Team

Now in my sixties, looking back I see that my professional life has been a meandering journey with the three red threads of “new economy”, youth work, and curating art. Born and raised in the Netherlands I later lived and worked in Switzerland and Germany for longer periods of my life. Now based in Sweden the two biggest projects I am involved in are an organic tea company in the Indian Himalayas, and Sekem in Egypt a very successful greening the desert project, which also includes a university for sustainable development. I believe we are on this planet to learn and to contribute. Planetary Service tries to make that very concrete on a global scale. I am excited to launch a prototype and hope that in the future this could lead to a global movement.

My beginnings in life were placed in a small town in a rural area of Catalonia, Spain.  From the surroundings I lived in, a strong bond with the natural world was created. When I was five, my family started a Waldorf School at our house to which I was never able to attend because at the beginning it was only a kindergarten, but with which I was always very involved and inspired. I myself went to a traditional school all my life, and having both methodologies very close I developed a very critical view on education and society. For these reasons, I have always had an impulse to make the world a better place. That is why I decided to participate in the ninth edition of the International Youth Initiative Program (2016-2017) which was the beginning of a very profound personal transformation of two years that broadened my horizons and understanding of life and the world, by attending various programs and meeting many inspiring people. After all those experiences it was clear to me that I wanted to study Education Sciences (2018-2022) for I strongly believe that the change has to originate from the base of society, and for me, that is education. I wanted to be able to accompany youth through the transformational transition towards adulthood. And also I wanted to be able to accompany young children in nature surroundings to create strong and solid roots with the earth since the beginning of their lives. My call now is to create spaces where we, as humans, can explore what is our function and place in a balanced ecosystem putting nature in the center and as the measure of it all, and work towards a more nature-connected and sustainable society.

I have a background in health- and neuroscience, with a special interest in the role of lifestyle behaviours on mental health. I love how spending time in nature, eating healthy, and having different mindfulness practices affect the way we feel and improve our ability to learn. These interests arose together with my passion for cooking and my curiosity about every step in the process of making food. I enjoy learning about the importance of soil health, the different ways to grow food and I find great pleasure in the way sharing food creates a sense of community. Currently, I am volunteering at different farms and communities, which allows me to get more hands-on experience in these practices. Being in a different environment and surrounded by people with a variety of cultural backgrounds, enables me to see things from new perspectives and has made me more aware of the role of social structures as determinants of health. Having the chance to learn new skills, gain new ideas and combine my passion for cooking with different ways to connect to nature and people has been inspirational. I believe the Planetary Service movement is a great initiative to connect people and their ideas, allowing them to work together towards a more sustainable society and I am excited to contribute to this movement.