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Month: August 2022

The mission: to recycle gray water in Antarctica

by: Stephanie Horsman
23/08/2022

Newly minted Monaco Tech alumni FGWRS will join the Prince Albert Foundation, Paul-Émile Victor French Polar Institute and the European Space Agency for a sustainability mission to Antarctica in December.

1,600 kilometres from the South Pole, the French-Italian Concordia base is about to be the test centre for a new type of gray water recycling system. The Firmus Gray Water Recycling System (FGWRS) will debut the programme on 6th December and will have a special guest join the team at the base camp.

Special guest Justin Sargenti, former student of Institut François d’Assise, Nicolas Barre (FANB) and winner of the Students On Ice 2015 competition organised by the Prince Albert II Foundation (FPA2), as well as a graduate of the National School of Architecture in Strasbourg, will live on the Franco-Italian Antarctic research station until 4th February 2023.

Passionate about photography and polar environments since his expedition to the Arctic in 2015 with Students On Ice, Justin has always been interested in the protection of the poles and life in this hostile environment. In addition, he is currently working toward a doctorate relating to comfort in the stations.

Justin Sargenti will join the mission on 6th December.

He has had to undergo rigorous medical examinations and will participate in a training course by the Concordia technical team for enduring Concordia winters by Monaco’s French counterpart FGWRS France.

“Since my expedition to the Arctic in 2015 following the Students On Ice competition with the FPA2, my dearest dream was to set foot on the Antarctic continent,” said Justin Sargenti. “Today, thanks to FGWRS and its work on the Concordia scientific base, I am offered the opportunity to live there for two months. It goes beyond anything I could ever dream of and motivates me to continue working in the polar environments and their preservation.”

The mission at Concordia station, which is in partnership with the Prince Albert II Foundation, the French Polar Institute and the European Space Agency (ESA), will test a new type of membrane that consumes less energy than the one currently in place. It will also, in conjunction with ESA, study the possibility of installing other recycling processes for yellow and black water at the research station.

Previous collaborations have been carried out by the French Polar Institute, the European Space Agency and FIRMUS, and gray water recycling was officially put into use at Concordia in 2005.

Since its installation, the process has been free of any technical or health incidents and more than six million litres of water has been saved via recycling water from the kitchen, showers, sinks and washing machines, which is treated and reused.

 

 

 

Bike Bonus extended until end of year

by: Stephanie Horsman
23/08/2022

The French government is maintaining its Bike Bonus for people looking to buy a traditional, electric cargo or adapted bicycle until the end of this year, but the rules for obtaining the funds have changed.

The Bike Bonus programme has been a big success in France, helping people to buy bicycles as alternative forms of transportation to pollution-causing options.

Up until the 15th of August, state aid for the purchase of a bicycle under the programme came in addition to equivalent support from a local authority which was also promoting the use of alternative transport.

Now, until the 31st December, the €5 million allocated in funds will no longer be reliant on the municipality, region or department in which a person lives, but will be granted directly to the individual. The twist is that the grants will now be doled out depending on income status or certain disabilities.

The new system allows for 40% of the price, capped at €150, towards the purchase of a traditional bike, but will only be available to those whose incomes do not exceed €6,300, or for those with a disability.

For other types of bicycles, such as electric and cargo, the maximum is increased to €400 or 40% of the purchase price if income is less than €6,300. For those in an income bracket from €6,301 to €13,489 the bonus is capped at €300. For those with handicaps, that sum can go as high as €2,000 for a cargo bike, recumbent bike, bike adapted to a handicap situation, folding bike, whether electric or traditional, or an electric trailer, for tax income per individual less than or equal to €6,300. This becomes €1,000 for taxable income between €6,301 and €13,489, or for a company, association, community.

Additionally, if a person is offloading an old vehicle, meaning a car or van from before 2006 for petrol engines, and before 2011 for diesel, that they have owned for more than a year, they can benefit from a conversion increased to 40% of the acquisition price within the limit of €1,500, regardless of their level of income.

This bonus can be paid to each member of the same household buying an electric, folding, cargo bike, or the like until the end of 2022.

Furthermore, for those living in low-emission zones and the local authority has paid out aid to buy or rent an electrically assisted bicycle, this premium is increased by €1,000.

The website with the application for aid can be found at https://www.primealaconversion.gouv.fr/dboneco/accueil/

 

 

Photo credit: KBO Bike on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

EU researchers invited to ‘Innovate with Monaco’

by: Stephanie Horsman
23/08/2022

The Principality is taking sustainability goals to another level at an Innovate with Monaco session, inviting European researchers to pitch their ideas to the EU and highlight tech and artificial intelligence projects.  

