Yesterdays tour took us to the new part of Amsterdam. They do not have land so they are creating islands to build houses. In Dutch terms saying houses can mean multi-family housing. We toured the Delta Works at the beginning of the week. I was a little amazed that the only conversation about adaptation to the rising sea level has been harden the shoreline. The water managment schops are restoring the streams to make them meander more which retains the water but that has been it. When we toured the islands I asked what is defending this land and it is another dike system similiar to the one that we saw at the beginning of the week. Ironically, at this time they are discussing the increase in sea level so there is a debate as to how high they should make the dike system. It was astonishing to see the extent of property in an area so vulnerable and they are adding more islands. realizing that they don't have hurricanes I can understand but we never had a chance to talk to a real climate change scientist to discuss the potential impacts. They have storms that come from the northwest and that is what destroyed the Netherlands in 1953= De Rampe. I have cool pictures of what the Netherlands would look like today if they did not have dikes. It would be even smaller...you can put four Netherlands into Florida.
We are off to a farewell party now and flying out very early tomorrow morning.
The month has been amazing and the cultural/vocational experiences are a plenty.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Urban Sprawl on the Dutch Scale
yesterday we went to visit the 3rd largest builder in the Netherlands Heijmans. Last year their revenues were $3.6 billion Euros. The development we toured was Haverleij in Den Bosch. The site design went through a number of changes before it was finalized. The first deisgn clustered all the units into one quad next to the river. BUT the developer did not think it was ambitious enough and looked like all the other developments...... so they spread the units all out. CRAZY! There are 9 castles that house multi-family on 500 acres and 1,100 homes. It was a model for intensive use of the land. I asked for more clarification and it was a better more intense use if woodlands. The price per flat ranged from $170,000 euros to $1,450,000 euros. There was no public transportation and the bike ride is 25 minutes into town. Very odd concept. i took some great pictures.
This is my last blog. we are heading to Amsterdam today for a bike tour with a local architect. great fun.
This is my last blog. we are heading to Amsterdam today for a bike tour with a local architect. great fun.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Cap and Trade
We had a brief conversation about cap and trade yesterday. We visited the DMV Campina milk company who is also the 3rd largest producer of milk products in the world. We were there to discuss their waster water etc. but when we saw the smoke stacks in the drawing carbon emissions came up.
In 2005, Campina implemented its cap and trade program. When the cap and trade program was implemented the credits were not auctioned off they were negotiated by the companies and government. Campina had negotiated 130,000 tons knowing that is not what they would need. Last year they only used 106,000 and sold the rest off at $12 Euros per ton. That is 24,000 tons at $288, 000 Euros. The program is administered by the national government to prevent hot spots and have more control over types of industry.
Over time companies are required to reduce their emissions by 2% every year.
Today we are off to Zieland to see the Delta Works.
In 2005, Campina implemented its cap and trade program. When the cap and trade program was implemented the credits were not auctioned off they were negotiated by the companies and government. Campina had negotiated 130,000 tons knowing that is not what they would need. Last year they only used 106,000 and sold the rest off at $12 Euros per ton. That is 24,000 tons at $288, 000 Euros. The program is administered by the national government to prevent hot spots and have more control over types of industry.
Over time companies are required to reduce their emissions by 2% every year.
Today we are off to Zieland to see the Delta Works.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
New and Last Host Family
Today I go to my last host family in Uuden. I am hoping for a nice setup like I had this week but you never know. This coming week will travel to the Delta Works, Zealand and Amsterdam to look at climate adaptation practices. VERY EXCITED.
Energy Neutral City
Yesterday we met with a consultant for the City of Eindhoven. Their objective is to be energy neutral by 2035. They will accomplish this through three programs 1) climate policy 2) sustainable building (like our LEED) and 3) sustainable organization. The Netherlands developed a diagram called Trias Energetica - reduce energy spending, use sustainable energy and burn fossil fuels efficiently. Here are a few examples of programs the city is/has implemented.
