How to save the planet, one affordable house at a time – An Interview with Adaptation Entrepreneur Niels van den Berge

As a teenager, Niels van den Berge was an environmental activist, who spent his free time volunteering for organizations like Friends of the Earth and the youth wing of the Dutch Green Party. At 38, he is the Co-Founder of Easy Housing, a company driven by young entrepreneurs and a vision where everyone in the world has access to a safe, adaptable and sustainable home.

With initial projects in several African countries, Easy Housing builds houses that are affordable and resilient to natural disasters, with an innovative, scalable concept that generates jobs for local youth. Built using sustainably sourced timber, the homes are circular and carbon negative, delivering both adaptation and mitigation benefits.

Niels recently delivered a speech at the Youth Dialogue on Adaptation Action: Delivering on the Glasgow Climate Pact, in which he urged the young audience from all over the world to be bold and demand adaptation action.

In an interview at the Global Center on Adaptation headquarters – the world’s largest floating office and another example of circular, sustainable architecture – Niels shared the history and vision of Easy Housing, and how it contributes to adaptation action.