The protagonist of the book Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver is looking for change. Since she became pregnant at seventeen years old, the course of her life has been determined by other people. The arrival of thousands of Monarch butterflies in the mountains around the little village turns her life upside down. She becomes involved …
Sentenced to action
I would like to take a moment to cheer for big news from our small country, The Netherlands. A court ruled today that the government should do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Of course it is actually very sad and frustrating that this was necessary. It is 2015, all over the world ecosystems are …
Forest of Peace
We recently watched the BBC series Planet Oil. An interesting story about the history of oil, but with a depressing ending. Our addiction to fossil fuels has thoroughly disrupted the ecological balance of the planet. It is frustrating to see how slow alternative energy is developing, mainly because nothing happens at the policy level. In …
Sustainable Development Goals
This year is going to be very exciting. The United Nations (meaning all of us) will go around the table to determine development goals. Do you remember the Millennium Development Goals? The logos will probably ring a bell. For years, this has been the framework of development work. But a goal always comes with a …
Traveling and coming home
This week I was in Cornwall. The consultant who is part of the project team lives there and works from home. I have been there for a few days to work on a report. Cornwall is the southwestern tip of the UK, a train journey of more than 6 hours. My destination was a village …
Thoughts about money
Ivan and I are sitting in front of the window. When I peek over my laptop, I see cars whooshing past, now and then standing still. However, I am not here to peek but to look for work. Besides following vacancies in my field I am now also searching for jobs that have income as …