From 26 March to 4 April, I went to the Netherlands to visit my old friend and fellow International Environment Forum member Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen and her lovely family, and to attend the 2018 Justice Conference at the de Poort conference centre (see the conference report on the IEF website). Sylvia arranged for me to speak at Wageningen University where she teaches. My topic this year was "Governance and the Sustainable Development Goals", which allowed for good exchanges with faculty and students. I also gave a deepening class on the recent Universal House of Justice letter on climate change and a fireside talk on "Ecology and Spirituality". Since spring had finally come, I helped Sylvia and her family to uproot an old hedge and fence in her garden plot, and to plant raspberries and other bushes.

The Justice Conference

The theme of the Justice Conference this year was “Shining a Light of Illumination in Turbulent and Divided Times”, with both plenary presentations and parallel workshops over the three days.

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IEF members: Maja Groff was main conference organizer; Ismael Velasco entertained in the evening; Iko Congo organized a musical group

IEF members Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Wageningen University, and Halldor Thorgeirsson of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, together with Sjoerd Luteyn of ebbf and soul.com, presented a plenary panel on “The Talanoa Dialogue under the Paris Agreement - Reflections on the illuminating Power of the Reflection-Action-Consultation Cycle”, as well as a follow-up workshop.

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Justice Conference; workshop on Talanoa Dialogue on climate change with me moderating; panel

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Panel speakers Halldor Thorgeirsson, Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen and Sjoerd Luteyn

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Justice conference audience; panel; discussion with panel members and Iko Congo

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IEF member David Willis from Greece also gave a workshop

My keynote was on "The Great Dichotomy: From Egoism to Altruism; From Love of Power to Love of Justice".

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My presentation; poster for the talk

The Vinkhuyzens have a garden plot near their home where they grow fruits and vegetables

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Vinkhuyzen family in their garden plot

Erasmus and Sylvia at home with Swedish friends