Het Groene Boek # 3

On 28 April the third edition of ‘The Green Book’ descends on the Kaaitheater, with highly seasoned talks and debates on the transition to a socio-ecological society, controversial documentaries, lots of books, and information stands of NGOs concerned with ecology.

The thread running through this year’s event is the way the consumer society has won over our hearts and minds. This is the subject of the initial debate between the German social psychologist Harald Welzer(author of Climate Wars), young Dutch historien Rutger Bregman, and the Dutch novelist Marcel Möring.

Going against the dominant argument in favour of working harder and longer, we raise the question of more ‘freed time’. Under the title ‘The Time Struggle’, Professor Jan Blommaert (author of The 360° Employee), philosopher Joke J. Hermsen (author of Stil de Tijd) and Koen Haegens (on the editorial staff of De Groene Amsterdammer and author of Take Your Time. Surviving in the ‘To Go’ society) will sit down with Ann Demeulemeester of the Verenigde Verenigingen.

And how are we going to implement this transition? This is the topic of the discussion of the future with Rik Pinxten and Michel Bauwens, climate change and how to deal with, is the subject of a debate with Vera Dua (Bond Beter Leefmilieu) and Luc Goeteyn. How do different generations deal with change and activism/engagement? The columnist Fikry El Azzouzi, Paula Semers, Maud Vanhauwert and Sihame el Kaouakibi and others talk about it.

The topics of climate change and the shortage of raw materials will also be dealt with, key literary works and eco-authors will be taken off the shelf, and the doers will be talking about how you put transition into practice in your own life.

18:30 Joan Martinez-Alier (Ecological Economics from the Ground up)

20:00 Keynote Speech: Ezio Manzini : Design for social Innovation

Ezio Manzini is professor Industrial Design. He published The Material of Invention, Artifacts: Towards a New Ecology of the Artificial Environment en  Solid Side: The Search for Consistency in a Changing World en Sustainable Everyday.