These students are showing how the Groene Hart can become a little greener
Should we be growing rice and building materials instead of grass for cows? From invasive crayfish to cultural heritage and groundwater levels: ten graduating students explored the future of the Groene Hart, the rural region just outside the cities of Delft, Rotterdam and Leiden where they study.
In the LDE Thesis Lab Groener Hart, ten students from the universities of Delft, Rotterdam and Leiden took a ‘realistically optimistic’ look at what lies ahead for the Groene Hart. Their central question: how can this region become both an economically thriving and ecologically rich biodiversity hotspot in the heart of the Randstad? Their findings are brought together in an accessible white paper: Groener hart – realistisch optimistisch richting 2100. On 10 July, the students will present their booklet to the Province of Utrecht, where it will be received by regional executive Mirjam Sterk, who also chairs the Groene Hart Administrative Platform.
Extracting proteins from grass – without the cow
The students, from five different academic backgrounds, looked into innovations, societal developments and future scenarios. These included producing protein from grass without involving cows, and growing water-loving crops under high groundwater levels while generating solar energy from panels on the same land. ‘Some wetland crops actually benefit from partial shade,’ writes Emilie van Rappard, a student of Global Business and Sustainability.
The Groene Hart is an ideal area for research into smarter systems. It has a rich cultural history, a varied landscape, an agricultural sector with international reach, and is surrounded by urban life. At the same time, issues such as soil subsidence, biodiversity loss, freshwater shortages and peat oxidation highlight the urgent need for change.
Trouble in the ditch and colourful meadows
Biology student Thomas Celie looked into the ‘trouble in the ditch’: methane emissions caused by a lack of oxygen in the water. The aquatic plant Stratiotes aloides (commonly known as water soldier) may offer a solution, as long as invasive crayfish don’t get in the way. ‘We still need to reduce fertiliser and pesticide runoff,’ he adds.
Aidan Hiemstra takes a different view: the Groene Hart is actually too green. The student of Biodiversity & Sustainability remains hopeful, though. After just one year of extensive land management, he already saw uniform grasslands transform into colourful meadows.
Where your house could grow
Low groundwater levels cause serious environmental harm, yet many farmers rely on them to maintain their current way of working. But things can be done differently. Martijne Kannekens, an Industrial Ecology student, is exploring – yes – rice cultivation in the Netherlands. ‘Growing rice could be a climate-friendly way to reduce CO₂ emissions from peat, without releasing large amounts of methane.’
Her fellow student Kim van Bruggen looked at it from another angle: ‘Some crops that grow well on wet peat soils, like reed and cattail, are actually very suitable as biobased building materials.’ This could offer a sustainable alternative for farming and help meet the rising demand for housing – using materials grown locally.
Realistic, yet hopeful
‘It makes me happy to see how deeply the students immersed themselves in the region,’ says Joran Lammers, academic coordinator of the Thesis Lab and a PhD candidate and lecturer at the Institute of Environmental Sciences in Leiden. ‘They thought freely, drew on local knowledge, and actively looked for solutions. Scientific findings aren’t always cheerful these days. That’s exactly why I encourage students to approach the future with a hopeful mindset. You can be realistic about the fact that our current way of life isn’t sustainable, and still be optimistic about the possibilities for change.’