The Sustainable Entrepreneur: Nienke Dijkstra

November 22, 2021

Where does your passion for the sea come from?

Nature is incredibly smart. It works so cleverly. And when you connect more with nature, you actually become smarter yourself. In the end, it's in our own interest. The Earth will keep spinning, but as humanity, we won't survive if we continue like this.” Nienke quickly makes it clear that there is wisdom in nature, and thus in the sea. She also draws wise lessons from her experience as a skipper. “When I look at the tides, you know, it's so cleverly designed. Such a massive body of water that shifts twice a day purely due to the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon. It operates on a rhythm that we have very little of in our lives anymore. The funny thing is, I spent some time sailing as a skipper in a tidal area. Eventually, I would reach low tide, and I had to stop and rest. I couldn’t go any further. Then I was in an area without tides, and I was constantly exhausted because I kept pushing on. The tides actually teach you to live in a rhythm. Nature has so many ingenious aspects, and we can learn a lot from them.

What does Doe eens Wad involve?

In the grand scheme of things, you often don’t see it. When you make certain choices not to fly or to leave the car at home, you don’t see immediate results.” Through her sailing trips in the Wadden region, Nienke Dijkstra makes the pollution caused by humans tangible. The seriousness of the plastic soup literally comes to the surface here. The sailing trips of Doe eens Wad serve as practical examples to raise awareness that what we do can indeed make a difference. “The plastic soup is something we all deal with, and we all contribute to it.” For Nienke’s sailing trips, people can sign up for a fee to join her on the water. “We sail to a beautiful sandbank, anchor the boat, and then we stay on board for an hour. After that, we go ashore and walk around on the bank for two hours, collecting what the sea has washed up. Meanwhile, we’re just enjoying ourselves thoroughly.

What do you do for sustainability, and are you also actively working towards the SDGs?

Nienke indicates that she has naturally been involved with the issues raised by the UN through the SDGs. “It’s woven into my business, particularly regarding climate action.” From her own motivation, she makes very conscious, sustainable choices. “If possible, I sail everything. I use the engine as little as possible—only when necessary. I’ve considered whether I should switch from a diesel engine to another type, but I hardly use that engine. I thought about how removing it would just create waste. On board, I have a solar panel to generate power. I rarely use shore power. I always have glassware on board, so it can be washed. I have dish soap and cleaning supplies; it’s all in those little things.” The most sustainable aspect, of course, is the means of transport itself. “Sailing is a sustainable way to travel. You’re just using the wind. We sail with the current, so we also harness the power of the water. To be honest, it’s very much woven into my life.

What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?

Doing well in this time is very difficult. You face really complex choices. But doing just a bit better by being aware of things is actually a really enjoyable challenge,” Nienke Dijkstra describes sustainable entrepreneurship. There is always room to improve and further enhance sustainability. It’s especially important to be aware of the choices you make. It’s all in the little things.

Read more about Nienke Dijkstra and Doe eens Wad here.