Dirk Holemans

Speaker
Dutch
English
Dirk Holemans

Who is Dirk Holemans?

Dirk is the driving force behind the Oikos Think Tank, which is focused on transitioning to a sustainable society. This is not a luxury, but a necessity. If we want our children to inherit a liveable world, we must take a different path now. Fortunately, we know how to build an economy that respects the planet's limits while striving to provide a good life for everyone. As a bioengineer with a background in philosophy and economics, Dirk Holemans brings together different perspectives in the quest for a sustainable future. As a guest lecturer, he shares his insights into systems thinking and ecology so that we can all actively contribute to social change. As a passionate keynote speaker, he demonstrates to organisations the ecological challenges facing our society and how they can address them. Drawing on his extensive experience as a lecturer, politician, researcher and policy adviser, he captivates any audience. He is the author of books such as Grondgenoten and Omgroei. Meer levenskwaliteit voor iedereen, he also regularly contributes articles to newspapers such as De Standaard, De Morgen, Knack and The Green European Journal. His great love for the city where he lives is reflected in the reading and walking guide Honger naar Gent.

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  • Soil – Gut – Brain: the connection that keeps us healthy and resilient.

    Our health doesn’t begin at the chemist's shop, but in the soil beneath our feet. The soil, our guts and our brains are all connected in a fascinating network. Every grain of healthy soil is home to billions of microbes, and in our guts, these microbes influence the vitality of our immune system and our thinking. Our health is also inextricably linked to that of the planet: what is good for the soil and the environment ensures healthy crops and benefits us too. 

    Imagine a world where, in ten years' time, healthy, agroecological farming is the norm. Farmers, scientists, chefs and businesses collaborate to produce food that restores soil health, strengthens gut health and keeps our brains sharp. This creates a food system that benefits the planet and our health. People feel stronger, both physically and mentally. Chronic diseases are on the decline simply because food is nourishing again.

    In this inspiring keynote, Dirk Holemans will take you on a journey through the surprising and hopeful connections between healthy soil, a thriving gut and a resilient mind. Drawing on his book Grondgenoten, he reveals how the quality of our food, the health of our gut microbiome, and our thought processes are all interconnected. Above all, he reveals what role you can play in this.

    This talk is for anyone who believes that health is more than the absence of illness and that real progress begins with connection.

  • Resilience in shocking times

    We now know that we cannot predict the future. And yet we must prepare for the unthinkable. A virus quickly shut down our society and put the global economy on hold, a war evaporated the illusion of cheap energy. Meanwhile, climate disruption is coming faster than expected with heat waves and rain bombs alongside periods of extreme drought. Resilience as an inspiring principle shows how we as a society or organisation can deal with this multitude of shocks. Developed in the domain of systems thinking, this resilience principle teaches how an organisation can continue to function in times of sudden and major changes. It is about much more than just being robust, it is about being agile in one's own structure and actions. Using four concrete principles and striking examples, Holemans shows how every organisation can work on resilience. This concerns both the design of the organisation and the collaborative power of people.

  • No power to change without imagination

    The science is clear: only system change can halt ecological disruption. Both climate disruption and the accelerating disappearance of plant and animal species undermine the systems that ensure a liveable earth. But in order to shape society in a sustainable way, we must first be able to imagine a different future. That means breaking free of entrenched ideas, such as the separation between humans and nature or the idea that we can control nature. When we recognise that we are part of the complex and fragile web of life on earth, we gain a view of a new future. And of the mechanisms needed to develop the power to change. Because the climate crisis is first and foremost a crisis of our imagination.