Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen

What Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen does

Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen is a publicly-funded sustainability education and visitor center located in Assen, Netherlands, operating from a purpose-built sustainable facility (wood construction, green roof, solar panels) adjacent to the Asserbos forest. Founded in September 2015 as a joint partnership between Gemeente Assen (the municipality) and Stichting Het Drentse Landschap (a regional landscape foundation), the center offers free public access and is open daily from 09:00 to 17:00. It does not have its own independent administration; personal data and operations are managed jointly by its two founding partners.

The center's core offerings include sustainability education programs for primary schools, secondary schools, and after-school care (all primary school students in Assen visit at least once per year), a public city farm (Stadsboerderij), weekly activities and nature excursions, and an on-site restaurant/café with terrace seating and meeting-room rental. Supporting content is organized around four themes — home, garden, neighborhood, and lifestyle — and delivered via a website, newsletter, and a mobile Duurzame Pop-up Booth deployed at neighborhood events. The center holds the SDG Predicaat from SDG Nederland, awarded in September 2023.

The business model is overwhelmingly publicly funded rather than transactional: admission is free, with monetization limited to food and beverage sales through the on-site restaurant and venue rental income from meetings, corporate events, and presentations. Distribution is single-site and purely domestic, focused exclusively on the Assen municipality, with no paid customer acquisition, no enterprise sales motion, and no app or proprietary technology platform. The center employed approximately 12 people and celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2025.

Name

Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen

Legal name

Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen

Website

https://duurzaamheidscentrumassen.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen is a free, publicly-funded sustainability education center in Assen, Netherlands, jointly operated by the municipality and Het Drentse Landschap foundation since 2015. It serves local schools, families, and community groups with educational programs, a city farm, an on-site restaurant, and event space.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Education and Community Center Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability Engagement, Training & Behavior Change Programs (On-site) (BPABALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Parks & Reserves (Visitor Operations) (THAAAAAG)

Keywords

• Sustainability education
• Community education center
• School education programs
• Nature excursions
• Venue rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

Assen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Horeca (Restaurant/Cafe): The center operates a restaurant serving warm and cold drinks and snacks, open daily from 09:00 to 17:00. Revenue is generated through food and beverage sales to visitors.
2. Venue Rental (Zaalhuur): The center offers rooms for rent for meetings, corporate events, lunches, dinners, and company gatherings. The unique building is suitable for presentations and lectures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen operates a free public sustainability education and visitor center that delivers curriculum-aligned sustainability lessons for primary schools, secondary schools, and after-school care, complemented by a city farm, guided nature excursions in the Asserbos forest, weekly community activities, and an on-site restaurant and meeting room rental service. The center functions as a hands-on demonstration site where visitors experience sustainable building features (wood construction, green roof, solar panels) and access practical DIY sustainability guidance across four themes: home, garden, neighborhood, and lifestyle.

Product overview

Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen is a collaboration between Municipality Assen and Stichting Het Drentse Landschap, operating as a community sustainability center opened in September 2015. The center offers a unified platform of educational programs, visitor experiences, and hospitality services focused on making sustainability understandable, tangible, and accessible. Core offerings include sustainability education programs for primary schools, secondary schools, and after-school care; a restaurant/café open to visitors; a city farm (Stadsboerderij) with educational programs; weekly activities and events; meeting room rentals; and guided nature excursions. The center also provides extensive DIY resources and practical tips through four thematic areas covering home energy, garden greening, neighborhood initiatives, and sustainable lifestyle choices. The physical location in Asserbos features sustainable building elements including a green roof and solar panels, serving as both a visitor destination and educational demonstration site.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restaurant/Horeca On-site restaurant and café serving hot and cold drinks and food, open daily from 09:00 to 17:00 (closed December 25, 26, 31 and January 1), with terrace seating overlooking the Asserbos forest. Available to all visitors and event attendees.
• Basisonderwijs (Primary Education Programs) Sustainability education programs for primary school students (basisonderwijs), with all primary school students in Assen visiting at least once per year for lessons including outdoor classroom activities covering nature, environment, food, animals, water, climate, waste, reuse, and transport.
• Voortgezet Onderwijs (Secondary Education Programs) Sustainability lessons, teaching kits, and O&O (Research and Design) projects for secondary school students (voortgezet onderwijs).
• Buitenschoolse Opvang (After-School Care) Special DIY packages (doe-pakketten) for after-school care programs (buitenschoolse opvang) focused on sustainability education.
• Activiteiten en Agenda (Activities and Events) Weekly organized activities promoting sustainability awareness, including nature walks, workshops, and community events. Most activities are free and suitable for families with children.
• Stadsboerderij Asserbos (City Farm) Urban farm (stadsboerderij) where children learn about animals, nature, food, and agriculture. Offers internship opportunities and hosts school visits.
• Zaalhuur en Vergaderen (Room Rental and Meeting Facilities) Meeting rooms and event spaces available for rent. Suitable for meetings, corporate events, presentations, and lectures. Located in the unique sustainable building adjacent to Asserbos.
• Excursies (Guided Nature Tours) Guided tours of the Asserbos forest and surrounding nature areas, led by knowledgeable guides.
• Duurzame Pop-up Kraam (Sustainable Pop-up Booth) Mobile information booth appearing at neighborhood festivals and events in Assen, providing educational materials, games, and consultations on sustainable living topics including gardening, waste separation, recycling, and energy saving.
• Sustainability Themes Resource Library (Je Huis, Je Tuin, Je Buurt, Je Leefstijl) Educational resources and practical tips covering four sustainability themes: sustainable energy and waste at home (Je Huis), creating wildlife-friendly gardens (Je Tuin), neighborhood greening initiatives (Je Buurt), and sustainable lifestyle choices regarding food, shopping, and transport (Je Leefstijl). All content published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Quantifiable outcome

