With a staggering count of approximately one million trees, Amsterdam stands tall as one of Europe’s greenest cities. Honoured with the European City of Trees Award in 2012, Amsterdam’s canopy tells tales of a rich legacy. The city also proudly holds the title of the Elm city of Europe, adorned by over 75,000 majestic Elms, some 100 years old, elegantly gracing its streets and canals. Historical Roots of Amsterdam’s Arboreal Culture The history of tree planting in Amsterdam traces back to 1340, marking the inception of its arboreal legacy, with a law dating back to 1454 prohibiting cutting dow ..read more

Making conscious decisions about our diet is for most people the single, most impactful ways to curtail individual environmental impact. Opting for vegetarian or vegan alternatives over meat significantly contributes to sustainability efforts. Research shows that adopting vegan diets leads to a reduction of 75% in emissions contributing to climate change, water pollution, and land use compared to diets consuming over 100g of meat daily. Additionally, vegan diets were associated with a 66% decrease in harm to wildlife and a 54% decrease in water usage, as per the findings of the research by Oxf ..read more

Amsterdam’s commitment to becoming a “climate-proof” hinges on transforming the city into a green haven. Beyond merely enhancing the city’s appearance, the drive for more green spaces are key to responding to climate change event — ranging from heavy rainfall to extreme heatwaves and droughts. Here are five distinct projects showing Amsterdam’s journey toward a greener, climate-resilient future: Postzegelpark: Revamping Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal in the city center, the new Postzegelpark, or Stamppost Park, seamlessly merges climate adaptation and community space. Featuring green spaces and a ra ..read more

Circl Pavilion is a place created by ABN AMRO to share knowledge and to be a living lab where anyone with good ideas about sustainability and circularity can find the space to explore and collaborate.  But, that was not always the goal. It began as a plan to provide some extra conference rooms and hospitality facilities for the bank’s staff. The idea to build a pavilion on the square in front of ABN’s head office in the Zuidas district of Amsterdam had been around for quite some time, and work got underway to build a structure that matched ABN AMRO’s existing building next to the construc ..read more

Adapted from City of Amsterdam website: We are eagerly awaiting the official release of the City’s “Climate Neutral Road Map 2050” that has been in the works for some time.  Amsterdam’s goal is to set irreversible movement toward having the city move away from coal, oil and gas to clean energy.  The city has made an appeal to its constituents to offer up ideas and suggested initiatives. In general, the 2050 goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by 95% as compared to 1990 levels, and by 2040 have the city completely free of natural gas. The intermediate goal is to have 55% less CO2 emission ..read more

Last December, after a six year fight led by Urgenda, the Dutch Supreme Court upheld the landmark decision ruling that the government has the explicit duty to protect its citizens’ human rights in the face of climate change.  As such, by the end of this year the Netherlands must reduce emissions by at least 25% compared with 1990 levels.  The Guardian reported that the original judgment in 2015 “was seen as a landmark in the then nascent field of climate litigation, and inspired similar cases across the world, from Pakistan to New Zealand.” As of mid 2019, governments and f ..read more

STUDY TOURS Amsterdam is a global leader in sustainable urban living. Sustainable Amsterdam study tours are the perfect way to explore Amsterdam’s approach to sustainable and smart urban development for livable cities. Our study tours focus on smart urban design, innovative water management, renewable energy projects and unique community initiatives.  You will learn the roles of government, companies and civil society in making cities sustainable. All tours discuss the six areas defining a sustainable city: people, governance, environment, economy, mobility and living, in the context ..read more

Since 2014 Sustainable Amsterdam has designed and hosted more than 100 cycling-city study tours for public, private and academic groups. Our unique study tours are the perfect way for groups to immerse themselves in Amsterdam’s cycling planning approach and experience safe street and neighbourhoods designed for interaction, socializing and play. By sharing Amsterdam’s innovations and challenges, we help planners, engineers, designers, politicians and advocates understand that it’s possible to create their own more people friendly streets and cities.  REFERENCES We Bike the City:  ..read more

Sustainable Amsterdam is a leader in experiential education focused on pressing issues related to sustainable development. Our innovative approach to experiential learning is driven by commitment to provide purposeful, real-world experience using Amsterdam and the region as our classroom. With our study abroad programs we are committed to shape global citizens who catalyze change and help transform organizations for sustainability.  We devise custom half day to two week study abroad experiential learning programs blending sustainability-focused course work with indu ..read more

Sustainable Amsterdam helps public, quasi-public and private organizations develop plans for more sustainable, resilient and competitive development, with a focus on smart cities and innovation ecosystems. Using best practices and lessons learned from Amsterdam and The Netherlands, we help organizations devise strategies and projects to help them become more future proof with a focus on: Collaborative Innovation: leveraging through public-private parentships and community platforms to build community resilience  Start-up Ecosystems: designing and shaping policy a ..read more