The Municipality of Voorschoten Wins the Group Stage of the National Tile-Seesaw Championship
During this year’s Dutch Tile-Flipping Championship, the municipality of Voorschoten competed against the municipalities of Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp, and Kaag en Braassem in the Regio071 group. Between March 21 and October 31, residents and organizations removed as many tiles as possible and replaced them with greenery. Today, the municipality of Voorschoten emerged as the winner, having removed the most tiles in the group.
The four municipalities removed a total of 21,565 tiles. That amounts to nearly 2,000 m². The municipality of Voorschoten removed the most tiles per resident (TPI) of the four municipalities, namely 626.37 TPI. That figure is equivalent to 1,443 m² of green space within the municipality.
More green spaces in the region
The goal of the NK Tile Flip Challenge is to replace as many tiles, asphalt, or other hard surfaces as possible with greenery. More greenery in Voorschoten and the surrounding region is good for the environment and helps keep the area cooler on hot days. Greenery also helps prevent flooding after heavy rainfall, as it allows water to seep into the ground more easily. Alderman Schokker, responsible for sustainability and green spaces: “I am, of course, proud of the result that the residents of Voorschoten have achieved together. But I also look back on a spirited and pleasant collaboration with the municipalities of Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp, and Kaag en Braassem. I’d like to thank them for that. This is how we’re working together across the region toward a greener, more sustainable future!”
Working Together for a Great Result
Over the past few months, the pavers have been removed by enthusiastic residents, schools, businesses, and organizations, as well as by the municipality itself. At various public locations in Voorschoten, unused paving was removed and replaced with greenery. Residents of Voorschoten did their part by adding greenery to their gardens. Their pavers were picked up and hauled away free of charge by the “paver taxi” provided by the municipality.
National League Standings
Nationwide, municipalities were divided into three categories: large municipalities, medium-sized municipalities, and small municipalities. The municipality of Voorschoten fell into the small municipalities category. Our municipality also performed very well in this category: out of the 125 municipalities that participated, Voorschoten finished in 18th place. For more information about the national competition, visit www.nk-tegelwippen.nl/tegelstand.