I think I ate the first real tomato this summer in Bulgaria. Wow! It was rather green with an odd shape but tasted sweeter than I imagined. A few days later I had a “shopska salad’ , and the tomatoes tasted like nothing. “Dutch tomatoes”, Bulgarians explained. When I speak on sustainable leadership, people often ask me why the Dutch buy less organic products than the English.

Now that Al Gore has woken us with the Inconvenient Truth, everyone is talking about climate change. Even in sober Holland, recent polls show that 80% are concerned about climate change. The project ‘ Living in the future’ by the environment Ministry shows that almost half of the youth (11-18 years) want to live in a house that can generate its own energy.

Are sustainable cars sexy? At a conference on sustainable business last week I was invited to challenge engineering companies’ CEOs about their sustainable leadership. “It’s about leading by example,” I explained. “ About making the first move. If you tell your children not to smoke, do they listen if you are still smoking?

Why is leadership expected from companies to change course? Firstly governments and individuals cannot do it on their own and secondly companies have a significant impact in how the economy works which ties us all together. Besides what’s expected from companies as major players in today’s world, competitive advantages are to be gained by sustainability

This month the papers were filled with news about an imminent takeover of ABN AMRO. This raised discussion about the role of ‘hedgefunds’. Hedgefunds are monies used to buy and sell shares in other companies. It sounded like a Dutch territory invasion, as though we have to protect our national heritage. “Resist the plundering knights (roofridders)” editor of the NRC newspaper said. Another claimed that “the name of the virus is shareholder value”.

Last month a school of penguins curiously looked up at the arrival of a ‘school’ of future leaders on their stony beach in Antartica. Under the sustainable leadership of Robert Swan, (potential) change agents from 26 nations came for an inspiring leadership training in the last wilderness on Earth.

A new government with a sustainability mission is on its way. Especially thanks tot the sustainable leadership of Herman Wijffels, sustainabilityhas a prominent role in the new coalition contract (‘regeerakkoord’). The new government wants to find its own balance between social, ecological and economic processes by catching up with companies which already use the triple P (People, Planet, Profit) approach.

Around midnight January 1st, 2006 I decided to realize my ideals insustainability in private and work life. If I am a sustainable leader, others willfollow. So how do you live more sustainably? More sports, less stress, nosmoking, more time for yourself, healthier food, more on time, less car trips,more train rides, shorter showers, more fun, etc. This year I also started withNew Year resolutions: to lead my life as a better, happier and healthierperson. That is the least a sustainable leader does.

On the 5th of December, the Dutch celebrate ‘Sinter Klaas’ (Saint Nicolas).Unlike Santa Claus with his big pot belly, sleigh and red-nosed reindeer,Sinter Klaas has a white horse and ‘zwarte pieten’ (black helpers). Again thisyear during negative immigration discussions, there was a fuss aboutdiscrimination against ‘Sint’s’ helpers. Who is not against discrimination?Who is not against poverty, waste, illness and most other effects of ourunsustainable lifestyle?

I have a passion for dance. All over the world I have been to dance clubs. Howeverthe last years I noticed that not only had our society become more consumer,achievement and short term oriented (i.e. not sustainable), so had our dance clubs. My30+ friends didn’t want to go anymore. Not only do many have children, but ‘goingout dancing’ had become superficial and anonymous. We want to have fun in our freetime, connect with others and feel a sense of belonging. How are you going to feelthat at a 50.000 people dance event?