27 6 KEYNOTE SPEAKER METEOROLOGIST AND ENTREPRENEUR GERRIT HIEMSTRA Gerrit Hiemstra (Drachten, August 19, 1961) is one of the Netherlands’ best-known meteorologists. He worked as a weather presenter for NOS Journaal from 1998 to 2023. After leaving the NOS, he founded the company Oarshûs, together with architect Doeke van Wieren and energy consultant Nicolaas van Everdingen. They found each other while designing and building Gerrit’s house in Balk, Friesland. This house was made with lime and hemp, is energy-efficient and optimally biobased. With Oarshûs, Hiemstra and his colleagues want to make sustainable construction accessible and show that it is possible to design, organize, and build differently. The goal is to reduce the negative impact of construction on people, nature, and the climate. Hiemstra is also co-owner of Weather Impact in Amersfoort, which he founded in 2015 together with hydro- logist Arnold Lobbrecht. Weather Impact specializes in applying knowledge and techniques in the field of meteorology and climate change in national and international projects. The international projects include the development of applications that enable small farmers in developing countries to improve their production and standard of living. This work is carried out in collaboration with national and international partners. The projects are carried out in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Indonesia, and Myanmar. Hiemstra has been working in meteorology since completing his studies in Meteorology at Wageningen University in 1986. He worked at Meteo Consult and in 1995 became head of the operational meteorological service of the KNMI at Schiphol Airport. In 1996, he joined DLV Adviesgroep in Wageningen, where he developed meteorological advisory and consultancy activities for the green sector under the name DLV Meteo.
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