About Us
Mattijs van der Harst
My name is Mattijs, which is a typical Dutch as the rest of me. I’ve been cycling all my life, but after a very heavy traffic accident in 2020 I didn’t think i could ever use my legs again. Now, me and Noortje are setting off to cycle 7000km across all kinds of challenging terrain. This photo on the summit of Ventoux was take after 2,5 years of rehabilitation.
Apart from the epic and physical experiences I am very curious how this year on the bike and off the grid will change my lifestyle. Up to when I met Noortje I have always been one of those ‘lefties’ that talked about a better world, but never took real action. If I cannot change my bad habits myself, then how can I expect anyone else to?
If you;ve read this far you’re probably my mom 🙂 But if not, I hope that our personal stories and those we collect on the road, will inspire you to be the best version of yourself as well.
Hi there!
Noortje Schrauwen
As long as I can remember, I have felt a deep connection with nature. I grew up in Friesland, and was lucky to spend most of my time outdoors.Â
Also later on in my life, during my studies and research projects (anthropology and industrial ecology) and work (social entrepreneur at We Are Nature), this connection with nature has always played a central role. I’ve been developing practical projects in public spaces that invite people to take action to help restore and protect nature in their surroundings, on topics like (marine) plastic pollution and landscape restoration.Â
In the past years, I realised that much of the work we do is aimed outward, trying to put out all the fires that erupt due to our unsustainable society. But the longer I work on all sorts of projects, the more I have become convinced that we would do well to also look inward for solutions. That we should address the beliefs and values that lie at the core of our (unsustainable) lifestyle, and the growing disconnection that seems to take place in relation to nature, each other and ourselves. The field of Spiritual Ecology has been a major source of inspiration for me in this, joining Buddhist wisdom with embodied activism.Â
So, taking this time off together with Mattijs, riding our bikes and living outside for a long time, and being able to dedicate our time and focus on exploring this more inward focused question fulfills a deep longing. I am really looking forward to the conversations that we will have with all sorts of people along our journey, and perhaps also with you? If you would like to work together or just exchange, feel free to get in touch!Â
