Today, the first thing we learned at 6:00 am was how different a European breakfast was, as the hotel loaded us up with a cucumber sandwich and paprika chips. It was a comical way to start such an early day, and definitely helped to wake us all up. The reason we got up so early was to visit Royal FloraHolland, the largest trading platform for flowers and plants. Their factory opens at 6 am, where the workers are transporting flowers all over the factory based on the ongoing auction. There is no set time when the auction closes and the workers are done, but rather just when all of the flowers for that day are gone, which is usually around 11 or 11:30 am. The process of selling the flowers has to be fast, as they are a fresh product that need to be distributed quickly. The auction is a well-oiled machine, and can take place in an auction room on-site or from anywhere in the world using the 100 year-old auction clock. The price starts high and when a buyer wants to purchase they bid on it, and then the flowers are transported to them! This company has had years of experience, and have found ways to make the process more sustainable, like making it as efficient as possible with little to no waste, having rechargeable machines that allow the workers to move quickly around the warehouse, and quality control.
The tour of FloraHolland ended a little early so we had some extra time to explore the NDSM area, which was near our next stop, Schoonschip. We were led on a tour by two residents and learned about how Schoonschip was created and maintained. It is a floating community on a canal that incorporates numerous sustainable practices like recycled materials, solar panels, and using batteries inside to manage the electricity. They are all connected, which allows for a strong community to develop while still not being considered a commune. The houses are on top of (recycled) cement bases, and poles are hammered into the ground of the canal to allow for the structures to move with the surface of the water. They try to grow a lot of their own food to be as self sustaining as possible, although this has proven to be hard especially for larger families. It is the first community like this in the world, and they tend to use 1/8 of the amount of electricity as the average neighborhood!
After our tour, Dr. Kurtzmann and Dr. Dukes treated us to a delicious lunch at Pllek, the biggest, greenest restaurant in Amsterdam. I decided to get the wild boar burger, which I ended up heavily enjoying alongside a few others. Pllek focuses on high quality ingredients that are as local as possible, making the food not only delicious but also nutritious and economical! After lunch, the group split up for various adventures in the afternoon to explore more of this beautiful city!
