Presenters
Dr. Winnie Gerbens-Leenes of the University of Twente in the Netherlands is a featured speaker at the 26th annual Water and the Future of Kansas Conference. She works in the water management group of professor A.Y. Hoekstra, who developed the concept of the “water footprint.” She has published research on the impact of energy systems on water. Using the concept and methodology of the water footprint, the focus of her research is mainly on the relationship of water and biomass production. More information on her work can be found at www.waterfootprint.org.
Dr. Gerbens-Leenes is a native of Groningen, the Netherlands. She holds master’s and doctorate degrees in environmental science from the University of Groningen. Her past work includes: a) the effects of Dutch household food consumption on land and energy resources; b) the utilization and management of natural resources for food production; and c) transitions in food consumption patterns in Africa toward western patterns and consequences for land and energy requirements. She is the author of the Groene Kookboek (Green Cookbook), a translation of scientific knowledge into practical information for energy and land reduction potentials related to household food consumption.