ELISE VAN MIDDELEM
Founder & CEO
SUGI
Elise is the Founder of SUGI, where she has worked for 6.5 years.
Elise leads SUGi a global platform dedicated to biodiversity building, ecosystem restoration and reconnecting people to Nature through the creation of ultra-dense, biodiverse forests of native species in urban areas. Using a signature strategy that entails engineering soil, microbes and biomass to kickstart natural growth processes, according to the proven Miyawaki method, they achieve 20 years yield growth, comparable to a 100-year-old forest. This has resulted in 200+ pocket forests planted in 53 cities connecting over 55,000 youth & community members to Nature.
She shares her knowledge and expertise on forums such as World Economic Forum, 1t.org and UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration.
Recognition is given to Elise for her leadership in restoring biodiversity and reconnecting communities to nature.