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| Aukje van Gerven |
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| Even as a child, Aukje always had her nose in books, and this hasn't
changed: reading and writing are what she does often, and she does
it FAST. She worked in hospitality and entertainment from the age
of 15, which could explain her passion for organized cleanliness and
crazy dancesteps. She also holds degrees in both law and history and
worked as a legal advisor for several years. Needless to say, office
work turned out to be a bit too suffocating, so she applied for a
polar expedition, which eventually resulted in beetroute. Aukje discovered
herself to be somewhat of a mountain goat in the last few years. She
is keen to thoroughly explore the outdoors and gain more experience
in, and knowledge of, the natural world. In stunning contrast, she
also truly enjoys Jon's home-cooking, board games and a cat on her
lap. |
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| Born & raised: |
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| Drew her first breath in 1978 in a Dutch village in the southern
province of Brabant in the Netherlands. Feels at home in many places,
depending on the people surrounding her. |
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| Be True: |
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| Keeps muttering to Jon that this expression is not decently translatable
into Dutch but feels at heart that being true is all she ever was,
is, and will continue to be. Admires this in others and knows that
the bottom line is love, in all forms, shapes and sizes. |
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| Sustainability: |
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| Isn't sure if her addiction to chocolate is sustainable. Cycles
a lot, drinks only tap water at home and cuts out meat as much as
possible, but regularly takes planes and long hot baths. Despite the
fact that she still has so much to learn, Aukje is convinced that
a sustainable future is the only possible future. |
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| Entertainment: |
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| Not shy, but most comfortable entertaining others when she can play
a role. Loves to dress up as a witch, nun or pirate and go all out.
Frequently steps on people's toes when doing funny voices and accents
from around the world at random, but doesn't mean to cause harm. |
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| Education: |
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| Passive: Spent most of her twenties in universities, and likes being
challenged intellectually. She can never stress the importance of
education (or knowledge) too much and believes that '(s)he who has
never changed his (her) mind, has never learnt something'. |
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| Active: Always with enthusiasm and a smile, and especially trying
to make education FUN! Before founding beetroute, Aukje volunteered
for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for years, guiding children
on nature-related activities. |
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| To contact Aukje: |
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| aukje@beet-route.com |
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| Jonathan Earle |
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| The "white picket fence, 2.4 kids and a dog" life has never been
something Jon has strived for. In fact, one of the stories from his
early years resulted in him climbing into his parents VW kombi van
and releasing the hand brake. The van rolled backwards down the driveway,
smashing through the gate and rolling out on the luckily quiet road.
Who knows what was running through this 4-year-old's mind. Perhaps
it was "Down with the stereotypical fences and gates, I'm off on an
adventure." |
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| Making and eating sushi, surfing at dawn, untracked waist-deep alpine
powder fields, cheese and music are some of Jon's loves other than
family and friends. |
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| Born & raised: |
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| Jon has an identity problem. He has lived in various places around
the world during his childhood. He has roots in Ireland, England,
Wales and the USA, though he has lived around half his life in New
Zealand. |
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| Be True: |
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| Jon believes that at the very core level, each of us are the most
'true' in that moment we are first born. All we know is 'love', it's
within us all. From that moment, we are shaped by circumstance, experience,
the external environment, surroundings, people, books, media, advertising...
the list goes on. |
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| Sustainability: |
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| "Thankfully cities (or the urban jungle) have their limits." (unknown
source) Anyone that doesn't believe that striving towards sustainable
living is important, simply hasn't spent enough time in nature, or
has forgotten. There are so many win-win-win situations to be had. |
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| Jon continues to learn more about this mammoth 'thing' called sustainability
and endeavours to share what he learns whilst striving to be more
sustainable in his own life. He, too, has a lot of work to do. |
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| Entertainment: |
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| Jon's entertainment 'claim-to-fame' was winning second place in
a school singing contest at age 8. He might have won first place,
but preferred to shy away from being the centre of attention, and
his knobbly knees were knocking together loudly. This is an area that
does not come naturally to Jon. Aukje has been his inspiration and
a mentor for him in entertainment, as it is an area he would never
have pursued on his own. |
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| Education: |
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| Jon has taught snowboarding, kayaking, rock-climbing, and other
activities in the outdoors over the years, and spent a year in the
classroom, teaching english. He believes that education is one of
the necessary ingredients for a sustainable world, and believes that
beetroute is a good way for him to contribute. During 'The SLOW Journey'
he has learned more about world history and the incredible events
that have led us to where we are today, which he feels is essential
to know where to go tomorrow. |
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| To contact Jon: |
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| jon@beet-route.com |
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