Adrianus Ton Vlugman

“We, humans are not separate and "Master" or "Guardian" of "Nature" and the "Environment". Our environment is not an externality, something outside and apart from ourselves to be exploited and “milked”. We humans, you and I, are the embodiment and an expression of our environment and are intricately intertwined in a complex interdependency with nature and our environment in local and global ecosystems.”

Country of birth: The Netherlands

Country of residence: Barbados

Areas of expertise within Global Health: Environmental Health, Climate Change and Health, Disaster Preparedness and Response, WASH Cluster

Education: MSc. Environmental Health Engineering, TU Delft, 1984

Professional experience: Senior Advisor, Water, Sanitation, Environmental Health and Climate Change for the Caribbean with PAHO/WHO (retired 2020)

Languages: Proficient: Dutch, English, German; Intermediate: French; Basic: Spanish

Countries in which Mentor has worked: All CARICOM Countries, Bonaire, St. Maarten, the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and Zambia

Why do you want to be a Mentor?

Share experience and guide young professionals to achieve their goals and avoid banana peels

Engineers are solution-oriented, but what is the problem?

To find sustainable solutions, keep in mind that people see the world differently and live in different realities