Prof. Dr Ir. Leo Jansen

Citation

(2013), "Prof. Dr Ir. Leo Jansen", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 14 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2013.24914aaa.013

Prof. Dr Ir. Leo Jansen

Article Type: In Memoriam From: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Volume 14, Issue 1

On Thursday, August 16 Leo Jansen passed away unexpectedly. At Delft University of Technology, he was a professor in environmental technology (1990-1999) and the initiator and chairman of the DUT Committee for Sustainable Development (1996-2006).

During that period, Leo was the motor of the process to win the hearts and souls of Delft UT for Sustainable Development. He had numerous talks and discussions to convince colleagues that Sustainable Development is not a threat for technology, but that it is a new challenge for the engineering profession. That may sound like a truism today, but in 1991 an official The Netherlands Government statement claimed that “technology cannot save us, because new technology creates new problems.” Leo Jansen was the man to refute that idea.

In 1998, the plans of the SD committee were approved: a basic course for all students had to be developed, SD should be integrated in appropriate courses and a special optional graduation track was to be developed. In the subsequent years, these plans were implemented.

After his retirement in 1999, Leo remained actively committed to the SD committee. In 2002 the first conference on Engineering Education in Sustainable Development took place in Delft. Leo had developed such an international reputation, that everybody agreed that the best paper award should be named after him. Afterwards, he always awarded the “Leo Jansen prize” in person.

Leo was the ideal man to turn an engineering school to SD: enthusiastic, tireless and with technical and political skills. He had developed these skills in a remarkable career: after graduating at DUT as a chemical engineer, he joined AKU research, now AKZO-Nobel. He conducted research on nylon fiber, and later obtained a management position in that company. In 1972 he was elected Member of Parliament for a forerunner party of the Greens (until 1981).

In the early 1980s he was a member of the steering committee of a large-scale nation-wide event: a public participation process in energy policy. Although this project met much criticism, it was a unique experiment with local discussion session on 3,000 locations in The Netherlands. Leo firmly supporting public participation and the highest level of integrity in executing it.

Afterwards, Leo became director of waste policies at the Department of the Environment. But environmental law enforcement was not sufficiently challenging. Leo had concluded that “sufficiency” as a strategy for sustainable development could not work. It appeared impossible to develop political support for “sufficiency”. He argued that Sustainable Development, technological innovation had to play an important role. But technological change also implies social change, and so stakeholder participation is crucial is crucial for that.

In the 1990s, Leo led The Netherlands “Interdepartmental Program Sustainable Technological Development”, a unique government program, which proved that leaps in sustainability can be created by technological innovation, but technological innovation requires also social innovation. Moreover, long-term thinking is crucial in that process.

In 1999, retiring as part-time professor of Environmental Technology (since 1991) only meant a small change. He got some more time and used it for new tasks. So he started setting up a regional sustainability network between municipalities and higher education institutes, and gave guest lectures at many universities and colleges.

In recent years, Leo’s physical condition forced him to cut back in activities. But he still enjoyed lecturing for international MSc and PhD courses. In May and June he lectured in Kiev and Barcelona. Leo was no workaholic. He died by a stroke during a bike ride with a grandson. It characterizes him that his first task during each foreign visit was always writing cards to his grandchildren.

Leo was inspiring, tireless and had a wide perspective. DUT and many other education institutes are highly indebted to him. His approach and enthusiasm have inspired many, and will undoubtedly continue to do so.

Although Leo Jansen’s career was not mainly a scientific one, driven by “publish or perish” incentives, his intellectual legacy is considerable:

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  Leo Jansen, Paul Weaver and Rietje van Dam (2010), “Education to meet new challenges in a networked society”, Education in a Competitive and Globalizing World Series, Nova Science Publishers Inc., Hauppage, New York, NY, ISBN: 978-1-61668-245-3.

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  Leo Jansen (2010), Interviewed by Mashid Sotudeh: “Technical Universities Need a Stronger Focus in Sustainable Development”, GAIA, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 40-3.

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  Leo Jansen, Paul Weaver and Rietje van Dam-Mieras (2010), Education to Meet New Challenges in a Networked Society, Nova Science Publishers Inc., Hauppage, New York, NY, 2nd Quarter.

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  Leo Jansen (2009), “The concept of sustainability should be integrated in all disciplines”, GUNI Newsletter, Vol. 43, March 24, available at: www.guni-rmies.net/

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  J.L.A. Jansen (2008), “(Higher) education for sustainable development”, Global Watch, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 47-66, Fall, ISSN: 1931/8014.

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  Leo Jansen, Paul Weaver and Rietje van Dam (2008), “Education to meet new challenges in a networked society”, in Jasmine E. Larkley and Viola B. Maynhard (Eds), Innovation in Education, Nova Science Publishers Inc., Hauppage, New York, NY, pp. 1-51, ISBN: 978-1-60456-275-0.

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  Leo Jansen (2008), “Higher education’s contribution for sustainable development: the way forward”, Special contribution I.10 in: Higher education in the world 2008. New Challenges, Changing Roles: Steering a Course for Human and Social Development, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN-13: 978-0-230-00048-3, ISBN-10: 0-230-00048-7.

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  J.L.A. Jansen (2007), “Energy for sustainable development”, Global Watch, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 29-44, Spring, ISSN: 1931-8014.

