Peter Jan Brouwer, is founder and owner of Compost Academie and Wormenhotels in Amsterdam, Netherlands. As a child, Peter Jan Brouwer (1962) knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up: either a farmer or a biologist.
After 25 years working as an executive producer and making numerous Dutch feature films, he returned to his childhood dream. In 2015, he started composting in a street cupboard in the Amsterdam neighborhood of de Pijp with his neighbors. The composting was a huge success and not only reduced waste, but also improved social cohesion in the neighborhood. Peter Jan’s goal was to first achieve this in de Pijp, then Amsterdam, and eventually in the rest of the Netherlands. Composting with neighbors in worm-hotels on the street is now widespread in the country, with over 150 worm-hotels in Amsterdam alone. Other cities in the Netherlands, such as Rotterdam, Groningen, Arnhem, Delft, Breda, and Haarlem, have also followed suit.
Learn more about Peter Jan’s work with the Compost Academie here!