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Objective: An increasing number of children in the Netherlands is overweight or obese, which is largely attributable to an unhealthy lifestyle and unhealthy living environment. Nutrition education and greening the schoolyard, for example with a vegetable garden, have independently been studied and are shown to be effective in teaching children a healthy lifestyle and providing a healthy living environment. However, the feasibility of combining nutrition education and greening the schoolyard has not been studied yet. Therefore, this study aimed to provide insight into primary schools' vision on making this combination, and the feasibility of doing so. Methods: In this study a qualitative research design was used. The theoretical frameworks of Proctor et al. and Sekhon et al. were used to develop the interview guide. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of school teams and school directors. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the thematical analysis of Braun and Clarke. Results: According to the interviewees, three facets are essential to make the combination of greening schoolyards and nutrition education feasible and successful. Firstly, the interviewees mentioned that the school team and school directors of schools must be able to see the connection between greening the schoolyard and nutrition education. Additionally, support is needed among the parents, school team, pupils and local community. Finally, the interviewees stated that schools must be able to integrate greening the schoolyard and nutrition education into their existing curriculum. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that combining greening schoolyards and nutrition education in primary schools is feasible and successful when vision, support and integration are present. Future research should investigate the vision of the local community and parents on making the combination, and the effects of the combination on pupils and their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feasibility of a bioscreen for the in situ biodegradation of HCH and its intermediates is demonstrated at a contaminated site in The Netherlands, via the discontinuous addition of methanol as electron donor. An infiltration system was installed and operated at the site over a length of 150 m and a depth of 8 m, to create an anaerobic infiltration zone in which HCH is converted. The construction of the infiltration system was combined with the redevelopment of the site. During passage through the bioscreen, the concentration of HCH in the groundwater decreased from 600 μg/ L to the detection limit of the individual HCH isomers (0.01 μg/L) after one year of operation. The concentration of the intermediate biodegradation products benzene and chlorobenzene increased and achieved steady state values of respectively 800 and 2700 μg/L. Benzene and chlorobenzene were treated aerobically on site in an existing wastewater treatment plant. By changing the infiltration regime, it is conclusively shown that HCH removal is the result of the biological degradation and stimulated by the addition of methanol as electron donor. To our knowledge, this is the first successful field demonstration of the stimulated transformation of HCH to intermediates in a full scale anaerobic in situ bioscreen, combined with an aerobic on site treatment to harmless end products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]