Last week, four students joined the first edition of Except Academy, our training program aimed at providing students with hands-on experience in systemic sustainability. They started researching the Rotterdam neighborhood Zevenkamp.
This first week was all about getting to know each other and Except’s SiD methodology. By the end of the week, they knew everything about system mapping, SiD cycles, tragedy of the commons, deep democracy and so on.
The students participating are:
- Maarten Bruinsma: "As a little kid I already collected garbage for recycling." Through studying Industrial Ecology, Maarten now takes sustainability to the next level.
- Antonia Sore: "Sustainability was not part of my studies, that's why I came to the Netherlands for this internship. I feel like I'm really part of something." Antonia is Croatian and studies Architecture in Florence, Italy.
- Renée Theunissen: "There is interaction between everything. I like to connect traditional thinking with systems thinking to come up with new solutions." Renée studies Earth Sciences in Amsterdam. She is currently writing her graduation thesis on the combination of winning geothermal energy during shale gas extraction.
- Sylvie Herzet: "I would love to restore biodiversity, so coming generations can enjoy our beautiful planet." Sylvie has her roots in Congo and studies Environmental Science at Avans Breda.
Except Academy is off to a good start. The students will present their results to the general public on January 15, 2014. For now, the students are still worrying about their mid-terms, but as soon as we have planned our event, we'll let you know. Keep an eye on our website if you would like to receive an invitation.
Jan. 15, 2015