Johan De Beule
Pro Natura, Belgium

In Belgium, we don’t have the interesting grasslands you have in Germany or Estonia. But there is a lot of grass on the roadsides that can be used in this project. We are sure we can create several, maybe 100-200 jobs with this.

I am involved in ProNatura, an organization in the social economy sector. We are in the western parts of Flanders. Our mission is to make work out of nature. That’s a double mission: we want to improve the environment, but we also want to create jobs. To obtain the two goals, we invest a lot of energy and money in innovation. We think, to create jobs and to be successful in it, you have to create new niches in the market. You have to create new things.

You have to create new things.

In the case of the biomass, we are sure we can create several, maybe 100-200 jobs. For example mowing grass. Our people could mow around obstacles before big machines come in to mow the rest. Or they could separate the biomass into wooden and non-wooden parts. They could also clean the biomass before it goes to the plant, because there can be bottles, stones etc. in it.

Most of our stakeholders are authorities of local communities. When they have a problem, we try to find a solution for them. For instance, when they mow, they have to dispose of the biomass and it is very expensive. When they use it in a project like this, there comes electricity, heat! Then it’s not waste anymore! It’s a product you can work with and at the same time solving the problem of our stakeholders.

At ProNatura, we create jobs for people who don’t find a job by themselves, who are rather weak, rather disturbed. Someone who doesn’t find work, who may have problems with booze or poverty generations long, they don’t like themselves. When they have work, they have structure, a future. They can buy a car, they can buy a house. Year after year, you see the people develop. They get a better self-image. They dare to discuss. They dare to express themselves. Before, they didn’t. If you have a job, the image of yourself changes, your self-respect. You have a reason to live, a social life because they have colleagues.

I started with the organization more than 20 years ago, in fact, with Rio DeJaneiro. It was the first time the word ‘sustainability’ was used at the world conference for the protection of nature. I wanted to prove that in local communities - where the farmer is the mayor - you can also do something about sustainability. I wanted to improve the quality of nature, to create jobs for people but also to convince the local authority that it has an advantage for them. I had to prove that sustainability has an economic value. It was an opportunity to create jobs. We looked for money to invest into the region. It was a circle and it worked. Without knowing, I started with ProNatura as a way to realize that goal.

It’s a little strange, but I worked alone. Me, as a person, I like to work alone. But I’m also driven to make an idea true. And automatically people came and started working with us und now we are at 150 people. Maybe it’s strange but in the beginning, I made a future plan: What will we do? What will we become? How will we do it? And I must say, we are well on track! Now I am busy with investing in people because I’m going to retire.