Created by Pieter van Hall

According to the definition given by the Brundtland Commission, sustainable development is a "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Identifying these needs are crucial when searching for opportunities and solutions for the many problems we face. These needs, however, do not exclusively describe our actual…

People from Texel do not feel connected to (sustainability) ideas that come from the mainland. One could argue if the inhabitants of the Dutch island of Texel are actually Dutch. Texelaars (Texel's inhabitants) have a strong identity through which they differentiate themselves from the regular Dutch people living on the mainland. The islanders have their own dialect of the Dutch language and…

Unwillingness of inhabitants Transitioning to a more sustainable Texel is a lengthy process. To ensure the success of this process, it is essential that the Texelaars do not only accept this transition, but that they also support it. This means that the inhabitants have to become an integral part of this sustainable transition and the eventual solution. Creating support and acceptance from the…

Empowerment of inhabitants To ensure a successful sustainable transition, preventing  or dealing with resistance from inhabitants is very important. Most resistance can be dealt with by allowing for participation. Through the years, many participative methods have been developed to create more acceptance and support in communities, such as: Information, Explanation  and Negotiation. Negotiating…

How would our future socio-technical subsystem look if the inhabitants would be involved? In our socio-technical subsystem, sustainability would have become a part of the identity of the Texelaar. Texelaars themselves would get involved with projects such as De Zelfpluktuin, or through empowerment, they would be able to set up their own sustainable projects. Empowerment processes tend to be…