What I feared was confirmed: Bill Gates’ new book is a noncommittal plea for innovation, technology and economic growth. Sold as providing the ultimate solutions to our climate crises, the book doesn’t get much further than measures we already know… Continue Reading
I am often amazed at the amount of lights in the built environment, which only seems to be growing. Everyone thinks they have to illuminate everything. Driveways, stairs, gardens, anything you can think of has a light on it. That… Continue Reading
Last week I published a letter in the Netherlands, in which I indicated that about 800,000 hectares of land would be needed for the construction of new homes. That’s how it works in a transition: We have to significantly reduce… Continue Reading
The Species vs the Individual, in the Built Environment? The Corona lockdown and approach continues to surprise: both in what the government does and how people deal with it. What is particularly striking in this phase of Corona is the… Continue Reading
We are bombarded with books that know how to deal with climate and the environment, and especially how we can improve the situation. And yes, I am also participating in that, since last week I published a new book that… Continue Reading
Last time, I even forgot one goal: Sustainable development Goal 11, Sustainable cities. Again, the question: what is sustainable? So much has been brought together under that heading, all nice things for people, that it does not really help us… Continue Reading
In recent years we have seen the Sustainable development goals of the UN appear more and more often as a stepping stone for all kinds of initiatives. [1] And that, however well-intentioned, is not always a good thing. I wrote… Continue Reading
Our kitchen was far gone. Much damage, doors were crooked, still cooking on gas, a tile floor with pits, etc. so something had to be done. You can still cook there, its not that we are condemned to raw food,… Continue Reading
It is intriguing how the world fundamentally works, with its cycles, driven mainly by solar energy. Which can be traced back mainly to the yields of land, as I found out earlier. [1,2] (Land that has virtually disappeared from economic… Continue Reading
There is a lot of discussion, how to ‘fight’ climateheating. Especially now, with massive investments in the economy. But what is clear, is that every sector has to make its contribution, to become carbon emissions free. Every sector? Yes. We… Continue Reading