365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge

This winter, I haven’t turned on the heating—not even once! When I tell people this, they usually start wondering, just like the meter man who visited me two days ago. He comes once a year to check my water meters. This time, after jotting down the numbers, he looked up confused and said, “Your meter seems to be broken.” I smiled and replied, “Not broken—just barely used. Last year, I turned on the heating for less than 10 hours, and this year not at all.” His reaction reminded me how unusual this choice is—but it’s a conscious one. And don’t worry, I stay perfectly warm! My house is a bit cooler than summer—14-15 °C downstairs and 18-19 °C upstairs—but I stay cozy in my soft boots, comfortable ski trousers, and two favorite pullovers. The main reason I do this? To reduce my environmental footprint. Heating is one of the biggest household energy users, but last year, I only used 34 kWh compared to 1434 kWh a few years ago. That’s a 97% reduction—and it feels amazing to know I’m making ...

⚠️  If you think sustainability and cybersecurity—my fields of expertise—are completely unrelated, you're not alone. But they do intersect in ways that can make the difference between life and death: 🌞 Imagine a vast solar farm stretching across the desert, designed to power thousands of homes with clean energy. One day, it’s hacked, leaving communities scared and without power for days. Shortly after, far away, a smart irrigation system built to save water during a drought malfunctions after a cyberattack, flooding fields, wasting precious resources, and making people panic. 🎬 These aren’t scenes from a sci-fi movie—they are real threats in a world where digital systems support sustainability. So, we need people at the intersection of technology and environmentalism to protect the progress we are making. Like me! 🌍 As a science communicator with a deep passion for sustainability, I make complex environmental issues simple, engaging, and inspiring for everyone to make the physic...

Yesterday, I've done a crazy experiment with a fellow litter-picker - I laughed myself to tears! 🤣 But it worked exceptionally well! This is what we did: When we go litter-picking, we find a lot of cigarette butts. Picking them up is very worth it: on butt can poison up to 1000 L (264 gallons) of water and can take up to 10 years to degrade. But picking them up one by one is very cumbersome. That is why we came up with the idea to use an old vacuum cleaner. And gosh, sucking them up is so much faster! It even worked off the pavement! This means we can make a bigger positive difference faster. In this video, you can see our experiment in action: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VoDhSDKrZks The setup was not ideal but as it was so promising, I'm ready to level this up. I don't know yet how, but I'm sure the answer will come. 😄

  Just before Christmas, I asked my city whether they can place a new waste bin – I’m super happy they did! This is what I asked and their replies: “Dear Mr ... I received your contact details from your colleague because I have a question regarding a waste bin. I am a co-initiator of the Sch(m)utzengel and am driving this citizen initiative to free our city from litter and make it shine even more. As part of our weekly litter-picking get-togethers, we have noticed that there is always a lot of litter on the track from the railway station, along the district administration office, to the new bridge. As there are now even more people passing there because of the new bridge, my question is whether it would make sense to put a waste bin along the track, for example, next to the bench. What do you think? Kind regards, Erlijn van Genuchten” I got a very friendly reply back: “We are happy to support your initiative and place a bin there. We are also interested in a clean city and are grat...

🦟 I never thought I'd miss insects bumping into me — until I realized how horrible their absence is. 🤯 🌞 When I was a teenager, one of my favorite things to do was ride my racing bike. 🚴‍♂️ With the wind rushing past me, I would venture out on long trips through the countryside. Before I set off, I would always make sure to put on sunscreen to protect my skin. By the time I returned home, tiny flies would be stuck all over me, glued to my arms and legs. 🦟 🌙 When I then at night left the door or window open with the light on, the house would be filled with moths in no time. They would flutter around the lightbulb, their delicate wings casting tiny, frantic shadows on the walls. 🦋 Back then, I saw these insects as a nuisance — annoying intruders that I had to brush off my skin or shoo out of my room. 🍂 But today, things are different. Now, when I go cycling, I return with clean skin. No flies stick to me anymore. And at night, even if I forget to close the windows and turn on...

