Useful links

Useful sources of information include the following:

[www.agentschapnl.nl/en]: Agency NL is an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. We promote sustainable development and innovation, both within the Netherlandsand abroad. We aim to achieve tangible results that have a positive effect on the economy and on society as a whole. Our core competence is converting government policy into reality. On behalf of the Dutch government we implement policy on innovation, energy and climate change, the environment and spatial planning.

[www.alterra.wur.nl/uk]: Alterra is the research institute for our green living environment. We offer a combination of practical and scientific research in a multitude of disciplines related to the green world around us and the sustainable use of our living environment. Flora and fauna, soil, water, the environment, geo-information and remote sensing, landscape and spatial planning, man and society: just a few of the numerous aspects of our green environment that Alterra focuses on.

[www.ecn.nl]: Energy research Centre of the Netherlands is the largest research centre in the Netherlands in the field of energy. The group Environmental Risk Assessment focuses on the environmental risks associated with the (re)use of contaminated materials, in particular the potential “leaching” of contaminants.

[www.infomil.nl]: InfoMil is an organization that serves as an intermediary between the various authorities and target groups in the Netherlands. It works on the basis of government policy and policy instruments, such as acts, decrees, non-legally binding regulations and guidelines, levies, individual licenses, covenants, long-term agreements on energy efficiency (MJA's in Dutch), environmental management systems, etc. InfoMil focuses on groups (such as municipalities and provinces) that are expected to implement this policy, using the instruments referred to above.

[www.nen.nl]: NEN also serves as the Registration Authority for a number of international standards. The NEN website provides information about standards and standardisation.

[www.nsp-soil.nl]: The NSP is a network organisation of companies, knowledge institutes and the government. It focuses on public-private partnerships for international ventures in soil management and land development wich are focussed on the purpose. The Dutch government, companies and knowledge institutes want to share their experiences gained in recent decades in terms of the development and approach.

[www.nwp.nl]: The Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) is an independent body set up by the Dutch private and public sectors in the Netherlandsto act as a national coordination and information centre for water-related issues abroad. The principal aims of the NWP are to harmonise the activities and initiatives of the Dutch water sector abroad and to promote Dutch expertise in water worldwide.

[www.ministryofinfrastructureandtheenvironment.nl]: Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. The population in the Netherlands is very high. The country's economic and leisure activities are extensive and expanding, therefore it is not surprising that the quality of the environment is facing serious threats. The Dutch government, along with the general public and the business community, are therefore looking for ways to attain sustainable development.

[www.rivm.nl]: The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) is a recognised leading centre of expertise in the fields of health, nutrition and environmental protection. It works mainly for the Dutch government. Environmental risk are evaluated by assessing the adverse effects that may occur as a result of poor environmental quality. Adverse effects can proliferate themselves in such important categories as human health, nature, food quality and water supply. It is RIVM’s task, in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Environment (VROM), to set environmental quality standards for reducing the risk of environmental deterioration.

[www.sikb.nl]: SIKB is a network, encompassing both the private and the public sector, set up to continuously and structurally enhance the standards of activities relating to soil management in the Netherlands. This includes decision making, service provision, as well as soil remediation and soil handling.

[www.skbodem.nl]: SKB – The Centre for Soil Quality Management and Knowledge Transfer, develops and transfers the knowledge needed by owners and managers of plots of land and sites in order to efficiently coordinate the quality of the soil with the intended purpose. SKB supports the development and presentation of new types of collaboration, new approaches and techniques in order to improve the coordination between soil use and soil quality, and it improves wide social acceptance thereof.

[http://sites.google.com/site/nwmpnl/]: Information on the Netherlands Waste Management Partnership.

[www.uitvoeringafvalbeheer.nl]: The Waste Management Department implements programmes, subsidy schemes and national and international regulations relating to waste. It also advises on the preparation and evaluation of waste policy.

[www.soq.wur.nl/uk]: Wageningen University is the leading European university in the Life Sciences. Researchers and students focus on the fields of nutrition, health, nature and the living environment. For the fourth year in a row, Wageningen University has topped the list of 14 Dutch universities in the Guide to Choosing Higher Education.