Living a sustainable life: People think it is complicated. And they believe that it means giving up on luxury and comfort.
So, how can you start living a sustainable life? Where can you find reliable research and information about sustainable lifestyles or inspiring examples of how other people do it?
To find out the answers, I interviewed Asceline Groot and Wyke Potjer from the Dutch sustainability platform het kan WEL.
When you’re ready to learn how to live a sustainable life, press play. Or scroll down to read more about the episode.
Living a Sustainable Life with Asceline Groot & Wyke Potjer | Episode 61 of Women Disrupting Tech – Women Disrupting Tech
The Magic You Can Expect in this Episode 🪄
Since 2005, hetkanwel.nl has been the answer to questions about living a sustainable life. So, when Johan Oudshoorn connected me with Asceline Groot and Wyke Potjer, I did not have to think long about making an episode of Women Disrupting Tech with them.
In episode 61, Wyke and Asceline take us on a journey into the world of sustainable living. In the longest episode of Women Disrupting Tech to date, they talk openly about:
♻️ Persuading people in a growth-centered world to consume less.
🤝 Ensuring that their business partners share their definition of sustainable living.
🌎 ‘Anders Wonen’, their new book with inspiring stories from pioneers in sustainable living.
Of course, they share many, and I mean many, tips on how to live sustainably. I’ll give you the most important one: Just start!
To hear them, find episode 61 of Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube, and hit play ⏯️. And let me know if the tips made your life easier in the comments.
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Of course, you can do these things when you’re a woman, too.
What makes this episode magical🌟?
We had a blast recording this episode, so much so that we forgot about the time. As a result, the episode is longer than usual, without becoming boring.
What I love about the episode is that it invites you to take a different perspective on growth and consumption.
Many people see a sustainable lifestyle as a step back. They think they have to give up luxury and comfort. But Wyke argues that you get back a different kind of luxury: time to enjoy. Truly a scarce commodity.
The change in perspective comes up many times. Like when we talk about starting a sustainable lifestyle. And when we learn about the examples of sustainable building and living in their book.
Asceline shares the inspiring example of the Land van Aine in the northeast of The Netherlands. People in this community focus on enjoying life and taking things step by step. Their minimalist approach does not come at the expense of their happiness.
“Sustainable living opens up a whole new world for you, with possibilities and joy.”
Wyke Potjer, Partner at hetkanWEL
About Asceline, Wyke, and hetkanWEL
Asceline Groot and Wyke Potjer together run hetkanWEL. They’ve written two books together, the latest ‘Anders Wonen‘ on sustainable living.
Asceline Groot has worked her entire career in sustainability. She has initiated, developed, and managed different online and offline communities, entrepreneurial platforms, and programs for, among others, a Dutch newspaper and a Dutch sustainable bank. She also holds a PhD in the idea development of startup social enterprises. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.
Wyke Potjer has worked in journalism for more than twenty years, specializing in sustainability and sustainable lifestyles for the past decade. Next to her contributions to NPO Radio 1, she writes columns, conducts interviews, and contributes articles. Her work can be found on online platforms, in the printed press, and publications of several sustainable companies and organizations. You can also connect with Wyke on LinkedIn.
Hetkanwel.nl, ‘het kan wel’ loosely translates to ‘yes, you can,’ is the platform for a greener, fairer, and happier life. The website was voted ‘best sustainable website of the year’ for 2019, 2020, and 2021. In addition to a blog, it has a community of 5,000 people. These individuals are willing to take part in research and tests of sustainable products. I invite you to visit their website and to follow hetkanwel.nl on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and X/Twitter.
Let me know what you think!
When you’ve finished listening to this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, please let me know what you think about it in the comments.
I’d love to learn if the episode inspired you to start a sustainable lifestyle or take the next step.
By the way, if you would like to suggest a guest that I absolutely must have on the podcast, send me an email or a DM on LinkedIn.
What’s coming up?
Next week on Women Disrupting Tech, we have a special episode. Because, for the first time, I will have a man as a guest. And I can promise you it is worth listening to. This episode will be in Dutch.
And last Monday, I interviewed Vedrana Rogoznica about her startup, Rotoy. Rotoy teaches children how to program a robot. This approach helps them learn coding. Prepare for some serious female founder inspiration!
So stay tuned for more inspiring women disrupting tech and their male allies in season three of Women Disrupting Tech!
More episodes like this?
If you like to listen to more episodes like this one, here are a few recommendations.
– In episode 33, I spoke with Rolien Wiersinga about her company, Circular Green, which offers ‘plants as a service’.
– In episode 13, I interviewed Florentine Gillis about how you can give your closet an extra life. It’s the best listened to episode so far.
Both episodes are in Dutch.
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