VT ’15

Issue 1

VT '15 Issue 1

Contents

Editorial 2

Q har ordet 3

PQe har ordet 5

Yoga 7

TSK in pictures 9

The Nation from a Novisch Perspective 11

The Novischfest in pictures 13

Facts ou didn‘t know you wanted to know 15

Munchkin 17

Vi skogen 19

Food Saving Lund 21

Environmental Corner 22

Greenhouse Educational Ecosystems 23

Frunch Recipes 24

Editorial

Hello and welcome to Samojeden’s new web-magazine. Our new layout allows

you to read our paper as a real magazine online. We hope this will be more

convenient for you, our readers, and that you will be pleased with our new

design.

This first issue will be filled with interesting interviews, cool facts, important articles

about the environment, and much more. We hope to bring you nation- and

student-related news as well as an entertaining reading experience. As you

might expect from a Wermlands newspaper we focus a lot on issues related to

the environment and how to be eco-friendly students. We aim to release a new

issue about three times per semester!

Hopefully you will find our new forum as refreshing and likeable as we do.

Remember that you are always encouraged to write to us and let us know what

you think about the newspaper. If you want to join our crew, don’t be afraid to contact us – you will find contact information on the last page of the magazine.

Warm regards, the editors of Samojeden

Elias Annby

Marlis Wullenkord

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Samojedens Redaktion Marlis Wullenkord, Elias Annby, Julia Tibblin, Karla Münzner

Q har ordet...

Dear Members!

My name is Sebastian Andersson and I’m probably the proudest Kurator in all of Lund.

As the first and only KRAV-certified Nation

in Lund we offer interesting experiences for

everyone interested in being part of the

Nation and its activities. We continue to

work towards improvements considering the

Nations different events and every day I meet new students who want to register to Wermlands Nation because of the great variety of activities we can provide. That makes me very proud.

Together with the Nations foremen, Kuratel and Seniorskollegium I do my best in making this place welcoming for everyone regardless of personal traits, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, political opinion, and origin. I do believe that Wermlands Nation is a place for everyone to come along and have fun together. It’s important to not take this for granted and to keep on working towards inclusiveness and an open-minded viewpoint towards everything that is different from what we’re used to. Remember that the community we have at this Nation is fantastic.

Now it’s time for some personal reflection. A semester has passed since writing an article in Samojeden and almost 3 quarters of a year since I started my adventure as a Kurator. It might seem like a long time ago but time flies by so fast. Despite hardship, countless hours of work, cursing and moments of utter despair I can still say it’s worth it. It’s worth it because of all the wonderful people I meet every day and all the memories we create together. And this is in some sense my main point of argument, that the Nation is a great way of meeting friends and having fun together. Don’t forget about that!

The election board is holding interviews with people interested in the post of Kurator and the final election will take place the 19th of March at Första Lagtima Landskap. I will not deny that it feels a bit sentimental and strange. I wish all the candidates good luck in the election. Lastly, a well needed thank you to all those special people in my life as a Kurator, the active members:

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- Samuel Kvist - Erik Berggren - Emelie Ekström - Damien Pierce - Simon Ingvarsson - Amanda Eriksson - Brendan Bos - Anna Olsson - Jesper Sahlén - Marlis Wullenkord - Elias Annby - Emma Wall - Jaokb Strasser - Eva Adolfsson - Raluka Munteanu - Clara Kjällman - Karin Malmbjer - Finn Utas - Johan Svensson - Carl-Johan Nilsson ...and many more You all make this Nation great! Yours sincerely Sebastian Andersson Kurator

- Fanny Reslow - Fredrik Palmquist - Olle Haglund - Brian Hunter - Hannah Lind Persson - Sofia Smede - Charlotte Hedelin - Angelica Cederholm Berglund - Sofia Sundkvist - Calle von Schantz - Björn Lindqvist - Katja Heger - Rebeca Calzado - Maram Khalaf - Cecilia Lindskog - Julia Tibblin - Jacob Skarehag - Karla Munzner - Adam Thorén - Moa Sjöholm - Thomas Främby - Sten Thulin - Martin Jälmby - Maria Runeson - Damien Montégu - Stefan Vikard - Amanda Cervenka - Didrik Askeland - Andrea Ellingsen Larsson - Tobias Damstedt - Jimmy Pilo - Zoran Stambolovski - Emilia Viggh - Lucien Negrut - Karl Skagert Hellendal - Maria Engblom - Jeanette Larsson - Caroline Hall - Malin Uberschär

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PQe har ordet

After our dear Kurator Sebastian wrote

his article, it’s now our equally dear PQe Brian’s turn to tell you about who he is and what he does for the Nation.

