My mission: Support businesses and organisations to reduce their environmental impact and improve wellbeing. This by using my knowledge of and passion for sustainability and engineering combined with my organisational and strategic skills. I have an energetic, opportunity seeking, action driven attitude.
After receiving my Masters of Science in Industrial Design Engineering where I graduated Summa Cum Laude I worked for seven years in the Netherlands and the USA in the aerospace industry as a structural design engineer and manager. In 2008 I decided to follow my life-long passion for sustainability and renewables and have ever since been involved in this industry. At first working as a developer on renewable energy systems like tidal turbines, small windmills and fish-friendly hydropower.
Between 2009 and 2015 I worked for Rijkswaterstaat, the Executive body of the Ministry of the Environment and Infrastructure in the Netherlands. This as a consultant in energy reduction, green procurement for large infrastructural projects, change management and setting up strategic plans and liaisons for carbon emission reduction.
My family and I emigrated the end of 2015 to Whangarei, New Zealand. Currently I work for the Northland District Health Board as Sustainability Development Manager. Here I created the sustainability strategy, action plan, calculated the carbon footprint and work on measures to reduce the environmental impact of the four hospitals in Northland.
On our section in the Kaipara Harbour we are in the process of designing and building a small sustainable home. On the website www.sustainablesmallhouses.com I blog about decisions, trade-offs, dilemmas and challenges we face during the process of the build of our sustainable home.