Geothermal Energy Storage
The city wants to be the biggest city in the Netherlands to use geothermal for heating and cooling. There are issues associated with geothermal such as neighbors drawing down from the ground water in the wells. So Eindhoven is mapping the system to create a city wide geothermal grid.
Energy Savings Loan
The program has been set up to create a low interest loan from the cities revolving fund to help people with the installation of solar panels. The fund has $300 million Euros for new buildings and $70 million Euros for existing bldgs.
Multi Fuel Gas Stations
Developing fuel stations with options such as bio-fuel, gas, hydrogen and electricity as opposed to just petro.
Bio Energy Plant
Eindhoven has an olympic size pool that many international athletes practice in. The cool thing is the pool is energized by biofuel and then produces enough energy to supply 20 million kwh which is enough for the city buildings. Any additional energy generated is sold back for a premium which the city generates $2 million Euros a year with.
The biofuel used is the fat from animals collected at slaughter houses which is then converted into oil. Talk about using the whole cow.
One long term problem we discussed was the national subsidies. Germany has a revolving fund for their program. But the Netherlands has a cap so when the program gets more popular the less money will be available.
Geothermal Energy Storage
The city wants to be the biggest city in the Netherlands to use geothermal for heating and cooling. There are issues associated with geothermal such as neighbors drawing down from the ground water in the wells. So Eindhoven is mapping the system to create a city wide geothermal grid.
Energy Savings Loan
The program has been set up to create a low interest loan from the cities revolving fund to help people with the installation of solar panels. The fund has $300 million Euros for new buildings and $70 million Euros for existing bldgs.
Multi Fuel Gas Stations
Developing fuel stations with options such as bio-fuel, gas, hydrogen and electricity as opposed to just petro.
Bio Energy Plant
Eindhoven has an olympic size pool that many international athletes practice in. The cool thing is the pool is energized by biofuel and then produces enough energy to supply 20 million kwh which is enough for the city buildings. Any additional energy generated is sold back for a premium which the city generates $2 million Euros a year with.
The biofuel used is the fat from animals collected at slaughter houses which is then converted into oil. Talk about using the whole cow.
One long term problem we discussed was the national subsidies. Germany has a revolving fund for their program. But the Netherlands has a cap so when the program gets more popular the less money will be available.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Bravaria Brewery on the Cutting Edge
Yesterday we went to the Bravaria Brewery. It was founded in 1680 and the 7th generation of men now manage it. They have the freshest water on site because thay have Natural Mineral Water wells they withdraw from. They are a total of 21 wells but 6 are natural mineral water. The surrounding lands are agriculture so there are threats of pesticides and fertilizers. However they are the first private organization to protect their wells. Normally it is only the govt. They pay $600,000 euros a year in taxes to withdraw water. In fact there are only 25 water withdrawal permits in the Netherlands. Farmers do not need them as along as the don't withdrawal more then 10 cubes per hour. Since Bravaria Brewery withdrawals the water it has the potenital to diminish the water source for the surrounding farm lands. So Bravaria pays the farmers for the damages to the crops.
Bravaria's goal is to be ranked number 1 in the world of sustainable breweries. They use 3.8 liters of water to produce 1 liter of beer. The average is 7 liters. At this time they are ranked number 4. Through their waster water process they capture the biogas and use it for energy. Their biological treatment is 4 times cheaper for them to do than to have the govt. do it. They are continuing to impove their process to further reduce water consumption.
Bravaria's goal is to be ranked number 1 in the world of sustainable breweries. They use 3.8 liters of water to produce 1 liter of beer. The average is 7 liters. At this time they are ranked number 4. Through their waster water process they capture the biogas and use it for energy. Their biological treatment is 4 times cheaper for them to do than to have the govt. do it. They are continuing to impove their process to further reduce water consumption.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Planning
Yesterday we went to SRE which is a regional planning organization. Of particular interest were 2 projects.
