Podcasts 4 Brainport, featured by Radio 4 Brainport, 747AM and DAB+

Running up to the 2023 elections for the water authority "Waterschap de Dommel", Henk Schepers explains the challenges of managing water in the Eindhoven Brainport region. Making sure that nature, farming and the population have enough water even in a dry summer cannot just be solved by just filling a big reservoir. The soil needs to contain enough water continuously to avoid irreversible changes and to ensure that it can still suck up water in wetter periods afterwards. The “battery model”, just cycle charge- discharge is a dangerous misperception that can heavily impact nature and farmland if we would use that as the operational model for managing water.

In a Radio 4 Brainport interview with Jean-Paul Linnartz, Henk Schepers also mentions that in a country full of water experts, still the Brainport region can contribute much more to sustainable water management by offering technical solutions to clean medication residues from sewage water.

Besides pollution by inhabitants, farming, or economic activities, the many criminal drug factory are a very costly factor in keeping our water safe. In Brabant these are a big issue. Illegal dumps in nature pose a huge cost to society.

A thought on women equality and equity by author Chaitali Sengupta, on air on Radio 4 Brainport on the eve of International Women's Day.

Women raise their voice on at Parktheater celebrating International Women's Day 11 March 2023 Parktheater Eindhoven: Embrace Equity. Eindhoven celebrates the collective work of organizations, artist individuals, men and women who create an inclusive city for all.

Radio 4 Brainport wil come live from the event, but Milagros Maldonado already gives us a preview

March 15, 2023 is the day of the elections for the water authority. Mado Ruijs pitches the position of Water Natuurlijk, Lijst 1 in the Eindhoven region. 

Recorded by Radio 4 Brainport.

Mado Ruijs is a member of the executive board of Waterschap de Dommel. Running up to the elections for the Waterschappen on March 15th, 2023, we dive into the dilemma's of avoiding flooding during intense rain, or to maintain adequate ground water levels during draughts. While the Dutch already installed water boards in the 13th century as the first governmental body, its role is dramatically changes. Climate change means more rain in shorter periods but also longer periods without precipitation. But how about the quality of our surface water? While in the past, industries contaminated water with cadmium and zinc, the Dommel is far cleaner than 20 years ago. But the new challenges are also to get rid of medication that ends up in our sewage water.

While Mado also pitches her position as the leader of Lijst 1 WaterNatuurlijk for the water board, she particularly invites internationals to also engage in the dilemmas and challenges of water. Meanwhile ecologist Nuno Curado of Wild Eindhoven explains the essential role that water has on wild life and on a the natural habitats in the Eindhoven region.

A radio podcast by Jean-Paul Linnartz for Radio 4 Brainport 

And the winner is....

You may remember that we at Radio 4 Brainport asked you before Christmas to send in your holiday wishes, and as an incentive we promised to give away a DAB radio to one of the contributors. Today, we went to Sweet Dreams bakery to hand over the receiver to Aralys and Amar. They sent in their Christmas wishes for our listeners after Aralys spotted us with the live broadcast during the Winter Market in the Evoluon on December 10th. She noted down our WhatsApp number (06 8329 2000) and sent a voice message once she was back with Amar. It demonstrates how easy it is to get your announcement on air ! You can hear their story in a short podcast on Spotify.   

Nothing better than a dive into the sea on New Year's Day? Ralu Nistor-Lustermans tried it our for herself. To Jean-Paul Linnartz of Radio 4 Brainport she disclosed that it really gives fresh energy for the whole year. Cool!

Ralu writes about this; For decades the Nordics, celebrate the New Year by taking a dive into the freezing water of the Nordic Sea. I used to watch this event on TV and think, what a bunch of crazy people! 🤔 This year, instead of watching it from the side-line, I (and one of my sons) decided to be one of those crazy people 😉, we joined and dived in …….what an amazing experience........physically and mentally refreshed! As we all dive into 2023, let's make sure that no matter what our goals and aspirations are for this year, we prioritise our wellbeing, our mental health and we are kind to ourselves and others. Embrace the challenges 2023 will bring, take a step out of your comfort zone to discover the shivers of unforeseen achievements! Happy New Year everyone!!

When Jeroen Dijsselbloem became the new mayor of Eindhoven in Sept 2022, the city had become far more vibrant then when he left at the age of 19. Eindhoven had benefitted for many decades by bringing in new people. Anne Yianni interviewed Mayor Dijsselbloem for Howdo Magazine, after being in office for a couple of months. Radio 4 Brainport chatted with Anne about how she expereienced the interview and what were her take-aways. Build, Build, Build is a priority to craete 70,00 houses for the talent that the High Tech companies want to attract in the coming decade.  

Heleen de Coninck is frequently seen on stage to pitch her drive and her hope to contain climate change. As a co-author on IPCC climate reports,  as professor of Technology, Innovation & Society at Eindhoven University of Technology and associate professor at Radboud University in Nijmegen, she feels the urgency to increase knowledge about environmental issues, but at the same time she is hopeful that we can revert the course towards catastrophic changes.

Is the weather reaching tipping points in warming the planet, from where irreversible changes with set on and accelerate further warming? She sees social tipping points from the population really starts to think and behave differently, and collectively strive for new values.    

Jean-Paul Linnartz interviewed her for Radio 4 Brainport, followng her "maanrede".

Ralu Nistor Lustermans interviews Anne Yianni about the magazine HowDo that reaches out to expats and internationals.