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2010: Looking differently – thinking differently – acting differently

But: learning from the past

My wish for you
There is a lovely expression in the Maya language: “In Lak'ech”.
It means “I Am You and You Are Me”.
That is my wish for 2010: I AM YOU AND YOU ARE ME.

Anton Sinke, Director of CasaMundus Vision

P.S. I believe that taking responsibility is something that the chaos in the world requires us to do. The past has taught us not to do this from a position of fear, but from a position of love.

CasaMundus, the new way.

Over the past year, I have worked to transform my company into an organisation in which corporate social responsibility forms a core value. This has been a process that involved taking a look at ourselves in the mirror and creating new benchmarks against which policy can be tested. Corporate social responsibility means seeking a balance between the three P’s: People, Planet and Prosperity.

Following a period of reflection and self-examination, and producing a SWOT analysis, I presented my ideas to a number of experts from the business community as well as wider society, and they responded enthusiastically. The decision was taken to form a group to advise and support me on a permanent basis. A new activity has come about as a result of my discussions with them: CasaMundus Vision. This new business unit of CasaMundus brings together research, advice and development in the field of real estate.

The mission of CasaMundus Vision is to consistently contribute towards the achievement of a sustainable, built environment.

Building a network
An initial step in developing CasaMundus Vision was to set up a completely new network of people who wish to play an active part in sustainable developments. People who wish to share their knowledge. Now, in addition to the Inspiration team, a team has been created that can be called in to carry out assignments that fulfils the role of a sounding board, but which also acts as a fellow customer. During my quest, I met a great many like-minded spirits. The general conclusion drawn from the conversations I had is that there exists an imbalance between the three P’s. The P for People, in particular, is not sufficiently well addressed, whereas the P for Prosperity mainly focuses on short-term gain.

Developing in the light of Copenhagen
At a political level, there is a great deal of movement in the direction of a sustainable world. However, politics means reaching compromises, and in the light of climate changes, we cannot afford to make compromises. The pressure must actually come from the bottom up, through you and me. CasaMundus Vision wishes to contribute to this by building on a sustainable environment. Passive building and Cradle2Cradle are key concepts in this regard. Working on developing sustainable properties is high on CasaMundus Vision’s ‘to-do list’ for 2010, and we have the necessary knowledge and experience required for this in house.

Sustainable energy savings:  new foundation wishes to show that it can happen because it has to happen!
Everyone agrees: CO2 emissions must be substantially reduced. The largest quantity of emissions comes from the environment in which we live, and it will be possible to achieve the greatest reduction from the existing stock of buildings. Housing corporations have already made plans in this field to take an in-depth look at their housing stock and make improvements to achieve CO2-neutral homes. I myself am involved in a new foundation, the purpose of which is to work to conserve existing buildings. One of the operating companies of this foundation is preparing a campaign directed at private home owners,  supplying customised applications of the most cost-effective technical solutions to save energy and water. It is also important to provide a full-service solution from analysis to quotation, from installation to insurance and from funding to service. 

Les Jardins du Château d'Olonne is almost complete
In 2010, the development of one of the most beautiful resorts on the French Atlantic coast will be completed. By next year, Les Jardins du Château d'Olonne – a development of the J.M. Deurwaarder Bouwgroep of Warmenhuizen – will consist of 162 high-quality holiday villas in a unique location. The luxurious gardens, which provided the name for the resort, are without peer in France. With a number of facilities within easy reach and the charming French family resort Les Sables d'Olonne as its immediate neighbour, Les Jardins du Château d’Olonne is a place where you can live comfortably without a care in the world. A few villas are still for sale, but you’d better hurry.
 
Projects sought – incomplete ones are also eligible
CasaMundus – the Green estate agency – specialises in the sale of Green accommodation and recreation projects. We are on the lookout for new projects; perhaps projects that are still incomplete. Projects that aren’t yet Green and which need to be re-examined to see what can be done to them; or projects that are running into difficulties because the vendor can’t move the project beyond the initial stage.

Amsterdam, 20 December 2009