EU researchers are being invited to partner with Monaco for their next innovative professional proposal. Via the ‘Innovate with Monaco’ meeting, they can present their new programmes and projects for the European Union.

The recent agreement between Monaco and the European Commission now allows companies in the Principality to take part in collaborative calls for research and development proposals launched by the EU.

A series of presentations will take place during the event including from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, who will be speaking about protecting and progressing planetary health for the present and future generations, and a talk on energy optimisation solutions for buildings by Pascal Torres, CEO of Enoleo SAM.

Additionally, Frederic Dalmasie, CEO of Agricorp, a part of the Monaco Resources Group, will speak on the agro-industry as a driver of sustainable development, Sam Ramadori, CEO of Brainbox AI, will let audiences in on how AI is being used in over 70 cities to make buildings smarter and greener, and Valeria Ferrando, associate Director at IES, will speak about how digital twin technologies are being used as a tool to develop urban-scale decarbonisation roadmaps.

The event is being held on 7th September at the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen in Nice as part of the Sustainable Places 2022 Conference, which runs 6th to 9th September. For more information and to book tickets, visit https://www.xing.com/events/sustainable-places-2022-3885445

 

 

 Photo by Victor He on Unsplash

 

 

Free bus trial set to begin in October

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/08/2022

The government and the National Council will meet in September to thrash out the practicalities of having free busses soon operating in the Principality.

It is a debate that’s been going on for nearly five years. The National Council, in an effort to help alleviate traffic congestion in Monaco as well as to lessen air pollution, has been exploring the viability of a free bus service throughout the entire Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco (CAM) system.

During the December 2021 Budget Sessions the government, via Minister of State Pierre Dartout, suggested testing free buses from October to November 2022. A meeting is scheduled for September between the two entities to define the criteria that will eventually make it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the free buses.

“This will finally make it possible to find a pragmatic and definitive solution to this debate, on the usefulness or not of this measure, which seems to us to be in line with the challenges of our time,” said National Council President Stéphane Valeri.

By offering bus service gratis, the government and the National Council hope to alter the habits of intramural motorists and encourage more people to take the buses, which are cleaner running than automobiles, motorbikes and other petrol-run vehicles.

In addition to the free service, the National Council hopes to be able to create additional services to accompany it, such as new bus lanes, prioritisation of traffic signals for buses and a big increase in frequency to meet increased demand.

 

 

Photo credit: Jean-françois Ottonello, National Council of Monaco

 

 

 

 

Prince’s Foundation joins Global Ghost Gear Initiative

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/08/2022

A programme dedicated to solving the problem of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear, known colloquially as “ghost gear”, has just received the backing of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

The loss of fishing equipment is an inevitable part of the industry, but it is terrible for the environment. Rough weather, snags beneath the surface, and other boats accidentally running over gear and setting it adrift are big contributors to ocean pollution, and this type of debris is now one of the most prevalent plastic polluters in the sea.

It is estimated that ghost gear makes up 46% to 70% of all floating macroplastics in ocean gyres by weight, and up to a 30% drop in certain fish stocks can be credited to this discarded or lost kit. More locally, reports have shown that ghost gear accounts for 77% of all marine rubbish in the western Mediterranean region.

The Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) is trying to fix all that. It is an alliance of the fishing industry, private sector, corporate entities, NGOs, academia and governments focused on solving the problem of lost and abandoned fishing gear worldwide.

Ingrid Giskes, Director of the GGGI at Ocean Conservancy, and Olivier Wenden, Vice President and CEO of Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Photo credit: FPA2

“Protecting marine ecosystems and fighting plastic pollution is a major concern for the Foundation, not only in the Mediterranean Basin but also at a global scale,” said Olivier Wenden, Vice President and CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. “Tackling the issue of ghost gear, which is jeopardizing marine life and the health of our ocean, requires collaborative work if we want to drive effective change. Joining forces with Ocean Conservancy in the framework of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative is a step further in our mission to raise awareness of the problems the Mediterranean Sea is facing and accelerate the development of scalable solutions for the future of the ocean.”

The primary goals of the GGGI are to improve the health of marine ecosystems, safeguard human health and maritime jobs, and protect marine life from harm.

“It is a pleasure to welcome the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation as a partner in the fight to eliminate ghost gear, the most harmful form of marine debris,” said Ingrid Giskes, Director of the GGGI at Ocean Conservancy. “With Spain joining the GGGI in April this year, we look forward to working together and expanding our work in the Mediterranean region.”