A local greenway involving 3 villages is planned for 2018. It is 40-50 km long (maybe 2 km wide) and uses water as its anchor. Ecology, quality of life and local economy (tourism) were of highest priority. They are right now targeting farmers that do not have succesors or own a priority parcel. They will move them to already used ag lands or pay them to leave the ag industry. The cost is 30 to 35 million Euros. That is approx. 48 million dollars.
Second project involved a land use plan. There is an estate totalling 2500 hectares. The breakdown is:
1600 hectares of forest
200 hectares of nature
600 hectares of ag
100 hectares of housing
The owner was not generating enough money to maintain the property so he proposed a plan to develop more residential units to sustain the property. He took 150 hectares and split them up into 60 hectares for housing and 90 hectares for ag. Because the property was rural this was a very hot topic. The proposal contained 60 hectares which is approx 148 acres. What was heard and denied by the council was 20 units. They beleived the owner was too greedy and asked for too much. They have since told him that they will entertain 8 units. Talk about penny wise pound foolish. Now the owner could sell the property subdivided. Could you imagine if our elected officials were this strict to the law. WOW
A local greenway involving 3 villages is planned for 2018. It is 40-50 km long (maybe 2 km wide) and uses water as its anchor. Ecology, quality of life and local economy (tourism) were of highest priority. They are right now targeting farmers that do not have succesors or own a priority parcel. They will move them to already used ag lands or pay them to leave the ag industry. The cost is 30 to 35 million Euros. That is approx. 48 million dollars.
Second project involved a land use plan. There is an estate totalling 2500 hectares. The breakdown is:
1600 hectares of forest
200 hectares of nature
600 hectares of ag
100 hectares of housing
The owner was not generating enough money to maintain the property so he proposed a plan to develop more residential units to sustain the property. He took 150 hectares and split them up into 60 hectares for housing and 90 hectares for ag. Because the property was rural this was a very hot topic. The proposal contained 60 hectares which is approx 148 acres. What was heard and denied by the council was 20 units. They beleived the owner was too greedy and asked for too much. They have since told him that they will entertain 8 units. Talk about penny wise pound foolish. Now the owner could sell the property subdivided. Could you imagine if our elected officials were this strict to the law. WOW
New Family and Energy Discussion
I came to a new family on Saturday. We are staying in a village outside of Helmond. The husband owns an energy firm that constructs heating and cooling systems and lighting systems. I asked him about why and when the Netherlands will have more wind turbines. He believes it is because gas is so plentiful at this time (however not renewable) that that Dutch govt. does not see a hurry to persue other sources. The gas is forecasted to last another 40-50 years and he thinks nuclear and wind/solar will take over. Wind is only really plentiful on the coast but the more efficient solar panels get the more utilized they will be. We have only had 1 day of rain and no sun in the 17 days we have been here. What we are seeing is not normal. He hopes that in 2 years the Dutch govt. will look at subsidies such as the German govt. but right now they are just too dependent on gas.
His firm's building in Helmond has a geothermal system. It paid itself back in 3 years and the last 7 years he is making money off of it as the surplus goes back into the grid for mass distribution.
His firm's building in Helmond has a geothermal system. It paid itself back in 3 years and the last 7 years he is making money off of it as the surplus goes back into the grid for mass distribution.
Friday, May 29, 2009
This weeks host family
My host family this week has been wonderful. Hans and Loes are so nice! Hans is the past District Governor of District 1550. He used to work for NATO in military logistics. Loes is retired as well and sings in the choir. We have wonderful conversations about politics and society. They live in the country with rolling hills. I have sheep righ outside my bedroom window that talk to me every morning. I leave for another family tomorrow.
We are almost at the half way point.
We are almost at the half way point.
Back to Natural Areas
So the water authorities are very similar to our WMD. They even have a board comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders. Out of 12 the environment has 2 representatives......Maybe we can work on that.
When flooding occurs and damages or destroys a building or house there is no insurance to help rebuild. The burden is placed upon the owner of the building.
