Reports on meetings can be found here.

Meeting 1: Texel as sustainable island

Wednesday 12 November 13:30-17:30 hrs, TPM room C

Before we start engineering for sustainability, we have to level our ideas about sustainable development, circular economy and sustainability transitions. Central in the course is to design Texel as a sustainable island – whatever that may mean. Together we will do research on the current state of the art, sustainability challenges, and possible solutions, actions and pathways to get there.  During this meeting the course, the Texel system and its sub-systems, and our research tools and methods will be introduced.

Some time ago, Texel has set the self-preferred but great ambition to become sustainably self-supporting. Since then, many initiatives were grown on the island but until now it was concluded that these sustainable practices did not became part of a wider transition towards sustainability. Our client asked us to design solutions, long term pathways and short term actions to make that happen.

Meeting 2: From vision to practice

Monday 17 November 8:30-12:30 hrs, TPM Room D

Last week we interpreted and defined the assignments we are facing. Once sustainability ambitions are set, we have to learn how ambitions are realized, and how sustainability happens in practice. We hope to learn from real world examples how sustainability could look like, and how it is reported about and implemented. We have to investigate not only how sustainability is organised in practice. Moreover we should learn how to investigate and steer on sustainability transitions.

Meeting 3: Transitions made by people

Tuesday 25 November 13:30-17:30 hrs, TPM Room D, later on biking to Rotterdam

BRING YOUR BIKE!

Engineers can thinker solutions that make the world a little bit more sustainable; only people can make transitions happen. Playgrounds and events give inspiration for future innovations and engineering; but also communicate sustainable innovations in a particular way to specific group of people. What does that contribute to making transitions happen? How to involve people in sustainability transitions by technology? This meeting will bring us examples of both: an engineering solution put into practice and people changing attitudes towards sustainability transition.

Meeting 4: Sustainable developments in context

Thursday 4 December 8:30-12:30 hrs, TPM Room E

We have to design a sustainable future for Texel. But whatever utopian we wish the future sustainable system to look like, to set a transition into motion we have to take into account the current situation and trends and the institutional setting and contextual developments. The island itself is part of a wider ecosystem. Texel is part of The Netherlands, that is member of the EU, dependent on world economy. To contribute to a transition that will become true, we have to take that into account.

Meeting 5: System, sub-systems and transition - mid term review

Monday 8 December 8:30-12:30 hrs, TPM Room E

Returning to Texel’s initial challenge: how can the many current and future initiatives on the island become part of a unstoppable transition towards a self-supporting and sustainable island.  

After an introduction to the energy transition Texel faces, we will exchange our findings and designs for a sustainable Texel. Now we’ve learned more about energy transition it should be discussed what further research is needed  before we can finalise the design during the week on location in January 2015.  We get familiar with a research framework that is supportive in designing for sustainability.

Meeting 6: Engineering for Sustainable Development

Tuesday 16 December 13:30-17:30 hrs, TPM Room t.a.

To us, it’s clear that sustainable development is more than just engineering sustainable technology. We love to hear stories from engaged engineers that experiences how to make a contribution to sustainability. But after that, we have to consider what contribution we as an Delft engineer we can and want to make.

Bubble week: working on a final design for sustainable Texel

Full week: Monday 12 January – Friday 16 January 2015

Location at Texel: BRING A LAPTOP!

• Leave monday 12 january 2015, by train from Delft 7:49 hrs
• Working daily from 8:30 till 21:00-21:30; Breakfast at 8:00-8:45
• Inspirational visits; Additional research; Feedback from locals; Preparing final design; Presentation to client.
• Trip back home with ferry to Den Helder at 17:00 hrs