Greenport West-Holland: in transition to becoming a ‘Circular Metropolis'
Greenport West-Holland (GPWH) is one of the world’s most innovative regions in the field of greenhouse horticulture. Here, horticulture entrepreneurs, local and regional authorities, educational and research institutions work together through the triple helix organization that also bears the name of Greenport West-Holland. GPWH as an organization is actively committed to working towards a healthy, sustainable and vital future for the regional horticulture sector. One of GPWH’s ambitions is to become the first climate neutral Greenport in the Netherlands.
The transition to a circular economy
In order to become the first climate neutral Greenport in the Netherlands, the cluster faces many challenges. The sector finds itself in the middle of the transition to a circular economy, the energy transition and the digital transition. These challenges all have to be seen in the light of global, European, national and regional guidelines and policies, such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal.
Transition program ‘Circular Metropolis’,
Within the transition program ‘Circular Metropolis’, GPWH strives to connect and translate these high level goals and rules to the daily realities of the Greenport. The final goal of this program is to ‘symbiotically fit the horticulture sector into the circular mega cities of the future, in accordance with regional, national and global policies.’ A main question within this program is: How do we get everybody, both entrepreneurs and citizens, on board with these transitions? This could be a starting question for a research project. Another interesting research topic could be the relationship between the citizens of the bigger cities (Rotterdam and The Hague) and the citizens and entrepreneurs within the greenhouse horticultural areas. How to strengthen their (future) relationships?
Dutch language proficiency is advisable, but not mandatory.