Tag Archives: netherlands

BioFuel and Food

The topic of biofuels is not always my favorite to talk about. It is complex, it is a very grey area when it comes to benefits versus drawbacks.

Yet overall as someone who supports social justice, sustainability, human rights, and cleaning up the mess we have made of the world, I welcome the era of biofuels that we seem to be at the beginning of.

Among the great points of the big debate is the issue of world hunger and the price of food. As many of you will know by now, there is a great deal of speculation and already some evidence that food prices will go up because so much food is being turned into fuel. Many critics say, this is the problem if we make the global focus bio fuels.

The initial issue I have with this argument is the idea that world hunger will worsen and that food prices will increase. It is a fact that IF the leaders of the world wanted to, there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. But when you introduce the politics and economics of food production, that food never reaches the hungry. So this is already a problem no matter what we’re using to fuel vehicles.

Then comes the issue of rising food prices, a much tougher one for me get into since I’m neither a farmer nor can I see the future in terms of prices. I do however believe that governments could cooperate to make sure prices would not get out of control. Again it requires that they WANT TO solve the problem, and based on history it is clear that ending hunger is NOT the priority of world leaders.

Of course there’s alot more to it and I hope to build on this discussion through both writing and podcasts. For now I want to recommend the latest edition of The State We’re In; specifically a conversation they have with a Brazilian farmer that, for me, is very interesting and informative.

Sustaining Paris

Greetings from Paris, where I’m spending a few days to have a few meetings and mainly, to attend a conference dedicated to sustainable investment and corporate social responsibility. Ha.. some people are thinking “those are buzzwords!”… you might be right, which is part of why I came down to see for myself.

Travelling down here by hitching a ride with friends and co-workers, I’m once again exposed to the huge elephant in the room for Europe (among the other elephants): automobiles. Everywhere I look, from the Netherlands through Belgium, and into France.. it is so painfully obvious that this part of the world is living beyond its means… it cannot sustain this many cars, and yet people keep right on driving. Some of the best train systems in the world, and they keep driving. Traffic jams everywhere, and yet they keep driving.

They love to point to the United States and say, “Americans and their cars.. ha!”… but when one looks around Central Europe.. especially this region… it is the pot calling the kettle black. And symbolic carbon trading, token political speeches, or pointing a finger and holding a nose towards the US… that isn’t going to solve what has become a cultural problem.. the culture of the car.

Of course I will try and bring this topic up as part of a few podcasts I intend to record from the conference. Many attendees are so-called experts, which might be interesting to talk to but as a podcaster, I’m as interested in the regular conference go-er working to make companies act responsibly as I am to speak with some CSI rockstars.

As an added bonus, I happen to have arrived in Paris during the largest labor struggle in a decade, *film at 11.

*=old American TV expression.

Shame on Jan

Greetings once again from Brussels, city of long work hours and dreary office work.

Today’s item that has me pretty disappointed involves the Dutch government and the iron fisted oligarch that runs Russia. They’ve struck a deal so that the Dutch gas company now controls a higher percent in the Russian state controlled Gaz-Prom.

Some might say its just business as usual, but after all the outcries about how the junta oppresses people in Burma or how Mugabe is starving his own people, it still bothers me that so-called human rights respecting governments make deals and allow their companies to make deals with known war criminals and political assassins. Not that Mugabe or the Junta deserve a free pass.. its the consistency when it comes to respecting human rights, that I’m calling for.

Later this week I shall have a return guest to talk about another political figure in Russia, the very interesting Gary Kasparov. So keep an eye out for that show, as Kasparov seems much more complex than I had originally thought.

Nato in Afghanistan

The last few weeks one of my regular podcast listens has pleasantly surprised me with some solid programs. This week, as I drove my boat towards home this morning while listening to my podcasts, Amsterdam Forum from Radio Netherlands hit it right again.

The topic this week was the military mission in Afghanistan, who is doing what, what countries are wanting to get out, and special attention to the troubles of the Dutch to afford and continue to carry out their mission in Afghanistan.

They threw around the numbers of how much it costs the Netherlands to keep their military in the country. They also mention things that I sometimes forget.. like that the Dutch are in a very dangerous area, and the many countries like Canada are under a great deal of pressure at home to get out. Then there was the story of how the German troops aren’t allowed to do numerous types of activities that are deemed too risky. And ultimately you hear from a Dutch military analyst who says he predicts they’re be there for at least ten more years.

The whole time I kept thinking what a bizarre situation we’ve created. (we being citizens of the world) Its supposed to be a rebuilding mission but it is still a military mission and there seems to be no end in site and even the idea that things are improving has become debatable. Then of course there’s the idea of leaving and what will happen to the country at it seems they are not capable of keeping the pseudo puppet government in power.

Nevermind my analysis, the point today is to recommend you listen to this edition of Amsterdam Forum; create interviews from such an impressive array of participants. I really admire their work on this one… and continue to worry about what has happened and what will happen in Afghanistan.

Work and Passion

Phone rings last thursday, it’s my friend Robert from Brooklyn Bridge.. a sustainable investment organization based here in Amsterdam that I’ve been working with. Not too long ago, I remember Robert had posted an opening on his blog, the organization is looking for a conference organizer to help with their annual sustainable investment conference in Paris. (Im going this year)

What is interesting, and I felt the need to share with you – the internets – is the trouble Robert is having. Despite the fact that the Netherlands is experiencing a job-boom, and that more and more people around the world are concerned about and dedicated to the goals and ideals of trying to make corporations behave more responsibly, he doesn’t find any such person who wants the job. To put it another way, no candidate has come forward that actually is passionate about the idea of sustainable investment.

So then the question comes to mind: is the current generation of people coming out of university seeking the type of work that not only will provide them with a good quality of life but also that has a larger global objective.. to improve the world in some way. Or rather, is it just about getting the cool job, some money, and buying the stuff they always wanted. Is it a quest for stuff or a quest for change?

After getting Robert’s call asking me about this issue, and then reading his related blog entry, I continue to wonder. Then again, as the video in his post points out, there is an unbelievable huge number of organizations, companies, and groups around the world dedicated to social justice, environmentalism, etc. Still, sometimes I get into conversations with university students, or recent grads, and it does seem like something isn’t clicking right. Where are the world changers?

The Battle for Amsterdam’s Soul

Listening to a debate earlier today on Radio Netherlands’ podcast “Amsterdam Forum”, they had a panel discussion about prostitution in Amsterdam. See you may know that international image that the Netherlands is tolerant and prostitution is legal… and most of that statement is true. But times sure are a-changin.

Especially impressive is the amount of times, during the debate, the representative of the center-left party uses the term… morality. Yes, it isn’t just in theocracies or the United States, the art of legislating morality is being practiced right here in the world’s capital of freedom. Whatever freedom means these days anyway, that term has been completely dragged through the mud over the past decade.

But anyway, yes, they are talking about cutting down on the amount of prostitution in the Netherlands, reducing the amount of red lights, and even.. making prostitution illegal! Why? Well you can listen to the program to hear some of the arguements, which relate to human trafficing, organized crime, and abuse – for the most part.

Not that I like any of those three, but the idea that because there are still some problems something must be banned or declared illegal seems like a pretty rash decision. But then again, it is all part of legislating morality… teaching us sinners how to be good boys and girls.