Who are you? Why are you always here? How much work do you actually do? What are your plans as PQe? Is it just drinking coffee all the time? How do you keep that physique while carrying this nation on your back? These are just some of the questions I wish people would ask me… Alas, since no one asks I thought I would write you a little article here in our beloved Samojeden to let everyone in on the awesomeness that is, being Prokurator Ekonomi.

So, who am I? That’s a fairly easy one to answer. I’m just another student even if I’m a little older. I’ve been studying math and physics most recently with a longer term goal of becoming a high school science teacher. I moved to Sweden in January of 2013 after having studied biology in my home town of Glasgow for a long time. I focused on Genetics, Public policy and Biodiversity, and Evolutionary Biology.

That’s great! Now you all know who I am, but why, oh why, is that even relevant to the Nation? I am lucky enough to hold the position of PQe for 2015. That means I am responsible for all of the finances of the day to day running of the nation. I check the tills after our events and make sure the money matches what we have sold. I pay the bills for the nation and send

out the invoices for the services we provide. I am also responsible that we run the nation to the budget that we set for the semester. I have responsibilities in organizing some of the events, such as booking the cabin for TSK (Termin Starts Konferens) and making sure we have paid the entrance fee for Tandem (TAGGA TANDEM!) etc.

Of course, the day to day handling of the money, paying bills and dealing with bookings is fun but my favorite part of the role is working with longer term projects. I am working on changing some parts of the role which will allow us to keep a more detailed day to day analysis of the finances and am looking forward to working on the budget for the autumn semester. I also have responsibilities working in some of the boards within Wermlands: I meet with the Prokurator Social - Fanny, Klubbmästare- Fredrik, the Köksmästare- Olle and the Kurator- Sebastian on a weekly basis to discuss the present running of the nation and formulate ideas and react to situations for the betterment of Wermlands. In addition

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I meet with the SeniorsKollegiet on a triweekly basis in order to work for the long term planning for the future of the nation.

The position of PQe is one of only two full time paid positions within Wermlands and I feel spectacularly privileged to be able to work in this capacity, not just working for the good of Wermlands on both the short and long term questions but to be able to represent our nation at a cooperative level with our friends in the other nations in Lund and with our friend nations in other cities in Sweden and in Finland.

I am very proud of Wermlands Nation, it is a place where I as an immigrant have found a community, where I have made friends and been able to think of as a second home. It is a community of people who have accepted me, warts and all, and I can see that it is the same to many of the others around me. The values of inclusivity and openness are fundamental to what makes Wermlands special and I hope that in my role I can help to nurture these values. I aim to make Wermlands stronger through good financial management while holding on to the friendly, cozy atmosphere where we welcome everyone.

Those of you who are active, know that this community exists here, but to the members who are not often in the nation, to those who are not members

I strongly recommend coming down to Wermlands and helping us work at one of our fun events, be that Frunch on Saturdays, Sunday Dinner, or our Wednesday Pup. If you’re not interested in working then maybe one of our committees would suit you, trying writing for our newspaper as I am now. Taking photos with our photo committee, doing some running, football or yoga with our sports group or if you are of the strong social conscience then try coming to the famous Wermlands Nation Environmental Committee who meet every Monday and have great “fika” as well as great topical discussions.

I hope I have been able give you an understanding of the role I fill here and why I do what I do. If you ever have any questions about my role or want to come for a fika please just swing by the office during opening hours or drop me an email and I’d love to have a chat with you.

Brian Hunter

PQe

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Yoga What you need to know before your first class

One of the most frequent questions people have before the first yoga class is: “I think I am not flexible enough. Will I manage to do everything at the class?” Yes, yoga is a physical exercise to some extent. But it is not the only part.

Asanas, or yoga positions, are not only physical exercises. They work in a specific way bringing balance into our emotional state and helping us to “listen” to our bodies. When practicing we start feeling the strong interrelations between our physical and emotional state, and the influence of the breathing patterns. Flexibility, strength and health are just accompanying consequences of the practice.

So, what to know before your first yoga class?!

