Who inspires us? 10x highlights

What gets you out of bed in the morning? Inspiration is the driving force of creativity, progress & innovation. It provides motivation to achieve our goals. This gives us courage to take risks and overcome obstacles. Inspiration can come from different sources. Who inspires us to accelerate the energy transition and make the world a bit more livable?

1. Tony Chocolonely

Who doesn't like chocolate? 😉 Tony Chocolonely was founded with the aim of ending slavery and child labor in the cocoa industry. They do this through fair trade, traceability and transparency. Furthermore, investments are made to make their packaging more sustainable and they encourage their customers to recycle. Just like Tony Chocolonely, we want to make an impact. Of course, we don’t focus on slavery and child labour, but on a sustainable future for next generations.

2. OpenAI

Too little time? No inspiration? Or don’t feel creative? Nowadays you just use Chat GPT. OpenAI has developed this AI chatbot and in no time it has become known all over the world. You type a simple command and ChatGPT will generate a speech, report, summary or action plan. In addition, it is also possible to generate images with a simple description of a few words. Even though it is still in its infancy, OpenAI has shown the impact and possibilities of AI.

3. De Vegetarische Slager (EN: The Vegetarian Butcher)

The average Dutch person eats around 76 kg of meat per year. In addition, meat is responsible for 40% of greenhouse gasses released during the production of the food of the average Dutch person. Can't this be done differently?! De Vegetarische Slager (The Vegetarian Butcher) has proven that there is a cleaner alternative to meat. They produce meat alternatives made from plant-based ingredients, helping to reduce the environmental impact of meat consumption and promote animal welfare. The production of their 'meat' requires considerably less water, land and energy than traditional livestock farming. This ensures less emissions of CO2, CH4 & N2O. They are also committed to educating consumers about the benefits of plant-based meat alternatives.

4. Greta Thunberg

You can think of her whatever you like, but one thing is certain: she has guts! Greta Thunberg is a Swedish climate activist who wants to turn all eyes to climate change. Only 20 years young, but she managed to attract the attention of the whole world. How? By protesting every day in front of the Swedish parliament. Set a goal you believe in + a dose of perseverance, then you can achieve a lot. It is not for nothing that it is said in Dutch: the preserver wins.

5. Netflix

Watching a movie or binge-watching a series? In other words, ‘netflixen’. Netflix and sustainability? A habitable world is necessary if you want to entertain people. With over 220 million subscribers, Netflix has a huge reach. They use this, among other things, to make it clear to subscribers which problems occur today and what can be done about it. In addition, they compensate for the emissions that arise during the film productions. For example, their net footprint will be almost 0 in 2022. Impressive.

6. Energy fixers with a passion

There are handymen in every area and they can help with many things. One of these things is making houses, shops and offices more sustainable. Of course not everyone has 2 right hands or has the time. In this sector, you can only achieve anything if you roll up your sleeves. It is important to help people who are unable to help themselves. The motivation and energy that we, energy fixers, get when residents express their gratitude and we see that their living situation has improved can't compete with anything!

7. Innocent

“We make small drinks and have big dreams.” How can you encourage people to do something good for themselves, the community or the world? By making it easier! This is exactly the vision from which Innocent was born. They do this by using sustainable and ethical sources, reducing their impact on the environment and giving back to the community. For example, people are currently working on afforestation and orchard projects to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.

8. Tesla

Elon Musk has guts and is a little bit crazy. However, if there's one company that has changed an entire industry, it is Tesla. Tesla has shown that it is possible to enter a difficult sector. Who would have thought 10 years ago that it is now possible to let a vehicle drive itself? To achieve this, boundaries have been pushed and no idea is too crazy. That is why they haven’t stopped at vehicles, but are also working on sustainable energy generation and storage. The presence of AI plays a major role. These aspects make Tesla a major player in the field of sustainability and innovation.

9. Forest Green Rovers

Football/soccer is a billion dollar industry. Sustainability and football? These 2 terms you don't often see together. It's different for Forest Green Rovers. Not only are they the only vegan football club, but they try to push the boundaries with regards to sustainability in football. From solar panels to recycling to group transport for fans. All aspects are taken into account to reduce their emissions. They actively monitor how much CO2 they emit and how they are going to reduce this. Their goal is to emit 50% of what they did in 2018 by 2030. It is therefore more than justified that they were named the greenest football club in 2017. Isn't this inspiration? Will FC Barcelona and Ajax follow soon? 😉

10. The Correspondent

What happens if you let people participate in decisions about the information that ends up in the news? Unreliable news? Stereotypes? Prejudices? De Correspondent shows that this is certainly not the case. With their vision, they address the fundamental news and leave out the sensationalism in contrast to the traditional news. They not only identify the problems, but also indicate what can be done about them. Transparency is important here, the research questions and story ideas are made public to receive feedback. This has created news that addresses the structural developments in society and not the 'shocking' that happened one day. Cool!

Something that comes back to each of these inspirations is that they have a vision that is different from the traditional approach. You can see that there’s room for improvement in every sector. Whether it concerns software, meat, energy poverty or football, there is always something that can be done better/more sustainable/more fair. These sources of inspiration give us the drive to accelerate the energy transition. Who do you get inspired by and what gets you out of bed? Let us know!