Yesterday was our final full day in the Netherlands and what a way to end it! I woke up at 7:45 to shower and get breakfast to be ready by 8:15. We then took the tram to the Floating Farm, a dairy farm that floats in the old port of Rotterdam.

We were taken inside for a quick presentation about the company and what they do. They are an extremely sustainable company. Firstly, they take up little land as they are floating on water, they provide a large percentage of their own energy through solar panels they own, they collect rainwater which is then used to hydrate their cows and plants that they grow. They are extremely efficient when it comes to getting the most out of everything. For example, they recycle their cows waste, filtering urine to get more water that can again be used on plants or the animals. They also put the manure through a process that turns it into a solid product. This product has been sold to companies which use it as a sustainable resource for many things, including bricks which they are trying to use to build houses. Additionally, they take food waste from the city and use it to feed their cows. Every decision the floating farm makes shows how conscious they are of the fragility of the environment. It also has to be said how humanely they treat their animals: none of the cows go into the meat industry, they all have their own beds to sleep on, and there’s a grassy area to roam when safe. PETA can’t say anything about this farm. We were then shown around the farm before taken into their small and local store. I bought some milk which was definitely creamier than US milk but not all too different. Their cheeses were also delicious along with their buttermilk. I found it interesting how this store initially was never in the farms plans. Yet with covid every small business had to adjust to survive and the Floating Farm did just that. They had an idea of selling their own, and other small businesses goods, in an on site store, providing another source of income. They realized that since it was such a local target market they could not have a large store or else their products would go bad. Their main source of income was still B2B but they added a B2C source of income as well. I then went back to the hostel so that I could pack my bags for our departure today.

After a couple of hours of rest we took a metro before hopping on the bus heading to RDM, or Rotterdam Dry-docks Society in English. RDM is a very interesting former shipyard which is extremely innovative. Here, the port authority rents out spaces in the dry docks to sustainable companies and even InHolland. It is an extremely interesting area seeing the equipment and layout of what was a former shipyard which has now been renovated with classrooms, labs, and other working areas. In the areas not used by InHolland the port authority rents storage areas to companies. However, the one qualification to rent these areas is that the companies must agree with RDM’s values: sustainability, clean energy, and suiting the environment safely. If they do then RDM is extremely willing to rent to you, even giving some extremely small companies free rent if they have faith in the product. Reductions in the costs helps start ups to get by as the first two years are always especially hard. This aid supports innovation and helping the environment. There were multiple companies with very futuristic ideas, one of which being the Hardt Hyperloop. Our tour guide believes that in 10 years the hyperloop, a magnetic form of transportation in a vacuumed tube, will be the dominant form of transportation. Another company called Coastruction uses 3d printers and sand to create reefs that the local bacteria will attach to, revitalizing coral reefs all around the world. These were just a few of the many sustainable companies in the dry-docks. After the tour of RDM we went back to the hostel.

We had our farewell dinner at 7:30 which was a little sad as I have met so many great people on this trip. I have made many new friends and memories that will last me a lifetime. I am extremely appreciative of this opportunity and hope to go abroad again sometime soon. I would like to thank Frank, Dr. Bursic, and the university for making this all possible and I can’t wait for what the future holds. Hopefully a semester abroad in London…