 

 

Photo credit: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Unsplash 

 

 

 

Paul Mitchell in favour of mic’ing up referees

by: Luke Entwistle
22/08/2022

AS Monaco once again found themselves the victim of harsh refereeing treatment during Saturday’s defeat to Lens in what was a record-breaking gameweek for red cards in Ligue 1.

For consecutive weeks, Monaco has seen red. After Youssouf Fofana’s harsh sending off in the 15th minute of last week’s match against Rennes, Vanderson was then shown a red card late-on against Lens. That time there were fewer arguments, with the Brazilian right-back picking up, arguably, two merited yellows.

The drama this week centred around a “soft” penalty call in favour of the visiting Lens side. Despite very limited contact from Breel Embolo, Florian Sotoca tumbled in the box to earn his side a spot-kick at a critical moment in the game. Seko Fofana scored the resulting penalty, restoring Lens’ two-goal advantage and killing Philippe Clement’s side’s momentum.

Whilst Monaco can once again feel aggrieved with their treatment, the issue of refereeing transcends the Principality side. The Lens penalty, which Clement described as “very, very soft” was one of many contentious decisions across the French league this weekend.

In fact, it was a record-breaking weekend for Ligue 1. The 11 cards dished out throughout the gameweek is the most seen since Opta records began 30 years ago. 10 red cards have previously been given out on two occasions, firstly during gameweek five of the 1999/2000 season and then during gameweek 35 of the 2020/21 season.

This record-breaking weekend is a symptom of much harsher decisions being taken by referees. Following his side’s 2-1 win against Montpellier, which saw both sides receive two red cards, AJ Auxerre manager Jean-Marc Furlan bemoaned the frivolity with which referees are currently brandishing red cards.

“It’s quite over the top in a match where there wasn’t any extreme violence. It shocked me a lot, relative to what I experienced as a player. I was a serial killer and I never got a red. UEFA and FIFA have changed the rules and rightly so, but in our era, when we played, we killed each other. Normally there were three fights a match and there was never a yellow or a red,” said Furlan. “Instances have changed that because there were severe injuries. But in this match, where I had the feeling that everything was fair between the two sides, you get the impression that you just have to play volleyball or basketball. It’s very penalising.”

Furlan wasn’t the only manager to take aim at referees this weekend. OGC Nice manager Lucien Favre was also critical of the lowering of the bar regarding what constitutes a foul in the box.

“What I don’t like are the penalties that we’re giving for nothing. When I see some matches where the ball touches the finger, involuntarily, and then the referee blows. That, between us, annoys me. I don’t get annoyed often, but I can’t stand that. We’ll soon have to cut off our arms,” said the Swiss coach.

Even prior to this weekend, the standard of refereeing had been a staple topic in discussions about France’s top division. Last season, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas and Marseille president Pablo Longoria both called for referees to be mic’d up, as they are in rugby.

Questioned by Monaco Life on whether he would be in favour of a move to mic referees up during matches, AS Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell said, “It’s quite an effective way to understand the decision-making process from the officials in rugby. I think it has worked very effectively. I would like more communication between the referees’ association and the clubs. Maybe there is some added value that we could create there from a footballing perspective. Having a deeper understanding of what they go through, the process, the context, the analysis and how they come to those decisions, I think that’s about communication.”

The Englishman continued, “I wouldn’t mind having the referees mic’d-up just to have an understanding of the process before they make that critical decision, because it is critical. After 20 minutes in the game, that’s (Fofana red card) a big call, especially when it’s a game between two really good teams. Once again, an ambition of mine coming to France was to try to drive the product of the game. That’s always an ambition wherever I work. I want to see the product at its maximum and I think it can only be at its maximum when you’re playing fairly 11-v-11. So for me, it’s a pioneering idea, but once again, the biggest thing is understanding the decision making process before you make that critical decision and how can we enhance that and make it better, where we’re making more consistently good decisions than not.”

Whilst consistency of decision-making, which has been lacking in recent weeks, is key, so is ascertaining the threshold of what constitutes serious foul play. Currently that bar is seemingly set very low, and whilst Monaco have been a victim of that low bar in recent times, they are not unique in that sense. With the low drone of dissenting voices multiplying following a weekend of questionable refereeing calls, the debate around how to improve such an integral element of the game will likely intensify in the coming days and weeks.

 

Photo of Paul Mitchell by Monaco Life