Which 10 startups will be in the next Startupbootcamp SmartCity & Living accelerator program? đ Watch the #sbcSelectionDays Live Facebook Stream announcement here on 22 March at 17.20 CET: http://buff.ly/2lSsDOp
Want to receive updates like this in your inbox?
Get notified about new updates, opportunities or events that match your interests.
Maybe you will also like these updates
Knowledge and Demo Day #28: Behavioural Change

Why do people, despite good intentions and awareness, continue to engage in unsustainable behaviour? And what does it really take to bring about lasting behavioural change â especially among affluent groups? These questions were central to an inspiring session by behavioural scientist Reint Jan Renes (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) at our 28th Knowledge and Demo Day.
Record-breaking heat, floods, avalanches, and prolonged droughts â alarming news stories bombard us daily. The planet is in crisis. And yet, we continue with behaviours that harm the climate and increase our ecological footprint.
Why donât we change?
Over 75% of Dutch citizens regularly express significant concern about climate change. Yet these concerns rarely translate into real, lasting behavioural shifts. The climate is changingâso why arenât we?
âMany people agree that âsomethingâ needs to be done about climate change,â says Reint Jan Renes. âBut that willingness drops sharply the moment plans become concrete.â Few are prepared to take real responsibility. This leads to a growing gap between words and actions.
Who should act? We should!
The richest 10% of the global population is responsible for roughly half of all COâ emissions. Meanwhile, the poorest 50% contribute just 8%. So the responsibility falls squarely on usâto address the problems we have helped create.
Yet we donât act. We feel entitled to behaviours that heavily burden the climate: eating meat daily, regularly buying new clothes or gadgets, taking frequent flights. We know itâs harmful to the planetâand we do it anyway. Why?
Coping strategies
Weâre remarkably good at justifying our actions: âWhat difference does one time make?â Or: âEveryone else is doing it.â âMy neighbour is much worse than I am.â âI already do some good thingsâdonât expect me to do more.â And: âScientists keep changing their minds. I read somewhere itâs not that bad after all.â
Sound familiar? Then youâve likely used some of these coping strategies too.
This lack of personal ownership leads to a âsteady stateââa status quo in which everyone looks to someone else to take the first step. Many believe governments should lead, since they have the authority to initiate and enforce change. But research shows that governments often take a surprisingly passive role in social transitions.
Speak up and be visible
So what does help? People are more inclined to adopt sustainable behaviour when they hear about the concrete actions others are taking. Do you eat (less) meat? Take your bike or public transport? Talk about it positively. Start conversations about climate-harmful behaviours.
Make your actions visible. This has an even greater impact when individuals and organisations regularly appear in the media. It helps correct the false belief that few people care about the climateâor that you're among a rare few making an effort.
Talking openly about climate-positive behaviour is crucial for shifting social norms. Demonstrating it in everyday life is inspiring. Both can act as powerful drivers to accelerate the transition. And thatâs vital. Especially in light of another research finding: Climate-friendly behaviour makes us happier.
Urban Clean Air Roundtable

I'm reaching out to warmly invite you to join an upcoming roundtable weâre organizing on Tuesday June 17th focused on clean air in cities (Flyer is attached).
Given Amsterdam InChange's strong role in engaging professionals and communities in environmental monitoring, we believe your perspective would be highly valuable in the conversation. We also see this as a great opportunity to share your work and connect with other researchers, policy makers, and civil society actors active in the clean air space.
The content is a round table session, in which we share what is being worked on and what possible future developments are from different perspectives. The program for the day:
- 11:00 Welcome
- 11:15 Introduction
- 11:30 Presentations on current research/ policies
- 12:45 Lunch
- 13:30 Brainstorm: what-else-can-we-do-and-who-would-we-need-for-that?
- 14:45 Closing up with ten-agreements-plan
We still have a few speaking opportunities available, so if you or someone from your team would be interested in presenting your work or simply joining the discussion, weâd be delighted. Please feel free to email me or my colleague Sanne (sanne.van.breukelen@cenexgroup.nl) directly if you'd like more details or if youâd like to participate.
A Lab Open Huis. Met exposities, pitches voor een positieve toekomst, live muziek, dans en theater, workshops en meer!

Laat je nieuwsgierigheid de vrije loop tijdens het <strong>A Lab Open Huis</strong>. Een creatief en innovatief festival voor alle nieuwsgierige Amsterdammers die in deze turbulente tijden waarde hechten aan kunst & cultuur, duurzaamheid en sociale innovatie.
Kom kijken hoe meer dan 350 members in onze broedplaats werken aan een positieve toekomst. Met een programma vol exposities, live muziek, kunst, pitches, theater, fotoreportages, workshops, interessante ontmoetingen en meer! Kinderen? Neem ze vooral mee, het is voor iedereen een feestje!
Ontdek nieuwe ideeĂ«n, ontmoet makers en verken het live programma. Dwaal rond en laat je verrassen door wat je tegenkomt, of volg een van de inspirerende routes die speciaal zijn samengesteld langs de themaâs waar A Lab members aan werken. Er is een (digitale) kunst & cultuurroute, een duurzaamheidsroute, een sociaal maatschappelijke innovatieroute en ga voor een mix van activiteiten in de kidsroute.
Bekijk het volledige programma met timetables komende tijd op de website, maar een sneak peek is natuurlijk altijd leuk. Laat je meevoeren door livemuziek â van opkomend raptalent tot jazzy klanken â en ontdek unieke ervaringen zoals een levende algenexpo, verticale dans op de binnentuinmuur en interactieve datavisualisatie. Luister naar korte, inspirerende talks over een zelfredzame toekomst, stap in een Kanta vol verhalen over Amsterdam Noord, of scoor iets moois in de A Lab pop-up store. Geniet van wereldse smaken van de restaurants van het nieuwe Maritim Hotel, bewonder kunst van o.a. jonge makers, draai aan een meteorologisch rad of ga zelf aan de slag in een escape room of met je eigen digitale kunst. En voor filmliefhebbers: struin door Izzyâs Videotheek voor verborgen parels die je nergens kunt streamen.
Het event is gratis, maar reserveer wel je gratis ticket via deze link.