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  Leo Jansen, John Holmberg and Francesco Saverio Cicili (2005), “International evaluation of UPC environmental and sustainability research and education”, UPC, November, available at: www.upc.es/mediambient/UPCSostenible2015.html

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  Fokkema Jacob, Jansen Leo and Mulder Karel (2005), “Sustainability: necessity for a prosperous society”, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 6 No. 3, ISBN: 1-84544-430-2, ISSN: 1467-6370.

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  L. Jansen (2005), “Transition management: from vision to action”, in P. Lens et al. (Eds), Biofuels for Fuel Cells, Renewable Energy from Biomass Fermentation, IWA Publishing Alliance House, London, pp. 5-15, ISBN: 1 84339 092 2.

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  Karel Mulder and Leo Jansen (2005), “Evaluating the sustainability of research of a University of Technology, towards a general methodology”, Proceedings Committing Universities to Sustainable Development, Graz Austria, available at: www.uni-graz.at/sustainability

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  Leo Jansen, Karel Mulder and Geerlinge Pessers (2006), “Building capacity for SD: an evaluation of experiences at Delft University of Technology”, in K. Mulder (Ed), Sustainability Made in Delft, Eburon Academic Publishers, Delft, pp. 120-33, ISBN 10: 90-5972-156-X; Proceedings of Committing Universities to Sustainable Development, Graz, Austria, 2005, available at: www.uni-graz.at/sustainability

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  Leo Jansen and Paul Weaver (2004), “Building capacity for sustainable development”, International Conference on Sustainability Engineering and Science, Conference Proceedings and Presentations, Auckland, July, available at: www.nzsses.org.nz

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  Paul M. Weaver and J.L. Jansen (2004), “Defining and evaluating ‘science for sustainability’”, International Conference on Sustainability Engineering and Science, Conference Proceedings and Presentations, Auckland, July, available at: www.nzsses.org.nz

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  Leo Jansen (2003), “Technology in sustainable development: a reflection on Dutch policies”, Towards Joint EU Action on Environmental Technologies, Expert Conference, Vienna, May 26-27, available at: www.umweltmanagement.at; www.umwelttechnik.co.at

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  Leo Jansen (2003), “Sustainable development from vision to action”, Towards Joint EU Action on Environmental Technologies, Expert Conference, Vienna, May 26-27, available at: www.umweltmanagement.at; www.umwelttechnik.co.at

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  Leo Jansen (2003), “Sustainable development from vision to action”, in Integrative Approaches Towards Sustainability, Peter Lang Publisher for Environmental Education, Communication and Sustainability, pp. 157-69, ISBN: 3-631-52018-2.

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  J. Jansen, G. Bosch and P. Weaver (2003), “Research and development programs: from the very start to the very finish”, in Final Report of the AIRP/SD Project, EC-STRATA Program, Vienna, June.

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  P. Weaver and Jansen J. (2002), National Research Activities and Sustainable Development: A Survey Report for The Netherlands, Report of the European Science and Technology Observatory, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), Seville, Spain.

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  J.L.A. Jansen (2002), “The challenge of sustainable development”, Journal Cleaner Production, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 231-45.

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  K.-H. Robèrt, F. Schmidt-Bleek, J. Aloisi de Larderel, G. Basile, J.L. Jansen, R. Kuehr, P. Price Thomas, M. Suzuki, P. Hawken and M. Wackernagel (2002), “Strategic sustainable development – selection, design and synergies of applied tools”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 10 No. 3, pp. 197-214.

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  J.L.A. Jansen (2001), “The challenge of sustainable development”, in Round Table Proceedings, the 7th European Roundtable on Cleaner Production, IIIEE, Lund University, Sweden, 2-4 May.

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  J.L.A. Jansen et al. (2001), “On search for ecojumps in technology: from future visions to technology programs”, in Julie Thompson et al. (Eds), Transdisciplinarity: Joint Problem Solving Among Science, Technology and Society, Birkhaüser Verlag, Basel, Boston, Berlin, pp. 173-80, ISBN: 3-7643-6248-0.

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  Paul Weaver, Leo Jansen, Geert van Grootveld, Egbert van Spiegel and Philip Vergragt (2000), Sustainable Technology Development, Greenleaf Publishing, Sheffield, 304 p., ISBN: 1874719098.

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  J.L.A. Jansen (2000), “On search for ecojumps in technology: from future visions to technology programs”, in Proceedings “Transdisciplinarity: Joint Problem Solving Among Science, Technology and Society”, Workbook I, Hafmans sachbuch Verlag, Zürich Schweiz, pp. 321-5, ISBN: 3-251-40018-5.

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  J.L.A. Jansen (2000), “Quality of life, sustainable and world wide: new challenges for agricultural research”, in A. Boekestein et al. (Eds), Towards an Agenda for Agricultural Research in Europe, Wageningen Pers, Wageningen, pp. 227-37, ISBN: 90-74134-80-7.

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  J.L.A. Jansen (1998), “Dematerialisation and innovation policy”, in Managing a Material World, Perspectives in Industrial Ecology, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 285-96, ISBN: 0-7923-5133-3 (HB).

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  Ph.J. Vergragt and J.L.A. Jansen (1993), “Sustainable technology development: the making of a long-term oriented technology programme”, Project Appraisal, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 134-40, September (Beech Tree Publishing, Guilford, GB).

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  J.L.A. Jansen (1993), “Towards a sustainable future: en route with technology!”, in The Environment: Towards a Sustainable Future, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, MA, London, pp. 497-523.

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  L. Jansen (1985), “Handling a debate on a source of severe tension”, in A Geography of Public Relations Trends, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers (Kluwer Academic Publishers Group), Dordrecht, Boston, MA, Lancaster, pp. 148-54.