.png)
.png)
16 September 2021
The much-awaited post-pandemic office reunion finally saw the light of the day – (okay, a bit too exaggerated considering the weather) on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. We met, built some offshore wind turbines with OffshoreWind4Kids, cleaned the beach, chit-chatted, finally saw some faces for real, and clinked our glasses to many more see you soon.
The day started with the rain Gods being a bit moody, but for those of us who have lived in Holland for a while, know that we must keep our mojo and hopes high – so we braved the dark clouds and made it to Zandvoort, where the day beautifully unravelled. Some weather worries and traffic snarls later, we were all together for some play and clean-up. After a short pep talk by our CEO Boris Kasteel, we were ready.
A wind of change
Happy families, energetic kids and a lot of wind – a perfect day to teach kids about offshore green energy! The families were split into teams and took turns building wind turbines. The demonstration was organised by OffshoreWind4Kids – an initiative where children learn about engineering, technology and renewable energy. Catch them young – they say, so here we had future Atlasians in the making. Martine Rondeel, Business Unit Director, Renewables at Atlas Professionals, says, “It’s important for our future generation to understand how green energy is produced. We are affiliate partners with OffshoreWind4Kids and believe that this hands-on approach where children can gain knowledge while playing is one of the best ways to foster a culture of learning. We had a fun day at the beach and the kids were really excited to play along and build a small-scale wind turbine.”
Setting things in motion
Armed with a wind turbine construction kit, instructions and a lot of bonding time – the families started building their mini-mills and soon installed their first floating offshore wind turbine into the sea. So, if you thought, all things offshore stay in the office – maybe not this time. The kids not only got a hands-on experience and the thrill of getting their first turbine offshore but also a glimpse into some aspects of what their parents do at work.
What’s more, while some of our teammates were busy wrapping their heads around constructing a mini wind turbine, others were bonding over beach-clean up Another group of Atlas eco-warriors also went on a long beach clean-up and covered about 4 km – what a chance to enjoy the ocean and bond with co-workers. They came back with some trash bags and a lot of smiles – all in all, we collected over six bags filled with trash.
We wrapped up the day with games, chit-chat and drinks – just like the good old days. We bid adieu, tired yet happy, satisfied with our little accomplishments for the weekend.