1. First of all, enjoy yourself. Everything you do you do for yourself!

2. Ask yourself what you are going to practice yoga for!

3. Find relaxation in everything you do. Only through relaxation will you manage to enjoy what you do and achieve the goals you seek out to achieve!

4. Take a break and rest, whenever you feel you need it!

5. Don’t compare yourself with others around. Yoga benefits you only when you do it just for yourself!

6. Try to feel the connections your body has with breathing. Pay attention to the way you breathe all the time. Breathe slowly, fully and enjoy it!

7. Whenever you have concerns or questions ask the instructor. Use the time before and after class, but also don’t hesitate to clarify anything you don’t understand during class!

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Did you know that...?

...yoga influences the body in a holistic way, which makes the effect from the practice more durable. Even after long breaks your body will not lose all the achieved results. You can be still as flexible and strong as before. The reason for that doesn’t hide in the physical exercises, but in the changing patterns of nervous system processes. Yoga helps it to get rid of all the unnecessary tension, which does not allow the body to relax. It may sound unexpected, but the less flexible or strong you are at the beginning of the yoga practicing, the more results you will achieve. Yoga teaches not only how to “listen” to your body, but also how to use it to become physically and emotionally stronger, more stress resistant, and how to feel comfortable in almost any situations and environments. It makes us more patient and concentrated. The process starts with listening to ourselves, accepting ourselves as we are and experiencing the abilities of our body. Practice then leads us to overcome the usual limits of our abilities and starts to improve not only our strong sides, but also the ones, which we always were considering to be weak. Yoga expands our abilities!

You are welcome to try all of the tips at the yoga classes at Wermlands Nation! The classes are organised within the Wermlands Sports Committee. If you feel that you want to improve your flexibility and strength, join the activities there! ;) Everybody can find something special and suitable there. Yoga will help improve your performance in any kind of the sport’s activities and help you relax after them.

Polina Savchenko

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TSK in pictures

Once upon a time, Werlands foremen set out to an adventure in a secret

location to discuss the future of the Nation…

… As one does best

hanging from the

celing…

Or like this? I don’t even know…

The trip there is a

blast

And then you get

to drink and eat

and make toasts

and sing…

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As I said, SING

And there’s ballons

Hahahaha, Olle you so

funny…

Well this picture is

obviously backwards…

Must have been

something wrong with

the camera

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The Nation from a Novisch perspective

We wanted to know how the nation was percived through the eyes of a novisch. Therefore, we asked the novisch Martin a few questions – here are the results.

Can you give us a short presentation of yourself? Where are you from? What do you study? Why did you come to Lund?

My name's Martin and I'm a university student from Slovakia. I'm in my first year of Master's and I came here for the spring semester as part of the Erasmus exchange. I spend most of my time in the capital of Slovakia, where the university is located. I study a translation and interpreting program and my languages of choice are English and Swedish. And since I'm already quite satisfied with my level of English, going to Sweden for my exchange was an easy choice to make; and Lund specifically because our university has an exchange agreement with LU.

I chose this field of study because I absolutely adore languages. I grew up with English since both my parents are English teachers and then I kind of got into German. So before uni I just thought learning a new language might be really fun. At least that's what I usually tell Swedes when they ask me with shocked expressions on their faces: "Why would ANYONE willingly learn Swedish?“

Why did you choose Wermlands? Would you recommend it to your friends?

I chose Wermlands because the people who represented the nation at the Association Fair made a really good impression on me. But I guess there was a

certain element of luck included because I met Kalle, Maria, and Maram - all three sharing my passion for board games with a game night planned the week after (it might not sound like much but this was actually one of the most decisive factors).

I was looking for a smaller nation where I would feel at home. I'm not really into huge parties and I like social groups with a strong sense of community. There were actually four that made it into my shortlist - Krischan, Blekingska, Kalmar, and Wermlands. But then I chose Wermlands because of the aforementioned reason, plus the fact that the three Gudrun nations have lots of activities together. The choir sounded nice as well. That sounded like the ideal solution because I hate making difficult decisions due to my biggest phobia - the fear of missing out.

I'd definitely recommend Wermlands to anybody who's looking for a smaller cosy nation. I don't have anything negative to say about Wermlands!

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What did you think of the

novischparty?

I tried to attend all the novisch activities but missed some since I got sick. But the novisch party was definitely worth it - it was actually my first “sittning” and I loved it from the very beginning to the last “skål”. I thought it would be a bit problematic at the party, since I usually have a hard time forcing myself to dance (not my type of music), but the atmosphere was so great that I didn't even need to force myself.

