My stomach filled with shrimp and other delicacies, I - as a young Rotterdam-based entrepeneur - have entered a discussion about sustainability and the aspects that binds us together.

The underlying reason why we set out to find this commonality, is the current situation (we need to do something) and present ourselves independent under the banner of a www.duurzaamgebouwd.nl initiated by OVG project developers in Rotterdam. The biggest issue is that I need to solve, is how to integrate much diversity in content, into a coherent statement to the outside world.

Convincing statement
I understand that rather presenting our companies individually, it is interesting to stress the movement in which we are participating. Being companies that aim at sustainability, the ‘sustainability banner’ would be a logical choice. However, all good intentions aside, even within our own group of companies (Happy Shrimp Farm, Green and Blue and Allcomm) on the Maasvlakte everyone has different interpretations on what ‘sustainability’ really means.

Sustainability for me doesn’t prove to be strong enough to bind us together in the mind of better future and certainly to a continues visiting and reading public audience. I need a stronger and more convincing statement.

The future
If there is something that really binds us it is a good future. A more exciting and efficient future, for all the people in our society to live in. We all, in our own way, stimulate a new way of looking at our local environments. We hope to see things that a majority of people do not to see, yet. I try to look differently at Rotterdam and the world in general. In light of this perspective it would be really nice we could present a perspective of the future, a picture of Rotterdam in the year 2025. Instead of distinguishing ourselves as ‘being a sustainable city or country’ I reckon it would be much stronger and more exciting to distinguish ourselves in a common vision about the future. A future in which sustainability is so strongly embedded in our culture that it has become a norm, rather than something that sets you apart.

Shrimp up your Life

Gilbert Curtessi