Neighborhood Bistro Schil & Stronk

Eindhoven is a city where everyone should be able to feel at home. Where inhabitants are involved in the city's unique energy and spread its stories as enthusiastic ambassadors. This is related to our higher goal: Eindhoven as the most people-centered innovative city. An ambitious goal to which we are happy to make our contribution.

Sustainability and social cohesion

Our goal for residents is that we will have reached at least 50 percent of Eindhoven residents by 2025, and that 10 percent of them will be actively involved in making their living environment more sustainable. To achieve this goal, we sought cooperation with the social designers of Studio Sociaal Centraal in 2022. With them, we further explored the domain of sustainability. What do residents want in this regard? What initiatives are there in the city? And what interesting projects are there outside of Eindhoven from which we can learn? This research led to a focus for our project. We decided to focus on the intersection of social cohesion and food waste.

Food waste in the Netherlands

According to figures from Milieu Centraal, every year, about 9 percent of our food disappears into the waste bin unused: over 34 kilos of food per person per year, which amounts to about 120 euros that we throw away. This means that all Dutch people waste 590 million kilos of good food combined. That's thousands of garbage trucks full! One-third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from our food chains. This makes reducing food waste an important spearhead in sustainability.

That in itself is reason enough to invest in this, but what also plays a role for us is that the cost of food has risen enormously due to inflation. For many people, groceries have become too much of an expense. Wasting less food also means buying less food. Last but not least, food is a perfect way to increase social cohesion. Good food appeals to everyone, brings people together, and bridges cultures.

Buurtbistro Schil & Stronk

Together with Studio Sociaal Centraal, we developed the concept "Buurtbistro Schil & Stronk," which translates to 'Neighborhood Bistro Peel & Stalk,' named after the edible parts of vegetables that people often throw away: the so-called cutting loss. fffunction.studio developed the campaign style. We also work closely with wijEindhoven, who connected us with their network in the city.

At the traveling neighborhood bistro Schil & Stronk, people learn how to get the most out of food together with their neighbors. For example, how to cook the stalk of broccoli or how to store spinach so you don't have to throw away half the bag. With Schil & Stronk, participants not only learn how to waste less but also get to know their neighbors better. Win-win!

Neighborhood bistro Schil & Stronk visited Hagenkamp in April and May. The program included a workshop and a delicious culinary neighborhood lunch. 10 households participated in the workshop. For the lunch, 45 people were invited. Chef Manfred Albrecht of Bij Albrecht hosted the workshop and lunch.

This first edition of the neighborhood bistro was a pilot. Our ultimate goal is to come up with a kind of blueprint for the program of Neighborhood Bistro Schil & Stronk. This will allow neighborhood associations, cooking clubs, and other enthusiasts to organize their own neighborhood bistro. This makes it a gift to the city and its residents.