Were your expectations of a nation

fulfilled?

My expectations have been fulfilled and exceeded. I've already tried working in the kitchen and enjoyed it a lot. The Paradise hangout event was totally surreal - having a pool with warm water in the club is definitely something. Plus, we have an actual darkroom in the building! How cool is that?

Elias Annby & Marlis Wullenkord

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Speaking of novisches... Here are some pictures from the novisch party. Enjoy!

The lovley organizers posing

Such a handsome picture

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And some more pictures

First everyone is happy…

Then everyone is really happy and quite possible in love.

And then everybody sings!

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Facts you didn’t know you wanted to know

There are a lot of interesting facts out there in the world that you, until now, have been totally oblivious to. But don’t worry, we will enlighten you and quench your thirst for knowledge.

“Never trust statistics that you haven’t forged yourself!”

Whenever you have an agenda, a presentation or you are trying to win an argument, nothing is more impressive than a fancy graph showcasing your point! All that hard-won data from scientists, the insightful relationship you found with another variable, the clever 3-D design that makes it so easy to understand for even the dumbest person – nothing could prove you wrong now, right?

Sadly, there is one thing we have all learnt in statistics: “In correlation analysis, no cause-and-effect relationship is hypothesized.” Even if two things seem to be perfectly related in a graph, we can never be sure that this is really true. Still, some relationships are just very fascinating and as silly as they might first appear, maybe there is just a tiny kernel of truth in them? Let’s have a look at my favourite correlations!

#5 Human VS stork population

The classic of all correlations: when you see it, you might assume that the decline in storks is directly responsible for the falling birthrate – and doesn’t it make the story that storks deliver babies all the more plausible? Luckily, that is no proof, or else Sweden would be in big trouble as a country without a noteworthy stork population.

#4 Divorce rate Maine VS margarine consumption

Something weird is going on in Maine: the less margarine people eat, the less people get a divorce. As ridiculous as it sounds, maybe there is some evil in margarine, after all? Does it ruin the taste of your food? Does it make you aggressive or more prone to having an affair? We shall never know…

#3 Honey producing bee colonies VS juvenile arrest for marijuana possession

This correlation got me thinking – do juveniles only smoke marijuana, because they can’t get enough honey? Is it just another way to satisfy your sweet tooth? Whatever the reason for this correlation, maybe it’s time that drug prevention programs started to tend to bee colonies…

#2 Number of pirates VS global temperatures

As believers of the flying spaghetti monsters have preached for years, there is an easy way to prevent global warming: become a pirate! Numbers of pirate ships and crews have tragically dwindled over the last 200 years, and just at the same time, global temperatures started to rise. So pack your swimsuit and save the planet by sailing the Seven Seas!

#1 Nobel laureates VS national chocolate consumption

Chocolate is awesome and a solution for (almost) everything, and, as this correlation shows, it might also make you win a Nobel Prize. It seems that countries where people eat a lot of chocolate generally produce more Nobel Prize winners (per 10 million inhabitants), so keep eating that chocolate! Education is important, after all...

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Why it is useful that some turtles breathe through their butt?

It may sound odd but some species of turtles breathe through their butt when it doesn’t make sense for them to use their mouth. But why wouldn’t it make sense for a turtle to use its mouth for breathing in the first place? It’s actually a quite simple survival strategy: breathing through the butt requires less energy than breathing through the mouth! Since over evolutionary history the turtle’s ribs fused to form a shell, breathing through the mouth is a rather energy consuming process. Every time the turtle breathes in, muscles are used to pull the body outwards in order to enable inhalation and every time the turtle exhales, muscles are used to squeeze the turtle’s guts against its lungs. Only a fraction of the energy is required for “butt-breathing” which is especially useful when the turtle hibernates during the winter and energy resources are limited.

Karla Münzner & Marlis Wullenkord

A turtle – short of breath

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Munchkin

I have to confess I’m an incredible board game addict. While others get drunk in pubs and go dancing, I prefer meeting up with a group of friends and playing the heck out of whatever it is we’re playing. I hope you won’t mind me trying to convince you how awesome some of these games are.

