Marc Vands is our YWPDK profile of the month for February 2018. Marc has been the regional representative for Fyn, since he was elected during the last general assembly in Aarhus. Marc organizes events for the memberbase while working as a consulting engineer at the consulting company Rambøll. Read more about Marc below and feel free to contact him at odense@ywp.dk for more information on the regional Fyn branch of YWPDK.
What is your current work title and what is your background/degree?
Since December 1st 2017, I have been working at Rambøll as a consulting engineer. Here I’m working with projects in climate adaptation and sewage networks, mainly rainwater separation.
In 2015 I graduated as Forest- and Landscape engineer from University of Copenhagen, and in 2017 I graduated as master in Environmental engineering from University of Southern Denmark. In both my degrees I have focused my education on nature and stream management.
What is your motivation for working with water?
In the past we haven’t been kind to the water environment. Streams have been straitened and wetlands have been drained. Fortunately, we have changed our views on how we should protect nature, and I would like to be part of protecting the water environment. Also, I would like to be part of the restoration as I really like how nature reacts when a stream or a wetland is restored. Almost right away plants and animals inhabit the restored area, and from year to year you can see new species.
What are your main interests within this field?
My main interest lies in stream and wetland restoration. But I also think that projects where you create areas for climate adaptation and rainwater handling that incorporate the nature is interesting. I like the idea of creating natural looking areas that can also be used for recreational use and where animals can live, instead of using pipes and concrete ponds.
What was your motivation for becoming a member of YWPDK and how did you hear about the network?
As a student assistant at Rambøll in Odense I heard about YWPDK from my colleagues. They told me about YWPDK and I thought it sounded like good network to be part of. It’s a good place to meet people in the same situation as you and share knowledge with them.
What are your thoughts on the challenges that we, as young water professionals, face in the coming years?
Climate changes creates a lot of challenges, not only for finding a way to handle the rainwater, but also to handle it better and protect the environment. We also need to reduce our nutrient emissions to lakes and the sea, and find solutions to improve the ecological environment in them