The heartbreaking history of whale hunting shows how deeply our actions affect the Earth and our survival. 😢 And what we can do about it: 😊 A time long ago, 🐋 whales roamed the oceans freely, their great bodies gliding through the deep blue waters 🌊 . They were common and abundant, their songs echoing across the seas 🎶 . The oceans were their kingdom, and they swam without fear in the depths of the world. 🌍 These majestic creatures traveled vast distances, feeding on plankton 🦠 and sharing the oceans with other marine life 🐟 . Their presence was a sign of the ocean's health and the balance in nature ⚖️ . Whales and the world around them thrived in harmony. 🏹 But then, this harmony was disturbed when about 1,000 years ago, people in Spain began to hunt the Right Whales. They sought the mighty creatures for their meat 🍖 , oil 🛢️ , and baleen. The meat was eaten 🍽️ , the oil was used for cooking 🍳 , and the baleen, a strong and flexible material, was used in clothin...

  🎉 📚 Today, I was in the bookstore and was very happy to see the German translation of my book “A Guide to a Healthier Planet”! 🌍 💚 😍 I am so happy because I wrote the book for anyone who would like to learn more about how we can contribute to a healthier planet in our everyday lives 🌱 based on easy-to-understand scientific results. As it's well-visible, it's easy to find! 🎄 🎁 And if you are still looking for a special Christmas present, then I can heartily recommend this book! ❤️ If you like to order online, you can find the link to the Springer page here: https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/guide-to-a-healthier-planet . Of course you can also order it from your local bookstore.

And here it is! The recording of my prize-winning presentation: "Cybersecurity and sustainability in companies - the path to long-term success" Spoken in German with English subtitles. Enjoy! And if you need help - as mentioned in the video - feel free to reach out. https://youtu.be/WUH3iZvT4NA  

Wow, I won the exclusive special prize!  Last Friday, I took part in a speaking event by Speakers Excellence and inspired the audience to become even more committed to caring for our planet and a secure digital world. I shared my own commitment and journey, to be able to explain why it is so important to me and why it is important for them.  I'm hugely honored and grateful that the exclusive special prize has been gifted to me: "The exclusive special prize, a 3-hour PR coaching session with Petra Spiekermann, went to Erlijn van Genuchten for her visionary presentation “Digital security and sustainability in companies - the path to long-term success”." Once the recording of my 7-minute presentation is available, I will share it as well.

In Dutch we have a saying "het nuttige met het aangename verenigen", which literally means "combining the useful with the pleasant". That's what I did today, during my refreshing litter-picking lunch break:

Möchtest du als UnternehmerIn langfristig erfolgreich sein?  Wenn ja, dann freue ich mich, wenn du am 22.11. beim Speakers Excellence Slam dabei bist!  Titel meines Vortrags: Digitale Sicherheit & Nachhaltigkeit – Zukunft sichern, Erfolg schaffen! Hier findest du mehr über die Veranstaltung und die anderen inspirierenden SprecherInnen: https://www.speakers-excellence.de/veranstaltungen/speakers-excellence-slam-stuttgart/ Wenn du digital dabei sein möchtest, lasse es mir wissen, da ich ein paar Zugänge kostenlos vergeben darf. First come, first serve.

I have been annoyed for quite a while with today's sponges for cleaning:  most are made of synthetic materials. This means that when we rub, small synthetic particles end up in and harm the environment.  That's why I have researched environmentally friendly alternatives from natural materials, and this is my favorite:  I crocheted this one from 100% jute yarn. I love it!

Each time I turn on the tap to fill my bottle or when I seldom buy bottled water, I feel grateful to live in a place where clean water is readily available. I’m very aware that not everyone can get clean water this easily. And yet, water pollution is in our urbanized world an issue that requires attention constantly. And even when we treat wastewater, it remains slightly contaminated, which hurts not only fish but also us. Want to know why and how? Learn more here: https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/51c934b6-2acc-4beb-9a2f-b12ae9b2d208?utm_source=url-copy&utm_medium=wdht-web-app-share&utm_campaign=erlijng