As we biked through the natural areas we learned quite a bit about their concept of restoring an area. They generally restore creek beds from a straight canal to a more meandering design. But when it comes to vegetation they do not do any plantings of native species. They just let it restore on its own, however it restores. Invasive species is not a big concern. it was almost an alien concept as we discussed our situation. As with the plants they have the same laid back "it will come" attitude with wildlife. With their large corridor that is 5km in width stretching from Germany and Belgium and other connections, they anticipate lynx, elk, moose and badgers starting to migrate in. We suggested wolves but they did not like that idea. (They have a huge problem with fox killing chickens) They already have Scottish Highland cattle, which are like our bison but so gentle. The cattle help control the vegetation. When we were biking they were on the trail and we were within inches of these gentle giants but they just kept chewing their food.
This particular connection that they are working on will cost 24 million Euro to acquire the parcels over the next 20 years.
When flooding occurs and damages or destroys a building or house there is no insurance to help rebuild. The burden is placed upon the owner of the building.
As we biked through the natural areas we learned quite a bit about their concept of restoring an area. They generally restore creek beds from a straight canal to a more meandering design. But when it comes to vegetation they do not do any plantings of native species. They just let it restore on its own, however it restores. Invasive species is not a big concern. it was almost an alien concept as we discussed our situation. As with the plants they have the same laid back "it will come" attitude with wildlife. With their large corridor that is 5km in width stretching from Germany and Belgium and other connections, they anticipate lynx, elk, moose and badgers starting to migrate in. We suggested wolves but they did not like that idea. (They have a huge problem with fox killing chickens) They already have Scottish Highland cattle, which are like our bison but so gentle. The cattle help control the vegetation. When we were biking they were on the trail and we were within inches of these gentle giants but they just kept chewing their food.
This particular connection that they are working on will cost 24 million Euro to acquire the parcels over the next 20 years.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
There is Nature
After being here for 10 days I thought we were never going to get out into the natural areas. Finally we had our chance...via bike. The Water Authority (Waterschap Roer en Overmass) manages the water in the province of Limburg. The water authorities are the oldest democratic organization (700 years is the oldest one) Their tasks are to manage water quality and water quantity. They have 4 guides planning, nature, cooperation and recreation.........I have to leave now for another day. I will try to get back to this tomorrow. SORRY! very busy schedule with little down time. I have lots to write about the natural areas. stay tuned.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Avantis and Hamsters
We traveled once again to the Netherlands/German Border to visit Avantis on Friday. Avantis is a 100 hectare (250 acres) commercial/industrial park. 40 % of the site is in the Netherlands and 60% in Germany. You can check out their website at www.avantis.org It is a World Trade Center site, which is an international brand. (I never knew this). As you can imagine being located in 2 countries has some tax implications. In Germany the businesses like to locate their high capital costs there because the depreciation is quicker. Taxes are based on where the managment of the company is located. If it is on the Netherlands side it is 25% and German side is 32%. The Solland Solar company is located here. We did not visit it like we were supposed to because it was a holiday, Ascencion Day. But we noticed that a solar panel company did not have solar panels.......because it was too expensive for the company. If the building was 100% in Germany, the government would have subisidized the panels. The Netherlands does not do this.
Terri and I kept asking about endangered species and habitat protection. There is a hamster, I know it sounds funny, that kept Avantis in the courts from 1997 to 2009 for a total of 23 times. In addition to the hamster, zoning challenges were made. This was clearly urban sprawl from our standards in the MIDDLE of farm land. Back to the hamster, they created wildlife crossings for them to connect up to the 30% green space the developer set-aside. They are very little tunnels that are about 6 feet below the ground with no sky lights. I aksed about flooding and they said oh yes these tunnels flood all the time ...YIKES. IN 2002, the Dutch changed their national law to not only protect the species but also the habitat.
