08-02-08

The Directors’ Contact – the network of directors of housing associations affiliated with Aedes – has presented its annual award for Best Housing Association Director to Ms Truus Sweringa of Oost Flevoland Woondiensten (OFW).

The award was handed to Ms Sweringa during a ceremony at the Peace Palace in The Hague on January 18th 2008 by the Dutch Minister of Housing, Communities and Integration, Ms Ella Vogelaar. The theme for this year´s selection was energy conservation.

Truus Sweringa was awarded this prize because of her extraordinary efforts in the areas of sustainability and energy conservation. According to the Award Committee, she rose above the other two candidate-directors because she was one of the first to make the connection between energy conservation, the control of living costs, CO2 reduction and corporate social responsibility. This makes her housing association a leader in energy conservation in its housing stock.

The Award Committee judged the nominated directors on the basis of a number of criteria. For example, whether or not the housing associations had an integrated approach for their own housing stock or their tenants worked together to achieve energy reductions.