Day two of our trip in Amsterdam started with going to the local university to listen to a speaker, Karel Bockstael who was an executive for KLM. KLM is a popular Dutch founded, European airline, Karel’s last held job at KLM was the Vice President of Sustainability, the main topic of his presentation. The picture from the blog is the outside of the building where the presentation was held which is the CREA building at University van Amsterdam. Although his background and presentation were engineering oriented, it was good information on how businesses like KLM are adapting to new Climate Standards, such as the Paris Climate Accord. One of the most surprising pieces of business information that I took away from the presentation was the fact that the Dutch Government banned street advertisements for products that use fossil fuels, like cars. This was interesting because it obviously presents a challenge for the marketing departments of car manufacturers. This regulation was more apparent as the group explored the city as the only mention of cars in advertisements were in a negative light ex. “Don’t be a carcissist”. So, not only do companies have to worry about the inability to advertise on the street, but they are subject to attacks in said place.

            As I mentioned in my last blog entry the group visited the Anne Frank house today. I will admit that I was not expecting the experience that the museum surrounding the house provided. It was very informational, yet I had expected the experience to be centered on the Holocaust as a whole. The museum however focused mostly on the Frank family and those who helped them hide in the annex. It was amazing to see such a well-preserved house from the 1940s especially one with so much historical significance. The Anne Frank House was the final meeting place for the Group’s Fault in Our Stars scavenger hunt. Although my group did not win the scavenger hunt it was still nice to explore the city and get betting bearings of where important landmarks are. Tomorrow the group will travel to Zaanse Schans, I am not sure what is in store for us there but I look forward to learning more about Amsterdam.