Our contribution to a liveable world; it can be done and we will succeed!

With the future in mind

“We have learned a lot from the events of 2020. We have seen that our actions of the past impact the present. And therefore we realise all too well that our behaviour today affects the future. We have also seen that together we are strong and that together we are able to initiate change.


In the past, sustainability was referred to through the 3Ps: people, planet, profit. But the question is whether these are 3 different themes. In recent years, we have increasingly come to the conclusion that taking good care of people perhaps starts with taking good care of nature. Earth and the environment will survive mankind in the end, but the question is how mankind will benefit from the changes taking place on the planet and to the climate. With that, profit is also at stake. The crisis and the changing climate have taught us, among other things, that the depletion of the earth’s resources and the environmental degradation may seem profitable in the short term, but will backfire on us. The massive population growth reinforces this. In about 2000 years, mankind expanded to 1 billion people, but in the last 200 years, the world’s population has grown from 1 billion to 7 billion. Exponential growth that is still continuing. But the size of the world has not increased, nor has the amount of available resources.

Changing by taking action
The above calls for a fair distribution of raw materials and resources that are scarce, and for changes in behaviour. The task of making our living environments more sustainable is huge and complex. But there are sufficient opportunities to create a sustainable and resilient world. With minimum impact on the climate and the ability to make this future-proof. This transition is urgently needed. VanWonen is aware that we live in an era that is rapidly changing. We are the generation that sees the challenges and perhaps the last generation that can turn the tide. We can affect change by starting with ourselves, with positive, enthusiastic stories, but above all with actions.

In recent years we have worked towards social sustainability and energy-neutral concepts. We want to further strengthen and expand our contribution to a liveable and sustainable world and have laid this down in a sustainability manifesto. This manifesto focuses on two themes: well-being and climate. Well-being refers to inclusive neighbourhoods, a place for everyone. Where the houses feel like true homes and where you can enjoy living in good health. For the second theme, climate, we want to do our part for a carbon-neutral society. With responsible use of materials, the creation of high quality (urban) green space and the enhancement of biodiversity.

The manifesto as a compass
We will release the sustainability manifesto later this year. This manifesto is our handbook, detailing the opportunities we see to address the challenges. The manifesto indicates which principles are fixed and non-negotiable for us. The manifesto is intended to help us stay on course, to form a compass in times of change. It is our response and our contribution to a liveable society. It is also meant to extend our hand to society and to the people who live in our living environments and who contribute to it, and to our colleagues; the co-designers of our society. Because only together can we take steps towards a better world. And we will succeed in doing so!”

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