Over the years, I’ve tried quite a few games but none of them has stuck with me nearly as much as Munchkin. Munchkin is an RPG-parody card game. It puts a nice twist to all the role-playing game clichés and mechanics and exaggerates them to extreme proportions. All players are adventurers roaming around a maze-like dungeon with funny-shaped weapons in their hands, fearlessly kicking down doors (no matter what horrors lie behind them) and slaying monsters.

The basic game play is very simple – everybody starts as a level one human with no special abilities. Then, you kill monsters to get levels and treasure.

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Even the combat mechanics are extremely simple: In order to beat a monster, you just need a higher level than the monster. But don’t you think it’s all going to be that easy – Munchkin is also all about being nasty to your friends. Did you just draw a level 1 potted plant that you can easily defeat? Well think again, because it’s only a few cards and two seconds away from turning into a HUMONGOUS ANCIENT POTTED PLANT FROM HELL WITH TEETH! And believe me: those are way harder to beat.

Above all, the game is bristling with puns. Tired of only having two hands to carry your weapons? Don’t worry! Just get a coat of arms and you get to more hands! (Yes, the card depicts actual coat with two arms extending from it). It might even prevent you from getting stung by those undead ‘zombees’. And as soon as you defeat the ‘hairy potter’, you’re good to go.

If any of this sounds appealing to you, you can actually try the game online right now. Or watch a full game here. And if THAT’S not enough for you, feel free to join me at some of the game nights here in Lund!

Martin Nichta

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Vi-skogen – En berättelse om skogsbruk i Rwanda

Alfred har varit i Rwanda med projektet Vi-skogen. Nu berättar han för oss om projektet och vad han har varit med om.

Jag har tagit ett års studieuppehåll från min utbildning till civilingenjör inom ekosystemteknik. Det var ett snabbt beslut i slutet av förra sommaren då jag fick höra att ett avhopp innebar att jag erbjöds en praktikplats i Rwanda för Vi-skogen. Lägenheten fick hyras ut och sommarjobbet kortas ner för att åka upp till Sida i Härnösand för en veckas biståndskurs. Innan avresa hade vi även sju veckor på Biskops Arnö Nordens folkhögskola för att lära oss om fotografering och för att förbereda oss inför fem månader utomlands.

Vi är sex praktikanter totalt hos Vi-skogen – tre i Rwanda och tre i Uganda. På Biskops Arnö gick vi tillsammans med tolv andra praktikanter som via Framtidsjorden skulle till Indien, Ecuador och Uruguay. Det var en väldigt annorlunda miljö jämfört med LTH. Deltagarna hade olika bakgrund, så som ekonomi, psykologi, mänskliga rättigheter och miljökunskap, och utöver fotografering fick vi anordna egna workshops baserat på den kompetens som fanns i gruppen. Vi spenderade även tid på våra respektive organisationer för att lära oss mer om dem och bli insatta i våra uppdrag.

Nu har det gått lite drygt fyra månader och jag börjar bli klar med mitt uppdrag här. Ett blogginlägg är alldeles för litet för att få med allt som har hänt under den tiden – både på fritiden och vad gäller arbetet. Ni får nöja er med en beskrivning av huvuddragen av vad Vi-skogen jobbar med och vad min uppgift har varit.

Om folk känner till Vi-skogen tänker de ofta på träd och hur dessa ska planteras i Östafrika (Vi-skogen är verksamma runt Victoriasjön i Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya och Tanzania). Det är dock bara en liten del av vad som händer.

Konceptet som organisationen jobbar med heter agroforestry, vilket går ut på att kombinera jordbruk och skogsbruk. Ett fyrtiotal olika sorters träd hjälper till att binda jorden, ge skugga, ta upp kväve från luften och ner i marken, ge foder till djur, fungera som medicin och diverse annat smått och gott. På så sätt går det att öka produktiviteten i jordbruket, vilket ger både mat på bordet och pengar från försäljning för bönderna. De utbildas även i hur de kan organisera sig i spar- och långrupper för att ha råd med större investeringar.

Landsbygden

Ungefär 90 % av Rwandas befolkning bor ute på landsbygden. Där är många självhushållande bönder och det är dessa Vi-skogen jobbar med. Den extremt kuperade terrängen gör att terrasser är ett måste för att få behålla jorden vid kraftiga regn.