• All primary school students in Assen visit the center at least once per year for sustainability education
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SDG NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2023SDG Nederland awarded the SDG Predicaat to the Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen on September 22, 2023, recognizing its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Gemeente Assen (Municipality of Assen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2015The municipality of Assen is one of the two founding partners of the Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen. The center opened in September 2015 as a cooperation between the municipality and Stichting Het Drentse Landschap. The municipality provides administrative support and collaborates on sustainability initiatives for the city.
• Stichting Het Drentse Landschap (Het Drentse Landschap Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2015Stichting Het Drentse Landschap (HDL) is one of the two founding partners of the Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen. As the center does not have its own independent administration, personal data of relations are managed by the municipality and HDL. HDL is obligated to handle this sensitive information with care.
• Landschapsbeheer DrentheminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandschapsbeheer Drenthe collaborates with the center on green resident initiatives, helping neighborhoods create flower-rich roadsides, bee hills, and insect hotels. They provide knowledge, tools, and assistance with implementation.
• Herenboeren AssenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe center has an active collaboration with Herenboeren Assen on sustainable food and agriculture initiatives.
• Stichting SteenbreekminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssen is affiliated with Stichting Steenbreek, working together with residents and other organizations to replace stones with trees, plants, and flowers for better rainwater management and cooling.
• Waterschap Hunze en Aa'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe water board Hunze en Aa's collaborated with the center on the Watervangersspel (Water Catchers Game), testing visitors' reaction speed with falling water drops.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Natuurmonumenten: Largest Dutch nature conservation organization, managing nature reserves and operating dozens of visitor/bezoekerscentra with educational programming. Directly comparable mission (nature, education, visitor experiences) and similar free or low-cost public access model, but at national scale and with conservation land ownership Assen does not have.
• Milieu Centraal: National Dutch information organization providing practical sustainability advice to households on energy, waste, food, and consumer choices. Highly comparable to Assen's four themes (home, garden, neighborhood, lifestyle) and online tip library, but channel is primarily digital rather than physical-center based.
• Staatsbosbeheer: Dutch Forestry Commission managing state-owned forests including nearby Drenthe woodlands, with a national network of visitor centers, guided excursions, and school programs. Closely comparable to Assen's Asserbos excursions and city farm activities; larger scale and broader geographic remit.
• IVN Natuureducatie: National Dutch network (IVN) for nature and sustainability education with local chapters running school programs and field excursions across the Netherlands. Highly comparable to Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen's school and visitor-excursion activities, but operating nationwide rather than at a single-site, municipality-funded center.

Others

• Urgenda: National Dutch sustainability action organization running public-facing programs (e.g., transit, energy) and partnering with municipal governments. Adjacent ecosystem actor that could co-fund or expand Assen's programming at the city level, but no physical visitor-center footprint of its own.
• Stichting Steenbreek: National Dutch foundation promoting 'stone-out, green-in' urban greening, with whom Assen is already an affiliated municipality. Programmatically aligned (tile-wippen, facade gardens) and operates the national campaign infrastructure that powers Assen's quantifiable greening outcomes.

Direct peers

• Bezoekerscentrum Drentsche Aa: Visitor center for the Drentsche Aa National Park located in the same Drenthe province as Assen. Same free/low-cost public access model, exhibitions, guided excursions, and school programming for nature and sustainability — directly competing for regional visitors and education contracts.
• Bezoekerscentrum Dwingelderveld: Visitor center for Dwingelderveld National Park, also in Drenthe. Similar on-site education and excursion model adjacent to a protected natural area; competing for the same regional sustainability/nature tourism and school-trip audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/duurzaamheidscentrum.assen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duurzaamheidscentrum-assen
• Instagraminstagram.com/duurzaamheidscentrumassen

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Duurzaamheidscentrum Assen