  Recently, I was interviewed by author and poet Leslie Tate. Leslie has done an excellent job sharing my journey into sustainability: how it started with a personal challenge in 2019, leading to my focus on practical, planet-friendly solutions and influencing policy at an international level. Also, Leslie shows how my background in cybersecurity and my analytical skills allow me to excel in both digital security and environmental sustainability and how I manage to communicate complex scientific ideas in a clear and engaging way through my writing and public speaking, inspiring individuals to take actionable steps toward a healthier planet. Read the wonderful interview here: https://leslietate.com/2024/10/14/a-passion-for-sustainability/

  🖐️ This week a friend pointed out to me an interesting article in a German newspaper, talking about the term ecological handprint. Yes, handprint. 🦶 Usually, we speak about our ecological footprint. Our ecological footprint measures whether we are overusing our planet’s resources. 🌍 Focusing on “overusing” is a negative point of view. That is why I loved to learn the opposite term: our “handprint”. This concept has a positive point of view: whether we are making a positive difference to the environment. 🚮 For example, when I go litter-picking, my handprint increases. Or when I use my solar panel to charge my phone; or when I inspire others to make positive changes too; each time, my handprint increases. ⭐ As both are important for contributing to a healthier planet, I not only reduce my ecological footprint as much as possible, but also make sure that I increase my ecological handprint every day! 🤝 I hope you do this in your daily life too!

Today, I was on the Spanish Talk Radio Europe! I spoke with Giles Brown about my latest book "A Guide to a Healthier Planet 2" and how we can contribute to positive change based on science, related to climate change, pollution, and biodiversity. You can listen to the conversation here (in English): https://d11n7da8rpqbjy.cloudfront.net/erlijn/30717163_172771248385820240930-Talk_Radio_Europe_in_Spain.mp3 You can find the books we are talking about here: https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/guide-to-a-healthier-planet

 🍲 I'm sure we have many things in common, including that we both want to have enough to eat to survive. Sound simple right? 🌿Well, with the growing global population, this is getting a lot harder. Luckily, many clever people have come up with solutions to improve food production, for example by reducing waste, increasing yields, growing other products, just to name a few. ⚡ But this solution tops it all in my opinion: 🧬learn more about the #CRISPR/Cas9 that allows deactivating genes that reduce plant resistance or triggering genes that improve resistance: https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/3e866e52-d025-46a0-b318-96b548c60d8a?utm_source=url-copy&utm_medium=wdht-web-app-share&utm_campaign=erlijng

 🎉 Exciting News! I'm thrilled to announce my latest book: Volume 2 of "A Guide to a Healthier Planet: Scientific Insights and Actionable Steps to Resolve Climate, Pollution, and Biodiversity Issues"! 📗 And as I'm very grateful that Dmitry Mariyasin, Deputy Executive Secretary at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe wrote the foreword, I'm super happy that I was able to give him the book in person last week (see picture)! 📚 https://www.erlijn.nl/link/prod.php?l=agtahp2 🌱 This book is all about bridging the gap between scientific insights on pressing environmental issues and empowering everyday people to take action. It delivers fascinating facts about #nature and #sustainability, inspiring to make a positive impact on our planet. 📖 All chapters cover new topics compared to Volume 1, bringing together further open-access research articles rarely discussed in popular discourse. It delves into crucial concepts, unveils far-reaching consequences, and...

 It was great yesterday to speak again at the United Nations during the Sustainable Energy Week! And fun! This time, I explained why Germany has been very slow compared to other European countries with implementing smart meter technology. #SmartMeters are critical for today's #energyGrid in allowing households to supply electricity as well. Apart from technical, organizational, economic, and regulatory barriers, behavioral barriers played an important role as well. These behavioral barriers include:  - lack of motivation: individuals may have had a lack of intrinsic motivation, may have experienced high costs of change, and may not have felt that this technology would benefit them - lack of perceived ability: individuals may have had a fear of failure when adopting the technology or have had limiting beliefs about their (in)ability to use this technology - limited #environmentalism: individuals may not have had clear positively formulated goals about how they want to contribut...

Do you think that Germany is one of the European countries that have adopted smart meters fastest or slowest? I'm looking forward to sharing with you the answer during my presentation at the Sustainable Energy Week, organized by the UNECE.  I will also explain what impacted the adoption of this critical technology in the energy transition and what lessons we can learn from it. Learn more about the event and register here: https://unece.org/sustainable-energy/events/unece-sustainable-energy-week-2024