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Day: 14 October 2020

New 'grow your own' initiative in schools

by: Cassandra Tanti
14/10/2020

Students are being given a first-hand lesson on sustainable development with the creation of organic vegetable gardens in a selection of schools throughout the Principality.
The initiative was formalised in an agreement signed on Wednesday by Director of National Education, Youth and Sports Isabelle Bonnal, Vice-President of the Prince Albert II Foundation Olivier Wenden, and Founder of Terre de Monaco Jessica Sbaraglia.
The agreement, which was implemented last March but could not be formalised due to the health crisis, provides for the organisation of numerous educational activities related to the environment, including the development of organic vegetable gardens in certain establishments in the Principality, such as the Prince Albert II Leisure Centre, the Parc school, the Fontvieille school, the Lycée Technique et Hôtelier de Monaco and the Condamine school, where the official signing took place.
The objective is to give students an opportunity to interact with nature from an early age and discover how fruits and vegetables are grown. Through this understanding, it is also hoped that students will have a healthy and balanced diet.
Around 3,000 pupils in Monaco each year will be able to harvest their own produce from their school’s garden.
To mark the occasion, the Prince Albert II Foundation presented CM1 B students from the Condamine school with a set of cards listing the main Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2015. The fun educational tool will be distributed to all schoolchildren in the coming days.
 
Photo (from left to right): Jessica Sbaraglia, Founder of Terre de Monaco, Olivier Wenden, Vice-President of the Prince Albert II Foundation and Isabelle Bonnal, Director of National Education, Youth and Sports © Communication Department / Manuel Vitali
 
 

Superyachts banned from mooring in Alpes-Maritimes

by: Stephanie Horsman
14/10/2020

The Alpes-Maritimes is creating new mooring zones for yachts over 20 metres in an effort to lessen the impact on Posidonia oceania, a protected species of Mediterranean sea grass that is being destroyed by the large anchors.
Since 1988, Posidonia oceania, more commonly referred to simply as Posidonia, has been a protected species in the Alpes-Maritimes. This sea grass forms beds that are known as “the lungs of the sea”.
Anchors of large yachts drag along the seabed and cause massive amounts of damage to this fragile ecosystem.
As a result, yachts over 20 metres, many of which dot the coastline of the region, especially in the summer months, will now need to find new spots to anchor as the maritime prefect is creating new no-mooring zones to protect the sea grass beds.

Vice Admiral Laurent Isnard, Maritime Prefect for the Mediterranean © Loïc Bernardin – French Navy

On 12th October, Maritime Prefect for the Mediterranean Vice Admiral Laurent Isnard signed the first decrees regulating the anchoring of ships 20 metres and over for the Alpes-Maritimes department.
The framework for the new rules is already in existence, dating back to June 2019, setting general regulations for ships wishing to moor in French Mediterranean waters. Now these rules will be expanded and will determine exact zoning areas, complete with banned spots, on Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOM) maps. Every sailor is required to carry an up-to-date copy of these maps on board.
Organising and clarifying precise mooring areas will also be beneficial in the busiest months, when there is heavy boat traffic and conflicts over rights of use and accidents are most likely to occur.
Posidonia is important to the overall health and environment of the sea. It is both a home and a nursery for several species of fish, is a natural water purifier, helps lessen the impact of carbon emissions, makes swells less severe and protects the beaches from erosion.

A perfect pairing

by: Cassandra Tanti
14/10/2020

The Vistamar restaurant at the Hermitage Hotel continues to deliver on its promise of exciting new experiences, this time offering a gastronomic weekend with two Michelin star Chef Philippe Mille.
Executive Chef Jean-Phillipe Borrow has invited the Executive Chef of the Domaine Les Crayères into his Michelin star kitchen in Monaco, where the two masters will create an exceptional dinner and brunch on 24th and 25th October.
The idea for the pairing grew from a mutual friendship with two Michelin starred Chef Ronan Kervarrec.
The majestic splendour of the establishments within which they work is also a common factor between Jean-Phillipe Borrow and Philippe Mille. The Hermitage Hotel is Monaco’s famous “grande dame”, a luxurious five-star palace where romance and gastronomy collide. The Domaine Les Crayères is a spectacular Relais & Châteaux property in the heart of Reims that includes a five-star hotel and two restaurants: the Brasserie du Jardin and the two Michelin starred restaurant Le Parc. It sits adjacent to the Pommery champagne house and is a favourite among culinary travellers.
“The atmosphere that emerges from our two houses is similar: elegance and charm, inviting relaxation and epicureanism. This is what our customers also come looking for in our restaurants,” says Chef Phillipe Mille.

Photo: Domaine Les Crayères by ADT Marne

A mutual passion for fresh, local produce is also something the chefs share.
“Our respective kitchens come from the same DNA, which is respect and love for the product,” says Jean-Phillipe Borrow. “We are both committed to enhancing and refining the produce of our regions. We are also committed to bringing our cuisine into modernity to stay in line with our times and the desires of our guests.”
The collaboration is a unique opportunity for guests in Monaco to savour the cuisine of one of France’s finest chefs. Philippe Mille has been in the kitchens of Chefs Bordier, Grondart, Anton, and Roth. He was Yannick Alléno’s right-hand man at Le Scribe and then at Le Meurice. He delivered Domaine Les Crayères its first Michelin star in 2011, then a second in 2012. He is also a Meilleur Ouvrier de France and a Grand Chef Relais et Châteaux.
For October’s exceptional evening, Vistamar guests will be treated to one of Chef Mille’s signature artistic dishes – Langoustines from the Breton coast with Reims vinegar, carpaccio, caviar, a pink berry vinegar marinade, and a stained-glass shellfish coulis.
“This entrée pays homage to the Notre Dame de Reims Cathedral and to the know-how of the master glassmakers,” reveals Chef Mille.

