The platform for
Circular economy initiatives
in the Green Heart
Entrepreneurs
As an entrepreneur, do you want to get started with circular business, but don’t know where to start? The circular navigation points in the Green Heart will help you get started.
Education
Green Heart Circular brings together education and business around four key themes: manufacturing, circular & biobased construction, green raw materials and waste management.
Government
Circularity is not a separate file, but a way of looking at things that cuts across policy and can make a lot of impact locally. Take advantage of building blocks for conversations about coalition agreements, implementation programs and policy choices.
AMBITION
En route to a circular economy in 2050
Parties seek connection and are challenged to work together to contribute to making the economy in the Green Heart more sustainable. The overarching goal is a fully circular economy in the Green Heart in 2050.
AGENDA
Meetings
Fold out the agenda and discover the various meetings on circularity in the Green Heart.
| Bijeenkomsten Q2 - Q4 2026 | Locatie en tijd | Organisator | Voor wie |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thema-avond over circulaire economie | 15/4/2026, 19.30 – 21.30 Gemeentehuis, Raadhuisplein 1, Bodegraven. | De Groene Fundatie i.s.m. GHC Bodegraven-Reeuwijk | De Groene Fundatie leden: o.a. de klimaatburgemeester, Stichting Fairtrade, Mijn Klimaatpartij, Hortus Populus en ZonderMeer. |
| Excursie wilgenteelt: van teelt tot toepassing in de Grond-, Weg- en Waterbouw (GWW) Langs twee locaties van telers en verwerkers van wilgenhout Van Schaik en Van Aalsburg. | 8/05/2026, 12.30 – 16.00 uur, start en eindpunt: station Rhenen | Building Balance | Ondernemers, agrariërs, overheden |
| NXT Event | 18/05/2026, 09.00 - 16.00, Campus Nxt, Rotterdam | Campus Nxt, Rotterdam | Ondernemers |
| Biobased dakrenovaties: ontdek wat er nu al kan bij hellende daken! | 28/5/2026, 14:30 – 17:00 KANAAL30, Kanaalweg 30, 3526 KM Utrecht | Building Balance | Bouw- en vastgoedonderhoudsbedrijven; Timmerfabrikanten; Dakbedrijven; Isolatiebedrijven; Bouwadviseurs; Medewerkers vastgoed en onderhoud bij beleggers en corporaties in regio west (Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland en Utrecht) |
| Symposium ‘Ondernemen met de Wind mee. Anders kijken, circulair doen’ | 1/06/2026, 19.00 tot 22.00 uur in het Evertshuis, Julianastraat 4, Bodegraven- Reeuwijk | OPBR , Bodegraven-Reeuwijk i.s.m. GHC | Ondernemers |
| Ondernemerbijeen-komst: biobased en circulaire bouwketen | 11/06/2026, 14.30 – 18.30 uur De Til, Giessenburg (naast Gorinchem) | Blauwzaam, GHC, Rabobank | Ondernemers, opdrachtgevers en ketenpartners |
| Training biobased bouwen voor Ontwikkelaars 2 | 18/06/2026, 9.00 – 18.30 uur Technohub, Woerden | Building Balance | professionals die: werken in (grootschalige) woningbouw en utiliteitsbouw contact hebben met stakeholders in de gehele bouwketen invloed hebben op projectkeuzes en besluitvorming basiskennis hebben van biobased bouwen ruimte hebben om biobased bouwen verder te brengen binnen hun organisatie |
| Dag van de Houtbouw Laat hout stralen: meld je project aan voor de Dag van de HOUTbouw 2026 | 20/06/2026, Verschillende locaties | Building Balance | |
| Meeting Programmateam Platform Groene Hart Circulair: Actieplan 2027-2030, Ruimte voor CE, Arbeidsmarkt | 24/06/2026, 10.00-12.30 Huis van de Stad, Gouda | Groene Hart Circulair | Programmateam |
| Bestuurlijke ontmoeting Platform Groene Hart Circulair: Kennismaken nieuwe wethouders Concept-actieplan 2027-2030 | 8/07/2026, Groenendijk Bedrijfskleding. Woerden | Groene Hart Circulair | Bestuurders en adviseurs Groene Hart Circulair |
| Meeting Programmateam Platform Groene Hart Circulair: Actieplan 2027-2030 | 7/10/2026, Huis van de Stad, Gouda | Groene Hart Circulair | Programmateam |
| Bestuurlijke ontmoeting Platform Groene Hart Circulair | 28/10/2026, ntb | Groene Hart Circulair | Bestuurders en adviseurs Groene Hart Circulair |
Locatietype
Locatietype
Thema
Thema
Categorie
Categorie
FOCUS
What we focus on
The focus of the platform in the coming years will be on the following themes.
ADDRESS
The road to a circular society
In the Green Heart, we are striving to achieve a fully circular society by the year 2050. This requires long-term adaptations that will eventually lead to new social structures, production chains and practices. The Green Heart Circular Platform plays a role here as facilitator and stimulator within the themes: Circular Construction, Green Raw Materials, Manufacturing Industry and Waste = Raw Materials.
How. Through a number of lines of action:
- Encourage chain cooperation.
- Stimulate knowledge development and innovation in companies.
- Further professionalize services on circular economy to SMEs.
- Identify bottlenecks in policies and regulations from network.
- Collaborate more with educational institutions (PO-WO) and residents on the above topics.
- Impact measurement.
NEWS
Stay informed
WHERE
Our work area
The map on the right shows the 13 municipalities in the Green Heart that are affiliated with our platform: Alphen a/d Rijn, Bodegraven-Reeuwijk, Gouda, Kaag and Braassem, Krimpenerwaard, Nieuwkoop, Molenlanden, Montfoort, Vijfheerenlanden, Waddinxveen, Woerden, Zoetermeer and Zuidplas,.
Six questions to…
Madelon Button
In this column, we introduce you to a circular frontrunner. He or she is committed to taking the circular economy to the next level. Who are we dealing with this time?
I am Madelon Knop and since early 2024 I have been working as Program Manager for Circular Economy at the Platform Groene Hart Werkt!
At the Green Heart Works Platform, we promote a circular economy in the Green Heart, focusing on the themes of green raw materials/fiber crops, bio-based and circular construction, circular manufacturing and plastics.
Together with governments, entrepreneurs and education, we are developing an agenda and action plan for the coming years to realize transitions on these themes. In addition, we stimulate learning networks and organize capacity and resources for circular projects.
The recently published National Program Circular Economy 2023-2030 attaches great importance to circular craft centers (CA). The goal is to achieve a nationwide CA network by 2030, and this offers municipalities a unique opportunity to give practical and visible substance to the circular economy. Reuse of products and materials, work for people with a distance to the labor market, education and awareness all come together in a circular craft center. Great opportunities for the Green Heart!
2035 still seems far away, but time flies! I know for sure that I will still be committed to sustainability, good education and social projects aimed at equal opportunities. Themes that still require a lot of effort and new forms of cooperation. I will continue to get a lot of energy from that.
Getting to work in my beautiful allotment and greenhouse! Putting vegetable plants in the greenhouse, sowing some seeds in pots and getting the garden all ready for the season!
Inspiring!