As part of commemorations to mark the centenary of the death of Prince Albert I of Monaco, Gildo Pastor, the President of Venturi, has tasked one member of his team with a special mission: to ski a distance of 220km on a Norwegian island mapped by the Prince between 1898 and 1907.
Prince Albert I of Monaco, who devoted his life to oceanography and science in general, was nicknamed the “Learned Prince” or the “Navigator Prince”. At the turn of the 20th century, he was the first to map the island of Spitsbergen from the sea. This land of glaciers, with its rugged terrain and ice peaks (Spitsbergen comes from the Dutch word meaning “pointed mountains”), is part of the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, to the east of Greenland.
Gildo Pastor, President of Venturi, was keen to pay a fitting tribute to the illustrious ancestor of Prince Albert II of Monaco, by handing Xavier Chevrin a perilous mission to the island of Spitsbergen. Unlike the earlier challenges he has undertaken for Venturi in the past, Xavier this time will not be testing any of the group’s vehicles. Instead, he will be putting only his physical and mental capabilities to the test.
“Since 2010, Xavier Chevrin has been testing our electric engines on epic mechanical journeys to the four corners of the world,” said Gildo Pastor. “So, he is the right man to take on the cold, wind, and ice over three weeks, covering 220 kilometres, on skis. Everyone at Venturi is honoured to pay tribute to Prince Albert I through this exceptional adventure.”
The R&D department has contributed to this trek by designing solar panel-based electric recharging systems.
Taking most of the month of June, the adventurer from Venturi, accompanied by three guides, will be cross-country skiing a distance of 220 kilometres, racking up a total elevation gain of around 3,000 metres. His goal: to cross, among others, “Albert I land”, setting out from Grimaldi Mountain, before crossing the Monaco Glacier to reach Prince Albert I Mountain, and finally Princess Alice Mountain.
Located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, some 900 kilometres from the North Pole, the region is climatically classed as an “Arctic desert”. The landscape that Xavier Chevrin will be travelling across is largely formed of glaciers and covered by the ice cap, where sea lions, seals, and polar bears are part of the decor. During the Arctic summer, temperatures will vary between -15°C and 0°C. This journey will be unique in that it will require the team members to open a new passage through as-yet unexplored valleys.
For Gildo Pastor, it is important to ensure this world first is shared with the widest possible audience. That is why a free mobile app will soon be available. In addition to the Venturi website, it will allow users to track Xavier’s progress on a map, listen to the latest chapter in his log every day, receive photos taken by the adventurer, and even send him messages of encouragement.
Images source: Venturi
The great chemical detox: EU to ban widely used chemicals
Thousands of the worlds’ most notorious chemicals, found in everything from plastic water bottles and food wrapping to children’s toys, could be banned in Europe by 2030 under new EU regulation.
The European Commission published its ‘Restrictions Roadmap’ on Monday 25th April and, if implemented, it will be the largest ever regulatory removal of authorised chemicals anywhere in the world.
It covers chemicals that environmental, consumer and health groups have fought against for decades.
Among them is the Minderoo Foundation, an Australian non-profit which, through its Plastics and Human Health project, aims to eliminate the harmful effects of plastic on human health using research evidence, international collaboration and advocacy to drive changes in how plastic is made, used and managed.
The Foundation recently launched a new global study on human health and plastic pollution with the Scientific Centre of Monaco and Boston College.
“There are around 10,500 different chemicals that are added to plastic to give it the properties of flexibility, stability, UV and flame resistance, and it is these chemicals that leak out of the plastics and enter our bodies,” Sarah Dunlop, Director of Plastics and Human Health, told Monaco Life. “We know this because we have measured the level of these chemicals in blood and urine during pregnancy, in umbilical cord blood and breastmilk, in seminal fluid and urine in children and adults… these chemicals are there, the public just don’t know anything about it.”
Studies show that some 700 industrial chemicals are found in humans today that were not present in our grandparents, more than half of which are known or suspected causes of cancer.
“There has been this touching faith that plastic was inert, that it didn’t change or leak chemicals, and there was no testing to prove otherwise,” said Dunlop. “The problem is that the companies that produce this plastic are not paying the cost, we are paying the cost. The health system and the environment are now paying the cost.”
Toxic chemicals are used in the creation of medical equipment, such as IV drips.
The EU roadmap is a political commitment to use existing laws to ban toxic substances including all flame retardants and bisphenols – chemicals that are widely used in plastics but are frequently linked to cancer and are proven to disrupt human hormones.
It will also ban all forms of PVC, the least recyclable plastic on the planet and the fourth most common type of plastic in Europe. It is used in everything from children’s toys and food packaging, to shoes, furniture and building materials. It also contains large amounts of toxic additives.
In addition, the roadmap restricts all PFAS, found in a wide variety of consumer items, from takeaway packaging to dental floss. These are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they accumulate in humans, animals and the environment, including drinking water, and they are virtually impossible to remove.
Around 2,000 harmful chemicals found in baby products also make the list, chemicals that are widely used in things like nappies, pacifiers and teething toys.
