Our day started with breakfast at the hotel as we prepared to go visit a cheese manufacturer and learn about the process of producing cheese.

After a demonstration was given, we were free to explore the area, so we did. The agricultural techniques and use of renewable energy was extremely striking. An interesting agricultural technique we saw was the placement of crops below sea level. This is a result of the land the crops were planted on being reclaimed from the water. This seems to have a huge benefit of making irrigation far easier, the power of gravity can be used to irrigate the crops, instead of man-made energy. Additionally, the farm seemed extremely sustainable with many windmills powering it. Interestingly, many people who argue against wind power cite noise pollution as a reason, but these windmills were extremely quiet – to the point you didn’t even hear them. They also have over 1700 solar panels on their premises. The difference in elevation and some of the windmills can be seen in the video below.

After leaving the cheese manufacturer, we headed to Zuiderzeemuseum, a museum devoted to preserving cultural history of the old Zuiderzee region. This historical site held re-enactments of life when fishing was the driving force of society. Interestingly, man-made intervention changed the culture of this region. After the dyke blocking off this region from the North Sea was built, the water turned from salt to fresh water. This meant that the fishermen were no longer able to fish due to the environmental change / damage caused by the bridge building. We were also able to see their old way of generating electricity by shoveling coal into a furnace. This method of energy production stands in stark contrast to the current sustainable methods of energy production seen in at the cheese manufacturer such as windmills. Additionally, the land that we stood on, in this town, is actually mostly reclaimed from the water, which is a large engineering feat.