Min roll har bestått i att se över insamlingen av regnvatten (en. rainwater harvesting). Det har inneburit fältbesök i distrikten Rulindo, Gicumbi, Gasabo och Kamonyi för att se vilka metoder bönderna använder, hur de använder vatten, vad som funkar och vad som behöver förbättras. Mycket fokus hamnar på tankarna där vattnet ska förvaras. I Rwanda är det

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främst plasttankar och trätankar eller små tegelhus med en presenning på insidan som används.

Stephanie Mukabagorora i Gasabo berättar hur hennes vattentank har gjort så att hennes innergård inte längre översvämmas vid stora regn. Familjen slipper även gå två kilometer för att hämta vatten från floden. Två kilometer är långt i Rwanda, som är extremt backigt. Stephanie har även en biogasanläggning som drivs av gödsel från hennes kor. På så sätt får hon näringsrik kompost till sina odlingar och kan laga mat på gasspis, vilket sparar tid.

Rwanda lever fortfarande i skuggan av folkmordet 1994. Landet rör sig dock framåt med stormsteg. Människorna en möter är väldigt positiva och hjälpsamma. Den sista lördagen i varje månad har hela landet en gemensam städdag (”Umuganda”) där en person från varje familj är med och reparerar vägar, klipper häckar och vad som nu kan tänkas behövas. I och med att utvecklingen går så fort skulle det vara jättespännande att återvända om några år. Nu ska vi dock hem snart och ge oss ut på vägarna i Sverige och föreläsa om vad vi varit med om. Vi kanske ses någonstans i platta Skåne!

Alfred Fransson

Vattentank

Här syns ett exempel på en vattentank i Kamonyi. Det mindre huset mellan de större husen har en basäng på insidan kantad av en presenning. Vattnet kommer in genom taket via stuprören.

Stephanie Mukabagorora

Här syns Stephanie Mukabagorora med sin gasspis som drivs av gas producerad på gården. Nu slipper hon rök inomhus och det tar ingen tid alls att tända.

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Food Saving Lund

91% of the food wasted by the supermarkets in Sweden is unnecessary

– 2012, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

The initiative FoodSaving Lund has the aim to cope with this problem. We go to

supermarkets, markets or bakeries and ask them if they have food that they

need to throw away. We collect the food and distribute it within our network

and to those who still want to eat it. Soon, we are going to contact nations

which have food waste to help them to reduce it.

Moreover, we are having monthly events about food waste in order to raise

awareness. Recent events have been a potluck dinner with food from

abandoned student corridor kitchens and a taco evening. On the 21st of March,

there will be an event concerning "drinkable food" and “drinkable food waste” at 15pm at the Black Pearl. There will be different things to drink, such as

kombucha tea, short talks about drinkable food waste and advice on how to

reduce it. Other topics will be how to best store the food and how to throw food

away that has gone bad.

If you want to join, give us some ideas, or get more information about

FoodSaving, check: www.hallbartuni.se or register for the food saving newsletter

by sending an email to: foodsaving@hallbartuni.se

Yvonne Emig

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Environmental Corner

Brendan informs us about the industry of fish

farms; an important issue that the

environmental committee has discussed.

50% of the world’s fish supply now comes from fish farms, 60% of which come from Norway. However, Norway lacks regulations on toxicity, pesticides and antibiotic levels.

Research shows that especially fatty fish like mackerels, salmon, and herrings contain very high levels of dioxins (harming brain development in babies and children) PCBs, and other toxins. The toxins accumulate in the fatty portions of the fish, which are often advised to be very healthy. As fatty fish bred by humans have a higher fat content than wild salmon, their toxicity levels are even higher.

Salmon and other farmed fish are usually fed pellets of concentrated fish caught in the ocean. The oceans are so polluted nowadays that every aspect of the food chain is contaminated with a certain level of harmful materials. As fish higher up in the food chain (like salmon) consume fish that are lower in the food chain, they incorporate the pollutants inside the fish they eat into their own bodies, each portion of pellets adding more toxins to the mix.

Additionally, some fish gain unnatural colour while bred in fish farms. The flesh of salmon, for example, is white when bred whereas wild salmons flesh is pink. To cover up the artificiality of the bred salmon, pink dye is added into their food. Concerns have been raised about the effect of dye on our health. Some research suggests that the dye might be harmful to the retinas of our eyes.

For adults who eat around 100 grams of farmed fish a week, the level of toxins doesn’t appear to be damaging to their health. However, pregnant women and people with preexisting conditions should be careful.

What you can do:

Eat less fish! Overfishing is an ongoing problem in the waters of the world, and now it seems the fish you are eating might not be as beneficial to your health as it is supposed to be.

