{"id":88417,"date":"2018-07-12T15:23:54","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T13:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=88417"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:02","slug":"het-college-van-bestuur-is-echt-om-gegaan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/07\/12\/het-college-van-bestuur-is-echt-om-gegaan\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Executive Board really rallied to the cause\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sustainability has been adopted as one of the key pillars in the University\u2019s new strategic plan. This is thanks, in part, to a determined lobby by two student members of the University Council: Boris Pulskens and Louise van Koppen. In the last weeks before the summer holidays, EM met with the two to look back on their year-long battle to promote sustainability at EUR.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElmer Smaling<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Philosophy student Boris Pulskens \u2013 at 26 probably one of the oldest students on the Council \u2013 carefully phrases his points. He weighs and nuances his statements and delivers them sotto voce<\/em>. Louise van Koppen (22, Erasmus University College) seems almost his exact opposite. Her contributions to the Council sessions show a strong emotional involvement and are delivered in an energetic, quick-fire tone. Nevertheless, over the past year, this \u2018odd couple\u2019 proved an effective team within the Council, achieving quite a few concrete results in what can occasionally be a rather elusive subject: sustainability.<\/p>\n

Why is sustainability so important to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Louise: \u201cIt\u2019s been important for as long as I can remember. My mother always said that as a kid, if I wanted to pick a leaf, I asked the tree for permission first. I feel very strongly about our destruction of this planet. And with its economic profile, I believe Erasmus University is the best place to do something about this. Because the root of the problem lies in today\u2019s society and how we\u2019ve structured it. It isn\u2019t sustainable. I believe we need to revise our current economic models, taking account of the needs of our planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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More about Henk Oosterling<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t