By Jaap Huurman
I call Sietse la Roi on his ‘Babysitting Day’. However, his grandson Thijn is no longer a ‘baby’, because he is celebrating his 11th birthday today. His grandfather sent me some pictures of the activities that the Grandparents of Amersfoort, one of the historical cities in the middle of the Netherlands, have been organising recently.
“Our first Cutting Market this spring was a great success, partly because we could give away the “baby plants” for free with a message: Green Life helps to slow down climate change.” The market attracted many young people who were curious to find out what these ‘old people in their climate vests’ were up to now! Sietse: “The market took place at the same spot where we march with our banners every Friday, to and from the central shopping centre.”
The Amersfoort Grandparents organised also a ‘Climate Café’ in cooperation with local Bistro Het Lokaal, a sustainable restaurant that served ‘green meals’, after they had presented themselves.
© Fred Oosterhuis 2026
Organiser Sietse had invited the well-known TV-weatherman Peter Kuipers Munneke. In his usual manner, he told a not so cheerful story about the melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels. “The hall was filled with more than a hundred people and this event tasted so well, that we that we will certainly hold it again next year”, concludes Sietse la Roi.