Raise awareness. Telling other people about these surprisingly not well known facts might help keep the balance in some parts of the ocean, and save an unborn child from being harmed.

Where you can find more information:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12126/Salmon-poison-alert.html

http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2004/01/20/salmon_health_food_or_pink_poison/?page=full

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/09/farmed-salmon-dangers.aspx

http://www.peta.org/living/food/top-10-reasons-eat-salmon/

Brendan Bos

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Greenhouse Educational Ecosystems – New Urban Gardening Project in Lund

Hristo Valchez, Oscar Paganin, and Guille Aguillera are in charge of GEE, the Greenhouse Educational Ecosystem, and their aim is to transition the Greenhouse Lund University Student Accommodation, in collaboration with ABC – active contributions for people and the environment and Hållbart Universitet (Lund Students for Sustainability) into an urban garden and open site with educational purposes.

The project started in the middle of January with a party and introduction activies at the site:”The GEE project start weekend was more than diverse and full of happy emotions! We kicked it off properly with a nice welcome party on Friday, when a lot of friends came and enjoyed the newly educationally decorated accommodation room, where most of the indoor workshops and meetings will take place. Then we had two days of open-site introduction activities and garden preparation work in the backyard of GEE, followed by nice discussions and year planning.

At the moment we are clearing the site from things that were previously left and a lot has already been done with the help of many dedicated people. On Saturday we were mostly collecting soil and gathering materials which on Sunday we used to start the creation of the first raised beds. They are made according to he hugelkultur permaculture raised-beds

tdesign from recycled wood-pallets, stones, recycled cardboard, branches, and soil that we found on the site. We will continue clearing the site and prepare the raised beds for planting during the following weekends when the weather is suitable, but much more events are coming up as well.”

Upcoming workshops in spring will involve the creation of different types of soil beds for plants, bird houses, and insect hotels from recycled materials, seed exchange and domestic seedling plant growth for future re-plantation as well as planting in the GEE urban garden. We are looking forward to the next workshop in April when we will present different designs for creating urban gardens: raised beds, vertical gardens.

If you like the idea and want to get involved you can find more information about the place and the project on the FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/greenhouseEE and on the webpage of ABC: www.abcsweden.org

You can also send an email to: gee.info@abcsweden.org

Composting workshop in January, aiming to raise awareness in students about organic waste recycling and sustainable methods to do so

Hristo Valchev &

Marlis Wullenkord

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Frunch-Recipes

How about trying some baking? Here are some nice treats for a lazy Saturday morning. (For an even lazier Saturday morning, you are welcome at the Frunch at Wermlands, starting at 12 every Saturday in the basement)

Jam Squares makes 1 tray ~20x30 cm

Cake layer

4 ½ dl flour

1 dl sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

150 g butter

1 egg

2 dl berry jam

Crumble

1 ½ dl oatmeal

1 dl sugar

1 tsp vanilla sugar

50 g butter

Cake

Set the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

Mix flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Use your fingers to combine with the butter. Add the egg and mix.

Put the dough in a buttered tray and spread out the jam on top.

Crumble

Mix oatmeal, sugar and vanilla sugar in a bowl. Melt the butter and mix with the dry ingredients. Spread out on the cake layer.

Bake for about 20 minutes in the lower part of the oven, until the crumble is nicely brown and crispy.

Let it cool and cut into squares, then enjoy!

Julia Tibblin

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Chocolate chip

cookies

Makes about 40 cookies

150 g melted butter

2 dl brown sugar

1 dl white sugar

1 tsp vanilla sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

5 ¼ dl flour

A pinch of salt

1 tsp baking soda

300 g roughly chopped chocolate of your own choice

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

• Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla sugar in a large bowl. Add egg and egg yolk and whisk until the batter is smooth.

• Blend flour, salt and baking soda in the smaller bowl, add the flour mixture, and stir or knead it until combined. Add the chocolate and knead until it is evenly spread.

• Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place on baking paper. Make sure you leave enough space between every cookie since they will grow bigger in the oven. Bake for 10-13 minutes in the middle of the oven.

• Let cool slightly and enjoy!

Julia Tibblin

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Wanna get involved with us? Find our page on facebook Samojeden – Wermlands

Webbtidning or write us an email samojeden@wermlandsnation.se We meet every other Wednesday at 18:00 in Wermlands basement!