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What do sustainable change and a summer bike trip have in common?
Just back from a long bike trip, I noted many similarities between that trip and sustainable change projects. This post outlines how common goals, planning, building on what’s there, engagement, momentum, and priority setting all contribute.
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Flashing forward with non-executives in a historic place
In May 2024, I had the honor of addressing a group of non-executive directors on how they could integrate sustainability into their supervisory role. Instead of a one-way presentation, we had an inspiring dialogue about the future in a place that breathes the past (Koninklijke Industrieele Groote Club). Here are the key highlights of our…
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Talent, transition, and time to think big in retail
Everything we buy has an impact on the planet, on society. Perhaps you already eat as much organic food as you can find and only use renewable energy sources to heat and light your house. For other categories – such as fashion, lifestyle and beauty – it is more challenging to find sustainable, circular options…
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Teaching for positive change
For the fifth consecutive year, I had the opportunity to teach a course on Responsible Management at the University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica. Here are my learnings from this year in the Responsible Management of Sustainable Economic Development Master Program. Focus is key – in teaching and organizations To make it more useful…
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4 ingredients for business as a force for good
“Degrowth is not the solution I see for a more sustainable future. Instead, I really see the companies of the future as a force for good. Companies exist to create value. Unfortunately, in many cases, this is focused on just one kind of value-creation: financial value for shareholders. This might still be viable in the…
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Patagonia’s tips for better business models
“We need to move away from extractive capitalism, which only takes and does not give back to our one and only planet. In some ways, we are like Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar. We’re insatiable in our need to collect more than we really need. In the past, it was normal to have just one…
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Enriched in Costa Rica
Teaching in Costa Rica keeps me updated, challenged, refreshed, connected and practiced.
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Sustainable leaders provide perspective
The transition to sustainable energy is central to both his job and his supervisory board role. The difference in scope of these two roles makes it so interesting, says Jan Engels: “In my job as policy manager cooling at the Climate Coalition Netherlands, I’m very focused on the content. As a supervisory board member at…
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Driving change at Unilever through the power of purpose and film
What do Unilever Executive Hanneke Faber and documentary filmmaker Renée Scheltema have in common? For starters, they’re both Dutch women, with a journalism degree from an American university. They both have a strong conviction on how to create a better world. And the two of them met at the Ivy Circle sustainable movie night hosted by…
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How will you contribute to the energy transition?
In June 2017, I had the honor to co-host an event about the energy transition at Nyenrode Business University. The event drew alumni interested in sustainability and/or market & government matters. The main speaker, Ruud Koornstra, captivated the audience with his call to action about the transition to renewable energy. Here’s what he had to…