“Almost every manufactured product in shops and in our homes will be impacted,” European Environment Bureau (EEB) Chemicals Policy Manager Tatiana Santos said. “What the EU is planning is the boldest ‘detox’ we have ever seen. Petro-chemical industry lobbyists are shocked at what is now on the table.”
Photo of supermarket aisles filled with plastic products, by Peter Bond
Stemming the tide of chemical production
Around 200,000 chemicals are currently used in Europe, three quarters of which are proven to be hazardous to our health.
While the EU has some of the world’s strictest chemical controls, “in reality they are failing to control the rising tide of chemical production and pollution”, says the EEB, with the industry creating a new chemical every 1.4 seconds, on average.
The exciting aspect of this plan, say experts, is that it will restrict large groups of some of the most hazardous chemicals still in use. By grouping the substances together, the EU is able to regulate thousands of chemical compounds at the one time.
“Regulatory actions that deal with entire classes of chemicals are much needed and long overdue,” Professor Philip J. Landrigan, Member of the Human Health Unit at the Monaco Scientific Centre, tells Monaco Life. “The current approach which examines one chemical at a time is slow, cumbersome and not effective at protecting public health.”
“It also allows ‘regrettable substitution’ in which another member of a chemical class is introduced to the market to replace a chemical of the same class that has been banned,” adds Professor Landrigan, who is also Director of the Global Observatory on Pollution and Health at Boston College. “Examples are seen in the organophosphate insecticide family and in the substitution of bisphenol S for bisphenol A.”
The EEB estimates that between 5,000 and 7,000 substances could ultimately fall within the scope of the new proposal, making it the largest ever ban of toxic chemicals.
According to research paid for by the European chemical industry body CEFIC, the number is closer to 12,000 chemicals, which can be found in 74% of all consumer and professional products.
In other words, the chemical industry – while outlining the impact of these bans on the sector – has itself acknowledged that millions of varieties of consumer products on the shelves throughout Europe today have the potential to cause serious health and environmental harm.
Why has it taken this long?
The European chemical industry is worth €534 billion a year, making it the fourth largest industry in the EU, and it has major lobbying power.
Early drafts of this plan prompted large protests among the industry, and these companies are expected to try to water down the roadmap, as they have done in the past.
Member states and the European Commission will now examine each proposed ban in detail and while some chemicals on the roadmap list were already facing EU restrictions, most are new. Once approved, the ban could take months or years to come into force, and will likely be around the year 2030, predicts the EEB.
That’s too long for health professionals like Professor Landrigan.
“This is unnecessarily slow. Millions of people, including millions of Europe’s children, will be exposed to potentially dangerous chemicals during this long run-in period,” he says. “As a paediatrician and public health physician, I would have preferred a run-in time of no more than two to three years.”
Around 2,000 chemicals used in baby products, such as teething rings, will be banned. Photo flickr: cantaloupe99, Creative Commons
The Restrictions Roadmap is part of the European Green Deal announced in December 2019 and the zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment. Experts all agree that it is a major step in the right direction.
“What Von der Leyen’s Commission has announced today opens a new chapter in facing down the growing threat from harmful chemicals. This ‘great detox’ promises to improve the safety of almost all manufactured products and rapidly lower the chemical intensity of our schools, homes and workplaces. It is high time for the EU to turn words into real and urgent action,” said the EEB’s Tatiana Santos.
By banning groups of the most harmful chemicals in consumer products, companies will be forced to move away from controlling harmful chemicals to avoiding their production all together.
“We urgently need different materials,” adds the Minderoo Foundation’s Sarah Dunlop. “The protocol that banned CFCs and therefore mended the hole in the ozone layer partly came about because scientists discovered different alternatives. We need to do that with plastics.”
The need for effective monitoring
A lack of regulation means that, for years, companies have been allowed to share very limited information on the hazardous nature of their products with officials. According to German investigators, most substances on the market break safety rules. Meanwhile, the level of non-compliance just keeps rising, says the European Chemicals Agency, with around 93% of chemicals on the market currently lacking critical information about their potential hazards.
The Minderoo Foundation therefore is pushing for the establishment of a scientific committee, similar to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), made up of health professionals, scientists and policy experts, to study the data on the risks of chemicals to human health and that of the planet; a group that has the ability to effect change in public opinion and government policy, just as the IPCC has done with regards to the climate crisis.
The Foundation is currently putting together its global study on human health and plastic pollution, launched during this year’s Monaco Ocean Week, and expects to present the report with the Scientific Centre of Monaco during the 2024 event.
A local association leading the fight against drinking and driving co-founded by Camille Gottlieb, Be Safe Monaco, has an angel in designer Elena Sivoldaeva, who graciously donated a car to be used to safely escort revellers home after nights out on the town.
Be Safe Monaco was created in 2017 by five women who lost a friend to a tragic drink driving accident. Daughter of Princess Stephanie Camille Gottlieb, Charlotte Marsan, Andrea Puzar, Laura Dias, and Margaux Grundstein have since made it their business to ensure no one need get behind the wheel of a vehicle in Monaco while under the influence of alcohol.
