gardening. The festival also has a diverse plant market where the three organic nurseries from Amsterdam, Kwekerij Noorderbloemen, Kwekerij Wiering, and Kwekerij De Tuinakker, present their toxin-free plants. Moreover, the spacious terrain offers the opportunity to leisurely stroll through the nursery and flower beds.
It’s important that people understand that toxin-free plants are essential. Regular garden center plants often contain pesticides that are harmful to our insects. The festival’s message is simple: choose toxin-free plants. “You don’t have to go to Osdorp Centrum for your plants because you won’t find toxin-free variants there. Here in Amsterdam, we have three organic nurseries, all of which will be present at the festival. It’s mainly about raising awareness: people learning to understand why toxin-free plants are so important. But it’s also just going to be a fun day with the opportunity to buy plants, attend lectures, and enjoy the green surroundings. A day with a message, but above all a day full of fun,” says Mila.
The festival is made possible by a subsidy from Stichting Amsterdam 750 and not only stands for green inspiration but also has a strong connection with the city of Amsterdam and its vision for the future. The festival addresses this by making people aware of the importance of biodiversity and toxin-free plants. As Mila van der Wall emphasizes: “If we all do good things together… Then the city will only get better. Of course, there aren’t that many places left in Amsterdam where there’s still nature. So we just have to handle that with care. And we just have to preserve the insects that are still here.”
Do you want to know more about the Amsterdam Green! Festival (100% toxin-free!)? Then go to https://www.amsterdamgroen.nl/ for more information.
