Joan Van Kessel
Vice Chairman and Board Member , MacKay Green Energy Inc.
“It’s important for the Philippines to be [more selfsufficient]. We aim not only to be self-sufficient, but [also to be able, in due time,] to export energy to the world. And not just energy, but green energy.”
A fuel executive helps to promote a new energy source
“SUSTAINABILITY” is one of today’s biggest buzzwords. It is no secret that the last few decades saw the planet’s health in serious decline. Climate change is here, and it is not looking good. Although people have become more environment-conscious, launching zero-waste movements and banning single-use plastics wherever possible, there is still a ways to go in rehabilitating the environment. One of the most important ways to do so is finding sustainable sources of energy.
That is what Joan (pronounced “Johan”) van Kessel, vice chairman and board member of the MacKay Group of Companies, is dedicating himself to. Born in the province of Noord Brabant in The Netherlands, van Kessel belongs to the family that founded and has been running the gas company van Kessel Olie for generations.
Searching for sustainability
He says his true passion lies in the family trade. “After school, I would ride with the trucks and deliver oil to the customers,” van Kessel recalls. “I did not attend university anymore. From high school, I went straight to work in our company, learning by experience.”
Van Kessel in front of his family’s headquarters in The Netherlands
“We have only one planet and we have to look after it. We can’t keep cutting trees and not replace them. People must benefit from the company’s profit. But the bigger picture is we want to give our people a better life.”
When he took over the company, van Kessel realized the need to shift to greener and more sustainable sources of energy. As an oil supplier, he acknowledged the economy’s need for oil products, but was also aware of their impact on the environment.
“In The Netherlands, there are huge developments underway,” van Kessel says. “Throughout Europe, they are trying to lower carbon dioxide footprints.”
He took the initiative to get van Kessel Olie to contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions when making fuel deliveries. This led to the development of Greenpoint, a tank concept allowing the introduction of alternative sources of energy into the market, such as hydrogen, liquefied nitrogas and electric.
In his search of other suitable sources of energy, van Kessel decided to explore beyond The Netherlands and saw the potential of biomass, which is basically any type of organic matter that can be converted into fuel, such as wood. Enter MacKay Green Energy Inc. (MGE), a company involved in nurturing renewable energy systems.
Four years ago, van Kessel sent one of his staff to Zamboanga, where he was introduced to bioethanol. Originally, they were looking at nipa — a type of palm that is also considered an important Philippine economic crop — that could be converted into bioethanol. Van Kessel himself traveled down south to check out the fuel, and that’s when he met James Ronaldson MacKay, head of MGE.
MGE Plantation in Nueva Ecija
Van Kessel flanked by MGE Chief Executive Officer Mark Lester Lico (right) and MGE Chief Financial Officer Claire Quisao
Van Kessel (fourth from left, back row) with MGE team and members of the Rotary Club of Dasmariñas.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS EXCEPT FOR VAN KESSEL WITH MGE EXECUTIVES
“I met James at a dinner and we just clicked,” van Kessel recalls. “They started also with bioethanol because it’s another transformation from gasoline to alternative fuels. We had to supply a factory for energy. But…the [bioethanol project] wasn’t protected by the government, so we had to let go of that.”
Fortunately, they had another type of biomass that looked like a good way of producing energy: Bana grass. Described as a perennial hybrid crop imported from Australia, Bana grass has a high tolerance to drought and typhoons, [and] is pest-resistant and non-allergenic. Its seeds can yield at least 360 tons of fresh cut Bana grass per hectare each year. This remarkable crop can be harvested three times a year to manufacture charcoal, one of MGE’s main products on the market today.
And so, van Kessel decided to support MacKay in the enhancement of this MGE project. “We have reached a stage where this type of energy production is also protected by a government,” he reports. “We stand behind the green energy of Bana grass.”
Ideal environment
The question that begs to be asked, though, is this: Of all the countries where Bana grass can be grown, why the Philippines?
“[We had] been having talks with people around the world looking for the best option [for] biomass and we ended up with MGE, [which] had the best practice of biomass [production] we’ve seen,” van Kessel says. “The country is ideal, too. In the Philippines, the environment is good, the climate is perfect and even the people are perfect. If it can work somewhere, it should work in the Philippines.”
“It is important for the Philippines to be [more self-sufficient.] We aim not only to be self-sufficient, but [also to be able, in due time,] to export energy to the world. And not just energy, but green energy.”
Van Kessel and MGE’s goal has been accomplished steadily. With the cooperation of other nations, they have seen the demand for changes that can be done on a global scale.
