Created by Bertien

TIME Time – it is strange – it is strangely beautiful too never to know what it is and yet how much that lives in us is older than we are, how much of it will outlive us as a new-born child can look as though it is looking at something inside itself, something it was given to bring along with it as Rembrandt looks in the last self-portraits as though he can see where he is going into a distance…

Talking about 'my' sustainability hero: Three men at sea .   Bringing favorite chocolate to The Netherlands. Indeed it needs some extra effort, that what makes it a true luxury. Enjoy ! 

Work hard ride fast! This credo is owned by one of my colleagues, Rembrandt Kruijt. What we may share: addicted to endurance sports, enthusiast bike commuter, accused of being workaholic. There may be all kind of clarifications for relaxations by exertion. Whatever it is, we’re full of beans if fascinated by something and considered something really important. That’s what is needed with regard to…

The tragedy of the commons  is a social dilemma when collective interests conflict with private interests. Even if it is clear that overfishing and exhausting the ocean is not in anyone's long-term interest, multiple individuals, acting independently and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource like fish. Is it possible to maximize our fish…

About four years ago it was still a question: 100% renewable  at Samso, a Danish island. Now, few years later it became a statement: Worlds's first 100 % renewable energy-powered island is a beacon for sustainable communities . I wonder what Texel can learn from this example. Not only 'energy-wise', but the more in terms of how transitions become reality.  The enthousiasm of the locals, the new…

The answer to this question  is not primarily technically challenging, but psychologically. Most probably it is more feasible than desalinating sea water ... at islands that want to become sustainable and self sufficient.

Powered by nature and people, Texel will get its own floating tidal energy platform. The first unique floating tidal energy platform is partnered by Bluewater with a group of leading offshore companies. The platform will be moored near Texel in the Wadden sea of The Netherlands and generate clean electricity from the tides. It is of an innovative modular design.

Seen this ?!

Stories from inhabitants and visitors learn us a lot about how people experience the island, its opportunities and downsides.  Most stories are told in Dutch, however ...  On the web also narratives about the history of the landscape  are collected. But also fairy tales may inspire you.  

Texel is part of the Wadden Sea, which is a World heritage site on the same footing as other world famous natural wonders on that list: like the Grand Canyon in the USA and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. UNESCO underlines with the allotment of this prestigious predicate that the Wadden Sea has such natural value to the world that it deserves this protection and must be cherished and kept…