Ton Kort

The compass is more important than the clock

We are at Ton's home in the Bergen neighborhood. In the living room hangs a painting depicting 2 hands reaching for each other. A famous cut from Michelangelo's painting depicting the creation of Adam. It depicts the connection Ton strives for. Not because it is fun to encourage cooperation, but mainly because it is necessary. "The goal is to increase mutual contact between people," Ton says. "That creates win-win situations."

Five years ago, a leaflet arrived in the mailbox of housing corporation Vidomes. At the time, it was about energy transition. There were plans for a pilot project in the neighborhood to get a so-called "zero on the meter," situation. This means that the homes consume as much electricity throughout the year as they generate. "I know a little bit about this because I have worked in that field all my life. I was involved in the first solar water heaters back in 1993. I thought it was important for us residents to have a say in this. It was the reason for me to set up a residents' committee. There had been one before, but it no longer existed. Together with other local residents, we revived it."

To establish a residents' committee, 70 percent of Vidomes' tenants in the neighborhood must give their consent. "We then informed all 70 homes and visited everyone. 61 homes gave permission. 9 were not at home. So we were able to proceed."

In practice, however, it is not just about the pilot project. The residents' committee is also involved in other issues in the neighborhood. These are usually issues concerning the quality of life in the neighborhood. Ton, together with the other members of the residents' committee, always tries to increase mutual contact. To approach situations positively, however difficult this may sometimes be.

"When I took early retirement, I was given a book, 'The 7 Traits of Effective Leadership' by Stephen Covey. That did teach me some things then. For example, that we accept that other people look at the world differently. And that the compass is more important than the clock. So that setting a goal and giving direction is more important than the time it takes to reach that goal. That sometimes comes with small steps."

One of those steps was to increase interconnection in the neighborhood. "With help from the 'Love and Sorrow Budget,' around Christmas in 3 streets we were able to give people a small gift. A plant, card, bow and chocolate as a gift. Together with volunteers we handed out 150 of them at the door. That made a lot of happy faces and a good feeling."

Besides his volunteer work in the Bergenbuurt residents' committee, he is also active in other matters. For example, he is an advisor to the working group on energy transition of Vidomes. He is also an energy coach and is one of the participants in the Citizens' Consultation on waste collection. In 2025 Vidomes will start the pilot project in the Bergen neighborhood. Ton will continue to be involved in this as well.