“We looked at the development of how the world is changing and how we’re all looking for green alternative fuels,” van Kessel says. “It’s right there in the Paris Treaty” — also known as the Accord de Paris, which the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change signed on the mitigation and adaptation of greenhouse-gas emissions — “that we have to do something to change the climate of the earth. What we are doing are just small steps, but in time, the whole community will change.”
“Our main goal is to have a firm that can produce a sustainable source of energy and make a social impact in communities in the places where we are attempting to expand,” he adds.
Only one planet
The company is currently strengthening its presence throughout the archipelago. Its plantations can be found in Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Negros, Leyte and Zamboanga, to name a few. MGE has plans to spread out to other continents, as well, the first of which are Africa and South America. “We want to go global,” van Kessel says.
Their aspirations do not stop there. MacKay and van Kessel grew together because they have the same vision: responsible investment in energy, which will ultimately benefit the Philippines and its people.
“We have only one planet and we have to look after it,” the Dutchman says. “We cannot continue to cut trees and not replace them. We cannot continue to use palm oil in a non-sustainable way. We make sure, of course, that the company makes a profit. We want our people to benefit from this. But the bigger picture is we want to transform our people and give them a better life, as well as their children.”
The Philippines is at the forefront of such change. “What is happening now is so extremely exciting for this nation. No matter how big we have grown in other countries, this [the Philippines] will remain [as] the first research and development site. We want to promote the country as…a very green, sustainable, biomass country,” he adds. “MGE and our company is transforming the landscape of biomass in the greenest way possible.”
This admirable effort comes with no shortage of challenges. “We must convince people that we are on the brink of a new era….” van Kessel says. “It is extremely important that we make people realize that we only have one planet. If we don’t look after it, who will? We have no escape. If we talk about plastic floating in the ocean, cutting trees [and the] non-sustainable use of our planet, then in less than a hundred years, things will look very pessimistic.”
This new way of thinking about and looking at things also extends to agriculture, which will be beneficial to farmers in the long run. “There is a new world coming,” he says. “We have to work in a different way. We cannot burn.” This refers to kaingin, a traditional agricultural practice in which farmers slash and burn underbrush and trees to make into fertilizer. “It takes time and courage, from a [governmental] and provincial point of view. It’s not easy; it takes a lot of talking and showing. We’ve done demonstrations all over the country.”
“We cannot wait any longer,” van Kessel emphasizes. “We need people who have the same vision and are able to motivate and make a difference.” This is an ability which, his colleagues say, he and MacKay possess. “The Philippines should embrace Bana grass, because it can transform the entire country. We have to take responsibility as they have begun to do in other countries in Asia and South Asia.”
Ripple of change
Having Bana charcoal on the market makes a huge impact on the environment and community, as people are now more discerning of what they are using. Within their own company, MGE educates people by holding motivational talks and promoting their advocacy with the James Mackay Foundation’s beneficiary, the Philippine National School for the Blind.
Every act creates a ripple of change, and the same can be said of environmental responsibility. For van Kessel, these are simple things, like segregating garbage and utilizing reusable materials.
“What I’m capable of doing is always on a small scale. In my business, I can do things on a bigger scale,” he says.
This proves to be a huge part of his life, even when trying to balance work and personal life. “I try to make balance as much as possible, but I find myself every time directed to my interests or being busy with my work,” he says.
“Sometimes my wife [Nicole] doesn’t think of it as a compliment, but she can manage it,” he adds, chuckling.
When he is not busy with his advocacy, van Kessel enjoys watching Formula One racing. His favorite driver is Belgian-Dutch racer Max Emilian Verstappen, who also hails from Noord Brabant. He also spends time traveling with his family, including his children Liza, 19, and Stan, 21, who is already helping out in Van Kessel Olie while completing his studies.
Van Kessel leaves a final statement full of hope: “The world can change and it will take some decades, but it will change.”
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Company with a heart
Joan van Kessel of The Netherlands has chosen to form a bond with the MacKay Group of Companies (MGE), a locally based outfit committed to creating change in compassionate and responsible ways.
• MGE provides a range of employment, be it for farm workers or corporate executives. For every 200 hectares of integrated Bana grass plantation developed, a minimum of 80 jobs are expected to be generated.
• MGE partners with Van Kessel Olie, Manna Plus, James MacKay Foundation Inc. and Mackay Buensuceso Construction (BMC) Corp., institutions that share one of MGE’s goals: to give back to the community.
• The James MacKay Foundation Inc. is concerned not only about the environment, but the community, as well. It raises awareness for the visually challenged by supporting the Philippine National School for the Blind. It has spearheaded medical missions that provide free check-ups for mothers and children and free vaccines, and has conducted feeding programs.
PHOTOS BY HERMES SINGSON
This article is from The Manila Times
https://www.manilatimes.net/the-greatness-of-green/604332/
