Celebrating 25 years contributing to helping realizing a world where humans live and thrive in harmony with their environment.

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1998

The Americas Sustainable Development Foundation was established on November 20, 1998 in the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba. At the time it was known as the "Fundacion Arubano pa Medio Ambiente", or FAMA. The original founding members included the late Mr. Gerold Engelbrecht as first President, Mr. Henry de Cuba as Secretary of the Board, and Mr. Louis Peterson as the Treasurer. Building on the realization that environmental protection and sustainable development principles are critical for a proper and responsible economic development on Aruba, FAMA has since been an active voice in Aruba's planning and development process.

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1998 - 2012

In the years after it’s inception, FAMA played a pivotal role in creating public awareness on the importance of addressing environmental concerns and challenges to allow for improved quality of life on the island. FAMA’s activities included among other providing education on environmental topics, create and disseminate awareness raising material, promote the creation of a natural park at the "Grapefield area" in the southern coastal region of Aruba with the objective to reforest this area with sea-grape trees, and facilitate stakeholder participation to allow citizens to voice their opinions regarding development projects and decisions. Following the demise of Mr. Engelbrecht in October 2008, who was acknowledged as a key figure in environmental protection in Aruba, FAMA experienced a transition, adopting a more subdued profile characterized by a reduction in activities.

 

2012 - 2015

In the summer of 2012, Kevin de Cuba, son of FAMA co-founder Henry de Cuba, approached the Foundation to consider the restructuring and rebranding of FAMA into the Aruba Sustainable Development Foundation (ASDF). Through the course of 2012, a new board was appointed composed of Henry de Cuba as President, Luis Huertas as Treasurer and Kevin de Cuba as Secretary. The process of converting FAMA into ASDF was finalized by December 17, 2012. ASDF’s new focus included addressing key water, energy, material and food challenges to achieve sustainable development in Aruba and other island communities. In 2014, Ruben Contreras took over as Secretary of ASDF. Today, Luis Huertas continues to be an honorary advisory board member to ASDF.

 

Over the years the demand for sustainable development initiatives has grown significantly, both domestically as well as internationally. As a result, the Board of the Aruba Sustainable Development Foundation decided to broaden its reach beyond Aruba to also include the Western Hemisphere.

 

With a newly appointed Board, composed of Henry de Cuba (President), Ruben Contreras (Secretary), and Walter Peña (Treasurer), the renewed focus for ASDF was launched. This renewed focus included the rebranding of ASDF into the Americas Sustainable Development Foundation on August 25, 2015. In October of the same year, Kevin de Cuba, was appointed as the first Executive Director of ASDF.

 

2015 - 2020

With the replacement of Ruben Contreras with Geoffrey Wever in 2015 as the new Secretary of the Board, ASDF started its process of solidifying its position in the international arena by establishing formal partnerships with international organizations working in the same field.

 

Under the leadership of Kevin de Cuba as Executive Director, ASDF made significant strides and positioned itself as the leading foundation in the field of Circular Economy in the Americas. In the summer of 2016 it launched the Circular Economy Platform of the Americas (CEP-Americas) to pioneer the awareness raising and adoption of circular economy principles throughout the American Continent, and is the institutional founder of the Circular Economy Forum of the Americas (CEFA), the premier international gathering of Circular Economy minded individuals, companies, NGO’s, academia, and governments from all over the American Continent to discuss the needs, challenges and opportunities to promote and make the transition towards a Circular Economy (CE) possible.

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This internationalization process enabled ASDF to have a larger scope of impact beyond Aruba, engaging in nations all across the American continent, and allowed ASDF to share new innovation and best practices and access international funding to serve communities across the region toward more sustainability. As of December 2020, after almost 5 years of endeavor, Kevin de Cuba handed in his position as the first Executive Director of ASDF.

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2021 - 2023

Starting 2021, Kevin de Cuba replaced Geoffrey Wever as Secretary of the Board with plans for renewing the program portfolio and strategies, and bringing in new people for a new chapter in ASDF's trajectory. During this time frame ASDF was able to consolidate its position in the Americas as a go-to organization relating to Circular Economy for Sustainable Development.

 

By November of 2023 Ms. Iraida Balentien-Libier was appointed as the new Secretary of the Board, thanking Kevin de Cuba for his multiple years of service and contribution to ASDF's institutional development. And where he remains as an honorary member of ASDF's advisory board.

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2023 - Present

Since this latest Board configuration, a renewed energy is injected, where on one hand, ASDF is proceeding with the launch of the Circular Economy Platform of the Americas as a new independent entity that will serve as a future strategic institutional ally to ASDF with in-depth capacity in the field of Circular Economy, to be led by Aymon de Cuba and Kevin de Cuba as partner.

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Furthermore, ASDF has began the process of intensification of efforts on the Deep Sea Water Industry program and started the design of two new added-value programs around Sustainable Agriculture and Reforestation.

 

Moving forward, ASDF will continue to build on its solid track record of providing international advisory and technical assistance to facilitate the transition toward sustainable development for communities throughout the Americas.