Professional Life Story

Professional Life Story

Drs. M.C.J. (Michiel) Damen

Main interests:

Geo informatics for ecosystem restoration
Human rights & Earth trusteeship
Social change by the principles of the Threefold social order
Food and agricultural renewal by bio-dynamic farming

Website: https://www.michieldamen.nl/

Education

Michiel Charles Johannes Damen was born in 1950 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he joined the Geert Groote Waldorf school (HBS-B exam).

He graduated in 1978 for his MSc (doctoraal) in Physical Geography at the Free University in Amsterdam, with Lowland Geomorphology as the main subject. His thesis research included the genesis of the ice-pushed ridges near Uelsen, Germany, the geology and archeology of Frisian flood mounds and the use of geographic information systems for integrated landscape ecology.

After his doctoraal study he followed a 11 months course on the use of stereo aerial-photography and other types of aerospace data for geomorphological terrain and landscape analysis at the Division of Applied Geomorphology of the Faculty of Geo-Information Science & Earth Observation (ITC in Enschede, nowadays part of Twente University, the Netherlands ). As a final project an ecological landscape survey was carried out on scale 1:30.000 in the Extremadura, Spain.

Social & environmental action

Amsterdam

During his study time he joined in 1971 an action centre in Amsterdam on social renewal based on the principles of the Threefold social order, as described in 1919 by the Austrian philosopher dr. Rudolf Steiner. Together with friends he organized lectures and workshops on this topic and wrote articles in the co-edited journals Driegonaal and Info3 (both started in 1975).

Michiel Damen is also inspired by the social and environmental ideas of the anarchist Peter Kropotkin as described in his book Mutual Aid, a Factor of Evolution ( 1902).

De Bast, Huidenstraat, Amsterdam

He co-founded in 1973 the anthroposophical cultural initiative ‘De Bast’ in the centre of Amsterdam, with lectures and workshops, including a cafe, bookshop and vegetable shop of bio-dynamic products.

Nepal

Tsho Rolpa glacier lake behind moraine dam

From 1991 – 1995 he was the initiator of a project in Rolwaling valley, Nepal to mitigate the outburst flooding of Tsho Rolpa glacial lake (4.250 m. A.S.L.). This project was jointly organized by the local Sherpa community, the Water & Energy Commission Secretariat of Nepal (WECS), The Netherlands-Nepal Friendship Association and WAVIN pipe factory, Hardenberg.

A documentary film has been made of the project by VPRO television, 1995 (Dutch).

See here part of this ‘Liquid Time Bomb’ film.

Discussion with sherpa's Beding village, Rolwaling

Carrying pipes upslope moraine wall

Meeting with Beding lama priests

The Hague

Peace Palace The Hague

In 2018 he participated in a group to initiate a process of consultation, negotiation and eventual adoption of a Universal Declaration on Responsibilities for Human Rights and Earth Trusteeship based on these principles. With a meeting in the Peace Palace, The Hague.

Working experience

1981-1983 : Various consulting assignments on the Geomorphological and environmental surveying using multi-date high resolution 3D aerospace data. Examples are the assessment of chemical waste duping in Twente, the Netherlands and high resolution soil erosion mapping of Santo Antao island, Cabo Verde.

1983 - 2015 : Senior lecturer, Faculty ITC, Twente University, the Netherlands. Work on research projects, training courses, MSC supervision and consulting assignments on the application of geomorphological terrain and landscape analysis, with emphasis on natural hazards and risk assessment with a focus on global climate change.