Meanwhile, Chef Borrow will delight guests with a luxurious dish from the region: “A champagne risotto – a nod to Chef Mille, covered with the diamond of the Piedmont region – the Alba white truffle.”
Guests at the two-star evening on Saturday 24th October will be treated to a six-course menu, while the chic champagne brunch on Sunday 24th features a live cooking show by Chef Phillipe Mille on the Eiffel mezzanine.
Reservations are required.
 
Top photo: Chef Phillipe Mille (left) and Chef Jean-Phillipe Borrow by Monaco Life
 
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Monaco start-up spearheads water conservation efforts

by: Stephanie Horsman
14/10/2020

FGWRS, a start-up under the wing of MonacoTech, is behind a new technology used by French Open players to convert “grey water” into usable non-potable water for showers and toilets.

Players who used locker rooms services at the Jean Bouin practice facility during the French Open were also unknowingly engaging in a water conservation project. Since 20th September, the facility has been trying out a system that replaced potable drinking water for recycled grey water in showers and toilets, saving the facility both costs and energy.

The new system, in cooperation with FGWRS’s partner company EHThec, has also found a way to recover more than 50% of the heat contained in the recycled water to pre-heat the water supply for added savings.

Though this is a first for a major French sporting event, the technology used is not new. The European Space Agency (ESA) has been working with FGWRS – a MonacoTech-supported start-up – and French-based company FIRMUS for more than 20 years, refining the systems used by astronauts for their self-sufficiency and safety.

Back on Earth, the FGWRS-monitored system has been recycling the grey water without incident for 15 years at the Concordia research station in Antarctica, showing a proven track record. 

Now that the technology has been honed over the years, FGWRS is ready to extend the system to places with medium and large “collective housing”, such as hotels, with private homes soon to follow.

The company hopes to “contribute to the preservation of drinkable water resources by recycling 80% of grey waters, and directing them towards toilet usage, showers and washing machines, all while recovering thermal energy.”

Jean Bouin has committed to using the same basic system again in 2021 and 2022 at their site, though the technical teams have plans to keep upgrading. Improved performance, notably in terms of grey water energy recovery, will be the goals in the coming years.

 

Photo: Mathieu Génon for FGWRS

 
 
 

Prince Pierre Foundation Awards 2020

by: Stephanie Horsman
14/10/2020

The annual Prince Pierre Foundation literary awards were presented this week, rewarding exceptional works in four categories.

The winners of the 2020 Prince Pierre of Monaco Foundation Awards were announced at the foundation’s Prize Proclamation Ceremony at the Opera Garnier on Tuesday night. They were presented by France Musique writer, journalist and producer Arnaud Merlin.

The prizes were given in four categories: the Literary Prize, the Discovery Grant, the Favourite from a High School student and the Principality Prize, awarded jointly with Rencontres Philosophiques.

The Literary Prize is a lifetime achievement award given to a French-speaking author for his or her collective body of works. The shortlisted writers in this category were Metin Arditi, Élisabeth Berillé, Christian Bobin, Etienne De Montety, and Pierre Michon. This year’s honouree was Christian Bobin.

The Discovery grant, created in 2001 on the Literary Prize’s 50th anniversary, is given to a French-speaking writer who has recently put out their first work of fiction.

The Discovery Prize nominees were Salomé Berlemont-Gilles for Le Premier qui Tombera (The First who Fell), Maylis Besserie for Le Tiers Temps (The Third Time), Victoria Mas for La Bal des Folles (The Crazy Ball), Anne Pauly for Avant que J’Oublie (Before I Forget), and Philippe Ridet for Ce Crime est à Moi (The Crime is Mine). It was Salomé Berlemont-Gilles who took home this year’s award.

The Favourite from a High School Student prize started in 2007 in association with the Department of National Education, Youth and Sports, and is chosen by a jury of students from the local secondary schools.

Those who made it into the finals were Olivier Dorchamps for Ceux que je Suis (Those who I Am), Alexandra Koszelyk for A Crier dans les Ruines (To Cry in the Ruins), Victoria Mas for La Bal des Folles (The Crazy Ball), Mathieu Palain for Sale Gosse (Dirty Kid), and Constance Rivière for Une Fille sans Histoire (A Girl without a History). The winner in this category went to Mathieu Palain.

Finally, the Principality Prize, the newest award, has been given out since 2017. It is presented in conjunction with the Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco to the author for a groundbreaking philosophical work. It is intended for a writer who has written a singular work that “opened new paths in the field of philosophy and engaged in different approaches to science, politics, theology, history, anthropology, ethics or psychoanalysis.”

This year’s winner was Hélène Cixous.

Tributes were also made to Literary Council members who passed away this year including Jacques de Decker, Honorary Permanent Secretary of the Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium, and Jean-Loup Dabadie, member of the French Academy.

The Young Music Lover’s Award and the Musical Tremplin, usually awarded at the same ceremony, were postponed this year.

 

Photo: HRH the Princess of Hanover and her daughter Charlotte Casiraghi surrounded by Mathieu Palain and Christian Bobin (left) and Salomé Berlemont-Gilles (right). © Communication Department / Manuel Vitali