Donut&Friends Festival - Amsterdam Donut Coalition

On Monday, November 17th, we celebrated five years of doughnut economics in Amsterdam with our annual festival. The theme was "Donut & Friends," because the doughnut doesn't exist in isolation. It's part of a larger movement of people and organizations working towards a sustainable and just economy – in neighborhoods and cities. From cooperative housing, work, and food initiatives to pioneering civil servants and educational institutions tackling ecological and social challenges in an integrated manner.

The evening was packed with pitch presentations from circular pioneers, panel discussions, and matchmaking with executives from the public and private sectors. Read some of the highlights of the evening programme below.

Kate Raworth
Kate gave us a broader perspective of hope, sharing in her speech how she sees the transition toward doughnut economics unfolding.

This started with a celebration, because in the top journal Nature you can now read about the latest state of the world through the lens of the doughnut. This is something big! And imagine, the doughnut just now becoming a “teenager” in age. The world better be ready for some change, because there is much that a teenager can do, you’ve seen nothing yet!

She began with a moment of celebration: as she told us, the top journal Nature now features the latest state of the world through the lens of the Doughnut. This is something big, especially considering that the Doughnut is only now becoming a ‘teenager’. And, as Kate playfully reminded us, the world had better be ready, because: there is much a teenager can do, you’ve seen nothing yet!

Kate reflected on the journey of the past years, explaining that much started in Amsterdam. Since then, many cities have joined, becoming places where people come together to shape a positive future. This has not always been easy, as she noted, there have been barriers, sceptics, and moments where we cannot move as fast as we want to.

But Kate points out that, in times of crisis we turn to ideas that are already lying around. We thus need to continue developing our alternatives until the moment comes where the “politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable”. 

History gives us many examples from people who fought for a better future in times when political will for change was not yet there. Let the stories from the suffragettes, Gandhi and Martin Luther King inspire us to act towards a future that one day will come. 

When we connect and collaborate like on this doughnut festival, we can create system change. 

In addition to Kate Raworth, there were several other presentations:

• Annet Van Otterloo, with the Afrikaanderwijk Cooperative, demonstrates how residents and entrepreneurs organize collective power, influence, and ownership to respect ecological boundaries and strengthen social foundations. By choosing collective ownership, the cooperative offers a path between the market (extraction) and the government (top-down): residents are not invited to participate, but determine, own, and decide for themselves. This way, value remains where it originates in the community, and ownership is redistributed for a fair economy.

• Talitha Koek and Josefien Meerevoort, authors of the publication "Prosperity Within Boundaries," discussed the doughnut scenarios for the Netherlands, based on their publication "Prosperity Within Planetary Boundaries." The publication develops four scenarios that show how the Netherlands can return to planetary boundaries and what that means for broad prosperity. The Netherlands currently exceeds seven of the nine planetary boundaries. Thalita and Josefien outline the possibilities for a sustainable way out of this. 
• The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences took the stage to share their insights on the day programme of the festival.
• Dagan Cohen from the Amsterdam Donut Coalition spoke about five years of donut economy in Amsterdam and everything that has happened during that time. Froukje Anne Karsten supplemented this with the perspective from the municipality.
• Nathalie van Loon spoke about AmsterDOEN, which focuses on strengthening collaborations between community initiatives in the city. This includes creating legal and financial space and developing tools to strengthen the community economy.
• Three pairs of donut pioneers pitched their collaborations.
  • In the Tuinen van Brasa, GroenplatVorm Zuidoost, the Athena Institute, and residents collaborated on NatureLab: a European project on nature, care, and community. In Zuidoost, this project is being implemented locally with nature-based therapies that contribute to recovery, well-being, and connection.
  • De VerbroederIJ and the Vogelbuurt Residents' Platform are working together to create a just and sustainable Amsterdam. De VerbroederIJ offers a place for meeting and collaboration; The Residents' Platform strengthens residents' empowerment and stimulates new initiatives.
  • MidWest and De Energiewending make the energy transition visible in Amsterdam West. Using yellow-green cargo bikes, residents help each other save energy and share knowledge. By working together to lower bills, reduce emissions, and build trust, they are building a strong, sustainable neighborhood.
• Marieke van Doorninck discusses the manifesto for the economy of the commons. Community initiatives deserve more recognition; they create much more value than what we consider "the regular economy."