The Netherlands and California each look for the best opportunities to become more sustainable. The built environment is a major energy user yet opportunities for usage
reduction are abundant. Both the Netherlands and California have developed different
policies and instruments to stimulate energy efficiency. Within the EU the "Energy Label"
has been developed as a way to stimulate energy efficiency in buildings. The Netherlands has been on the forefront of these developments just like California is at the forefront of energy efficiency policy in the US.
During the roundtable we would like to share some of our experiences with energy labeling and discuss with you and local experts possibilities for California. It will give all of us the
opportunity to explore synergies and mutually beneficial collaborations while strengthening the ties between the Netherlands and California.
Bio
Raymond Beuken
Raymond Beuken is a project consultant for NL Agency.
Barry Hooper
Barry Hooper is the Private Sector Green Building Assistant Coordinator for the San Francisco Department of the Environment.
Leslie Katz
Leslie Katz is one of the principals of Congegy Consulting. In addition to having held public office, Katz has been assisting businesses, public officials and nonprofits in formulating plans and strategies for regulatory and legislative activities, developing and drafting legislation and policies, devising campaign plans, government and public affairs, public speaking and advocacy. Her focus is on technology, energy, land-use, and "clean-tech." Ms. Katz previously served as the Regional Vice President of Sempra Energy and subsequently Sempra Energy Utilities where she represented the company before state regulatory and legislative bodies.
Nils Kok
Nils Kok currently holds positions as visiting scholar at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, and as assistant professor in Finance and Real Estate at Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
Steven Ring
Steven Ring is the northern California regional leader and director of client solutions at Cushman and Wakefield.
Bart van Bolhuis
Bart van Bolhuis began his career in the civil service with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1986. In his first assignment with the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1989 he was involved in the creation of the European Market and the Economic and Monetairian Union. With Senter, the executive agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, he established the "PSO Programme," which assisted new European Union members to adapt to EU requirements, and helped to position Dutch business in developing markets in Eastern Europe.
From 1998 to 2002, Mr. van Bolhuis led the "Euroteam" at the Ministry of Finance, which was responsible for the successful introduction of the Euro currency in the Netherlands.
From 2003 to 2009, Mr. van Bolhuis was Director for Foreign Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. In this position, he coordinated government action aimed at the establishment of Dutch business in priority markets and the removal of barriers impeding bilateral trade and investment.
As Secretary of the Dutch Trade Board (DTB), Mr. van Bolhuis was at the forefront of a private-public cooperation designed to increase Dutch competitiveness in international and globalizing markets. In this regard he took the initiative for the creation of the Dutch Design Fashion and Architectual cooperation (DutchDFA) and other clustering of activities and instruments in international trade and investment relations. He also worked on the improvement of economic entrepreneurship in education and the enhancement of services offered by the Dutch diplomatic networks abroad.
Country, northwestern Europe. Area: 16,040 sq mi (41,543 sq km). Population (2009 est.): 16,522,000. Capital: Amsterdam. Seat of government: The Hague. Most of the people are Dutch. Languages: Dutch (official), English. Religions: Christianity (Roman Catholic, Protestant); also Islam. Currency: euro. The Netherlands' southern and eastern region consists mostly of plains and a few high ridges; its western and northern region is lower and includes polders on the site of the Zuiderzee and the common delta of the Rhine, Meuse, and Schelde rivers. Coastal areas are almost completely below sea level and are protected by dunes and artificial dikes. Although densely populated, the country has a low birth rate. Its developed market economy is based largely on financial services, light and heavy industries, and trade. It is a constitutional monarchy with a parliament comprising two chambers; its head of state is the monarch, and the head of government is the prime minister. Celtic and Germanic tribes inhabited the region at the time of the Roman conquest. Under the Romans trade and industry flourished, but by the mid-3rd century CE Roman power had waned, eroded by resurgent Germanic tribes and the encroachment of the sea. A Germanic invasion (406–407) ended Roman control. The Merovingian dynasty followed the Romans but was supplanted in the 7th century by the Carolingian dynasty, which converted the area to Christianity. After Charlemagne's death in 814, the area was increasingly the target of Viking attacks. It became part of the medieval kingdom of Lotharingia (seeLorraine), which avoided incorporation into the Holy Roman Empire by investing its bishops and abbots with secular powers, leading to the establishment of an imperial church. Beginning in the 12th century, much land was reclaimed from the sea as dike building occurred on a large scale; Flanders developed as a textiles centre. The dukes of Burgundy gained control in the late 14th century. By the early 16th century the Low Countries came to be ruled by the Spanish Habsburgs. The Dutch had taken the lead in fishing and shipbuilding, which laid the foundation for Holland's remarkable 17th-century prosperity. Culturally, this was the period of Jan van Eyck, Thomas à Kempis, and Desiderius Erasmus. Calvinism and Anabaptist doctrines attracted many followers. In 1581 the seven northern provinces, led by Calvinists, declared their independence from Spain, and in 1648, following the Thirty Years' War, Spain recognized Dutch independence. The 17th century was the golden age of Dutch civilization. Benedict de Spinoza and René Descartes enjoyed the intellectual freedom, and Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer painted their masterpieces. The Dutch East India Co. secured Asian colonies, and the country's standard of living soared. In the 18th century Dutch maritime power declined; the region was conquered by the French during the French revolutionary wars and became the Kingdom of Holland under Napoleon (1806). The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I and declared neutrality in World War II but was occupied by Germany. After the war it lost the Netherlands Indies (Indonesia from 1949) and Netherlands New Guinea (in 1962; now Irian Jaya). It joined NATO in 1949 and was a founding member of the European Economic Community (later renamed the European Community and now embedded in the European Union). At the outset of the 21st century the Netherlands benefitted from a strong, highly regulated mixed economy but struggled with the social and economic challenges of immigration.