The programme runs free shuttle services during weekends in the summer months, distributes breath analyser tests, and offers lessons in awareness, and has saved countless people from making a major mistake that could land them in jail, or worse.
In 2020, the Mairie donated a shuttle bus to the organisation and, after two years of pandemic and tough times, they are now receiving the gift of another vehicle, this time from high-end designer Elena Sivoldaeva.
Sivoldaeva’s talents are far-reaching and include the creation of jewellery, furniture, accessories, clothing, objet d’art for interiors and pieces to enhance landscapes. She is also no stranger to the art of giving back and has donated Covid testing machines to the city of San Remo, been part of the construction of prefabricated modules used at a school in that same town, and is a fixture at many of Monaco’s glittering charity events and galas.
The electric van she bestowed is now a part of the fleet of vehicles and will be vital in preventing road accidents that cost lives. To date, 265 people have used the service and this summer, with Covid bans and restrictions lifted, Be Safe Monaco anticipates a big uptick in usage.
For more info on Be Safe, including how it works and how to make a donation, visit the website on https://besafemonaco.mc/en/
Photo by Frédéric Nebinger, Prince’s Palace
Presenting Mozambique business opportunities in Monaco
The Consulate of Mozambique in the Principality has hosted Mozambican Business Days, coinciding with guest visits from Africa and the 10th anniversary of the Honorary Consul’s appointment to Monaco.
Mozambican Consul Chris Becker has hit a milestone. As of this year, he has dedicated a decade of his career to diplomacy in the Principality and to mark the occasion, the Consulate hosted Mozambican Business Days from 26th to 29th April, a series of face-to-face and virtual meetings at the Hermitage Hotel geared toward strengthening the business bonds between Monaco and the African nation.
Chairman of African Lion Gold Cobus van Wyk, and Luis Mucave Jr from Third Way Africa and Co-Founder of the local Chamber of Oil and Gas, made the journey from Maputo to Monaco to take part in the event.
On 26th April, meetings were held with investors from Aurelys wealth management, ES-KO industrial services specialists, and Sensawild who is in wildlife tourism technology. Additional meetings were also held featuring companies from the energy, agriculture, exploration and mining, shipping, and medical sectors.
The next day, the Club of Monegasque Entrepreneurs in Africa (CEMA) held a forum on investment opportunities in Mozambique organised by Frederic Geerts from Rothschild & Co, where top players were in attendance.
On the 28th, private equity advisors Delta Capital conducted another investment conference with African Lion Gold, who have been operating in gold exploration in Mozambique’s northern province of Tete and is aiming to list as a publicly traded company later this year.
Investors were provided an international platform to form new relationships. The event was booked out well in advance with nearly 40 investors attending, six of whom participated online.
Photo: Frederic Geerts, Chris Becker and Cobus van Wyk, supplied
Canadian film takes Best Picture at Monte-Carlo Film Festival
The 19th Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festival was deemed an “enormous success”, with awards being handed out to the best of the best in the industry and ending with a gala evening worthy of the stars.
Glamour, as well as laughs, abounded at the 19th Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festival, held from 25th to 30th April at the Grimaldi Forum.
Founder and creator Ezio Greggio officially opened the event with the inspirational and aspirational words “This Monte-Carlo Film Festival brings laughter, hope and a message of peace to the world”.
The annual festival, held under the patronage of Prince Albert II and the Italian Embassy, showcases a variety of films with one basic requirement: that they make people laugh. Comedy, an often overlooked genre at other film festivals, is front and centre at this event, giving it a light-hearted flare whilst still having the structure and prestige of a “regular” festival.
The festival presents a main feature-length competition, out of competition premieres, master classes, press conferences, round tables and an award ceremony gala event which is held in front of 2,000 guests.
This year’s jury was composed of President Paul Haggis, Tom Leeb, Clara Ponsot, and Pierpaolo Spollon, who had the difficult task of selecting the best from each given category. In the end, Best Picture went to Canadian film Babysitter, which also nabbed the Best Actor award for Steve Laplante.
Best Director went to Spaniard Dani de la Orden for Mama o Papa, a film that also saw Best Actress go to its star, Miren Ibarguren.
Odd-Magnus Williamson took home the prize for Best Screenwriter for the film Nothing to Laugh About and the Audience Award went to Italian film A Breath of Air directed by Alessio Lauria.
The Best Comedy Short went to Kenyan film A Guide to Dining Out in Nairobi directed by Hugh Milton.
A Movie Legend Award was also presented at the award gala event to Stefania Sandrelli, the Italian actress who has over a hundred credits to her name and is considered a national treasure in her native country alongside Jury President Paul Haggis, director of Million Dollar Baby, who was also given the honour.
Finally, rising stars of Italian cinema Ludovica Martino and Lorenzo Zurzolo received the Special Next Generation Award for best performers under the age of 30.
Among the personalities who attended the evening were showman Piero Chiambretti, journalist Cesara Buonamici, former Juventus footballer Andrea Barzagli, TV presenter Alessandro Cattelan, and the charming Turkish actor and model Can Yaman.
Photo source: Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festival
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