Terri and I kept asking about endangered species and habitat protection. There is a hamster, I know it sounds funny, that kept Avantis in the courts from 1997 to 2009 for a total of 23 times. In addition to the hamster, zoning challenges were made. This was clearly urban sprawl from our standards in the MIDDLE of farm land. Back to the hamster, they created wildlife crossings for them to connect up to the 30% green space the developer set-aside. They are very little tunnels that are about 6 feet below the ground with no sky lights. I aksed about flooding and they said oh yes these tunnels flood all the time ...YIKES. IN 2002, the Dutch changed their national law to not only protect the species but also the habitat.
May 20 Activities
We went to the Herleen Musuem of Roman Baths. We had a cast of speakers talking to us about crime, planning, and art in the community. In one of our conversations we discovered that the President of the Netherlands will not meet with the Dali Lama (spell checker is in Dutch so I apologize for all the misspellings). He will not meet with him because of fear of retaliation from the Chinese Government. The Netherlands is such a small country that they can not gamble with China and all of the exporting. In fact the Netherlands is soo dependent on other countries because it is so small. The Dutch are very upset about this. I can understand.
We then traveled to Vaals (population 10,000) which is on the border of Germany. The town has 50 nationalities and 40% are German. In Aachen, a German town with a population of 270,000, the university is expanding and it will generate 10,000 jobs. Vaals is trying to partner with Aachen to build a vision for the future.
We briefly discussed the drug and sex policy of the Netherlands. The government looked at the drugs and prositution similiar to our sex education debate. They could have prohibited both and created more of a problem because it was never discussed or make it more open so that it wasn't a big deal.......they chose the open angle. The Dutch do not participate as much in the drugs and sex it is more of the other countries coming over for a "good time" and then leaving. So far our conversations with the Dutch people has indicated a great frustration with this issue.
We then traveled to Vaals (population 10,000) which is on the border of Germany. The town has 50 nationalities and 40% are German. In Aachen, a German town with a population of 270,000, the university is expanding and it will generate 10,000 jobs. Vaals is trying to partner with Aachen to build a vision for the future.
We briefly discussed the drug and sex policy of the Netherlands. The government looked at the drugs and prositution similiar to our sex education debate. They could have prohibited both and created more of a problem because it was never discussed or make it more open so that it wasn't a big deal.......they chose the open angle. The Dutch do not participate as much in the drugs and sex it is more of the other countries coming over for a "good time" and then leaving. So far our conversations with the Dutch people has indicated a great frustration with this issue.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Time for blogging
My time is very limited to blog. We flew in and hit the ground running. We have been pulling 15 hours days just with our programs and then spending time with our host families learning about the Dutch culture. My host family this week is wonderful. They have 3 kids 10, 13 & 16. Remo (husband) has an exhibit firm and his big client now is Exxon Mobile. He travels the globe setting up their exhibits to promote energy effic. Linda his wife works for DSM which is a HUGE chemical company that makes the raw materials to construct plastic. We all have breakfast together except when I left at 6:15 am. The kids are wonderful.
I move to another host family on Saturday and my schedule will be different but I will not know how much free time I will have.
Tot Ziens!
I move to another host family on Saturday and my schedule will be different but I will not know how much free time I will have.
Tot Ziens!
May 18, 2009
Today we went to the Kerkrade Industrial Museum. The museum is currently going through a change in exhibits but we were allowed a sneak preview. The new vision for the museum is to focus on 1) Science 2) Industry and 3) Human Beings ALL under the umbrella of sustainability. The government funds the museum at 60%.
The region that I am in developed around the coal mining industry. In 1964, the coal mines closed. They closed because 1) gas was more popular as an energy source and 2) ot was cheaper to import from Austria. In Austria the coal was only 100 meters deep whereas in the Netherlands it was 800 meters deep and the layers were shallow. They still do research because they want to have a Plan B in case the price of gas and oil goes too high. Keep in mind the coal mining industry employed 80,000 workers and 250,000 people were dependent upon the industry. This was very important because unemployment was a real issue.
The solution to the high rate of unemployment was "pre-retirement" similar to what we are seeing in the states now. The only problem with this solution was the psychological issues 1) men were coming home and getting more involved with the family which many women of the house had a problem with and 2) if they went back to work it was a factory job that was not specialized and carries no responsibility.
