Today an article in the NRC about nature in the city. Last week, I published a new e-book (in Dutch) about this topic. Interested? Download it for free.
In 1901, sixteen dairy farmers in the vicinity of Amsterdam, decided to establish the "Ilpenstein" cheese factory. My grandfather, Piet Nieuweboer, was one of the directors of the cooperative. The reason for collaboration within the cooperative? Cheesemaking traditionally takes place at the farm itself. The cheese factory made it possible to use innovative cheesemaking techniques. Even more important was the collaboration to improve the distribution and marketing of the cheese towards customers.
With the course "Biologisch Tuinieren in de Stad", we have trained almost two hundred new urban farmers in the city of Arnhem. Organic urban farmers with a food garden of half a square meter till half a hectare. It is a dream that these organic urban farmers, and others, will eventually find each other. Our initiative is the establishment and growth of the "Biologische Stadsboeren Coöperatie Arnhem Groen". An organic urban farmers' cooperative focused on economic collaboration in a green Arnhem.
Unmanned systems; Developments & challenges
<strong>Pieter Elands,</strong> Program Manager Unmanned Systems at TNO, is an experienced manager of people and complex research programs. Pieter will share insights into the latest developments and key challenges in the field of unmanned systems. With a strong background in Aerospace and Defence, responsibility for coordinating research on unmanned systems and extensive knowledge of how unmanned systems are deployed in today’s military operations, the talk will explore technological, organizational, and strategic challenges.
Sustainability at the F1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix
Dimitri Bonthuis is director Media & Sports Development at SportVibes and currently involved in major events like ABN AMRO Open and F1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix. At the Dutch GP he is responsible for sustainability. This evening, Dimitri will talk about his experiences with sustainability at the Grand Prix, exploring how he approaches the topic, which innovations have been key, the challenges of driving sustainable initiatives, and how these efforts fit into a broader strategic vision.
21.00 Networking with coffee/tea
The pioneering innovations were presented of the Scale Up Future-proof artificial turf pitches project, a collaboration between Amsterdam and Haarlem focused on sustainable artificial turf pitches. Over the next few years, more than 250 sports pitches in both cities will be transformed into circular, energy-generating and climate-adaptive sports venues. These artificial turf pitches can not only generate and store energy, but also involve smart water management. An approach that is globally relevant for urban sports infrastructure.
Three consortia collaborate on the sport pitch of the future
The three selected consortia Antea Sport, EnergieVeld and GOO4iT together comprise more than 15 market players. They join forces within this innovation partnership, where there is room for long-term collaboration, co-creation and scalable innovation. The pioneering solutions will make it possible to cool down sport pitches on warm days, help dispose of and collect rainwater, make the pitches more pleasant for the users and possibly even generate energy for the surrounding area. Find out how these innovations are shaping the sport pitch of the future here.
Two municipalities: joint procurement
The Scale Up Future-proof artificial turf pitches project is a unique collaboration between two municipalities and market players. The municipalities jointly procure pooling their purchasing power and use an innovation partnership to challenge the market to test and scale up innovative and sustainable solutions. In doing so, the solutions are also scalable and transferable to other cities in the Netherlands and Europe.
From prototype to pilot fields
The first prototype fields will be constructed in Amsterdam and Haarlem in 2026, in different capacities and combining multiple innovations, where they will be extensively tested and monitored for a year. Successful concepts are then scaled up to full-scale pilot pitches and tested and monitored for another year. This will form the basis for the new standard of sustainable sports pitches, with potential for adoption in other cities around the world. At the same time, existing pitches are already being improved with the most sustainable solutions available, making an immediate impact from the start. The project thus shows how cooperation between municipalities and market players can lead to innovative, climate-proof sports infrastructure with international relevance.
Join us
This project provides cities worldwide a blueprint for sustainable, smart, and future-proof artificial turf pitches. Interested municipalities and industry partners can get in touch and subscribe to our news updates by sending an e-mail to: sportveldvandetoekomst@amsterdam.nl.
