A place where all levels of society work on sustainability issues. The idea for a ‘climate workshop’ based on the Danish model emerged in the municipality of Tynaarlo. Vriezen residents Alma and Geert Roelf Luring are the initiators of the plan.
It started on a holiday in Denmark. Alma and Geert Roelf Luring – both have a background in education – came across a Klimatorium in the coastal town of Lemvig. “The architecture alone stood out, as did the colorful letters spelling out ‘Klimatorium’,” Alma recalls. “We were able to go right in and take a look. The project leader also turned out to be Dutch, so a connection was quickly made.”
The couple from Vries is certainly interested in sustainability and everything that comes with it. They are therefore board members at Energy Cooperative Drentsche Aa and driving forces behind the De Fledders neighborhood team in Vries, which is concerned with making the neighborhood more sustainable.
“In Lemvig we saw how governments, companies, educational institutions, the water company and residents worked together on sustainability issues,” says Geert Roelf. “Everything from a positive approach. Local problems are solved, which can also be tackled on a larger scale.”
As an example, Luring mentions the surplus of fishing nets in the Danish coastal town. These are processed into sewage pipes. “Within a year, the Klimatorium received the certification to get those pipes in the ground for the next 75 years,” outlines Geert Roelf. “This is only possible by working closely with local authorities.”
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