The Dutch talk about the restoration of the mines "black to green" however I hear green and I think a natural state but it really means green .....dollars i.e. buildings. Which nothing is wrong with building but to call it black to green sounds odd....to me. The slag piles have been converted to other uses like this huge indoor snow complex where you can ski and snow board all year round.
We visited the Gaia Park zoo and it was quite wonderful. They use natural barriers even with the Apes which they use water for since Apes hate water and can't swim in it. The rhino poop is very dense since they feed the rhinos so much grass and hay during the day. They have an agreement with the paper company and they print paper with it .....talk about reading s$%^.
The region that I am in developed around the coal mining industry. In 1964, the coal mines closed. They closed because 1) gas was more popular as an energy source and 2) ot was cheaper to import from Austria. In Austria the coal was only 100 meters deep whereas in the Netherlands it was 800 meters deep and the layers were shallow. They still do research because they want to have a Plan B in case the price of gas and oil goes too high. Keep in mind the coal mining industry employed 80,000 workers and 250,000 people were dependent upon the industry. This was very important because unemployment was a real issue.
The solution to the high rate of unemployment was "pre-retirement" similar to what we are seeing in the states now. The only problem with this solution was the psychological issues 1) men were coming home and getting more involved with the family which many women of the house had a problem with and 2) if they went back to work it was a factory job that was not specialized and carries no responsibility.
The Dutch talk about the restoration of the mines "black to green" however I hear green and I think a natural state but it really means green .....dollars i.e. buildings. Which nothing is wrong with building but to call it black to green sounds odd....to me. The slag piles have been converted to other uses like this huge indoor snow complex where you can ski and snow board all year round.
We visited the Gaia Park zoo and it was quite wonderful. They use natural barriers even with the Apes which they use water for since Apes hate water and can't swim in it. The rhino poop is very dense since they feed the rhinos so much grass and hay during the day. They have an agreement with the paper company and they print paper with it .....talk about reading s$%^.
May 17, 2009
We arrived and after staying up for 36 hours straight and jumping right into the program I managed to learn quite a bit in the little time I have been here. As an American I thought ranking of energy uses would be very different. In order the energy sources used in the Netherlands are 1) Gas 2) Oil 3) Coal 4) Nuclear and then 5) Solar and Wind. The wind turbines in the Netherlands face quite a bit of NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard). Everyone wants it but no one wants to look at them. I personally think it would be great to look at wind turbines. We keep seeing a row of wind turbines and those are on the Germany border where no one lives in the country except cows. The Dutch in the area are very upset that the Germans did not take into consideration their neighboring country. I look forward to learning more about the energy policies over the next few weeks.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Our Itinerary is Here!
A month in the Netherlands examining urban regional planning is pretty jammed pack. We have our itinerary in hands. It is 95% complete. When I first printed it off I realized I didn't know what all we were doing because most of it is written in Dutch. Many of the places we will visit do not have an English translation....which is part of the cultural experience.
Some of the programs we will participate in:
-Excursion Park "De Graven"
-Excursion Polder Roer and Overmass ("governments" below sea-level who work together despite differences)
- Solland Solar at Avantis Heerleen (manufacturer of solar cells)
- Energy storage by using old mining facility in Heerlen
- Water Management in Nature Reserve "Terworm" Heerleen
- 6 different road/highway projects
- Reconstruction of country land in Beekjes project
- Water purification plant
- Delta works
- New developments in Amsterdam
- 3 co-operations between cities and regions
There will be ample opportunity to visit restoration areas, alternative energy projects/businesses, sea level rise adaptation practices and natural linkages. Besides the actual visits to the sites, I will be living with 4 different host families. This affords me the opportunity to talk with them candidly about growth, environmental protection, climate change and alternative energy sources.
Tot Ziens, Sarah
Some of the programs we will participate in:
-Excursion Park "De Graven"
-Excursion Polder Roer and Overmass ("governments" below sea-level who work together despite differences)
- Solland Solar at Avantis Heerleen (manufacturer of solar cells)
- Energy storage by using old mining facility in Heerlen
- Water Management in Nature Reserve "Terworm" Heerleen
- 6 different road/highway projects
- Reconstruction of country land in Beekjes project
- Water purification plant
- Delta works
- New developments in Amsterdam
- 3 co-operations between cities and regions
There will be ample opportunity to visit restoration areas, alternative energy projects/businesses, sea level rise adaptation practices and natural linkages. Besides the actual visits to the sites, I will be living with 4 different host families. This affords me the opportunity to talk with them candidly about growth, environmental protection, climate change and alternative energy sources.
Tot Ziens, Sarah
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
What?
I am sure some of you are wondering why the Florida Wildlife Federation has set up a blog about a trip the Netherlands. Well as some of you may know I am a Rotarian in the St Augustine Sunrise club. Part of Rotary Internationals efforts to promote goodwill peace and understanding is to host group study exchanges across the world. My Rotary area, District 6970, is hosting an exchange with the Netherlands. Of uniqueness to this exchange is the vocational emphasis. This exchange focuses on urban and regional planning, so the whole team consists of professionals in community planning, environmental planning and law enforcement.
I was selected, after an intense interview process, as the Team Leader. Even though I am one of the youngest I have the opportunity to support and coordinate a wonderful experience for the 4 chosen team members.
The Rotarian team leader is Sarah Owen Gledhill from the St. Augustine Sunrise Club. She is a Planning Advocate for the Florida Wildlife Federation. The non-Rotarians team members are: Terri Mashour, Land Resources Planner for St. Johns River Water Management District, sponsored by the St. Augustine Sunrise Club; Sean McLendon, Sustainability Program Manager for Alachua County Board of Commissioners, sponsored by the Gainesville Club; Jason Shaw, Sergeant with the Palatka Police Department and coordinator of the Weed and Seed Program, sponsored by the Palatka Club; and Dr. Shane Williams, Stormwater Project Manager for Marion County, sponsored by the Ocala Southwest Club.
We fly out of Jacksonville May 16 to embark upon a month of experiencing an amazing culture while examining urbanization, water policy, alternative energy sources and adaptation to sea level rise. This blog will report upon my vocational exchange so that I may catalog my experience and new found knowledge. I will also add the fun cultural experiences for you to enjoy. My posts may not be every day since we will be traveling and reaching Internet access is not a 100% guarantee. I hope you enjoy my adventures through the Netherlands and feel free to post comments or write me any questions you may have about Dutch policies.
Tot Ziens, Sarah
I was selected, after an intense interview process, as the Team Leader. Even though I am one of the youngest I have the opportunity to support and coordinate a wonderful experience for the 4 chosen team members.
The Rotarian team leader is Sarah Owen Gledhill from the St. Augustine Sunrise Club. She is a Planning Advocate for the Florida Wildlife Federation. The non-Rotarians team members are: Terri Mashour, Land Resources Planner for St. Johns River Water Management District, sponsored by the St. Augustine Sunrise Club; Sean McLendon, Sustainability Program Manager for Alachua County Board of Commissioners, sponsored by the Gainesville Club; Jason Shaw, Sergeant with the Palatka Police Department and coordinator of the Weed and Seed Program, sponsored by the Palatka Club; and Dr. Shane Williams, Stormwater Project Manager for Marion County, sponsored by the Ocala Southwest Club.
We fly out of Jacksonville May 16 to embark upon a month of experiencing an amazing culture while examining urbanization, water policy, alternative energy sources and adaptation to sea level rise. This blog will report upon my vocational exchange so that I may catalog my experience and new found knowledge. I will also add the fun cultural experiences for you to enjoy. My posts may not be every day since we will be traveling and reaching Internet access is not a 100% guarantee. I hope you enjoy my adventures through the Netherlands and feel free to post comments or write me any questions you may have about Dutch policies.
Tot Ziens, Sarah
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