We had a late start today, so I escaped the hotel breakfast in exchange for some local bagels. Afterwards, we headed to the tram station to visit a floating farm. This farm is located about 10 minutes from central Rotterdam. It is home to a herd of 26 cows, who live on a structure floating on the harbor. The benefit of the floating farm is that it requires little space on land and therefore can be located closer to a major city. This reduces travel time from the food source to the customers.
I think today’s floating farm tour was the best example of a circular economy we have seen so far. Our tour guide went in depth on each step of production and showed how every part was sustainably sourced. For example, the cows are fed with a mixture of grass and food waste from local supermarkets. The supermarkets benefit because they don’t have to pay for waste disposal and the food waste creates more food, instead of being burned in a landfill. We also discussed what is done with the waste from the farm. The cows’ urine is treated to remove ammonia and then can be used to water crops and gardens. They also use the cows’ manure to create fertilizer pellets that can be sold to local farms. Overall, I was impressed by the floating farm’s commitment to reducing waste and using energy sustainably.
After the floating farm tour, we visited RDM, which is a working space for technical students and startup companies. We got to see many projects that sustainable startups are working on, including my favorite, Coastruction, which 3D prints the base of coral reefs so that dying reefs have an anchor to build on. Our tour of RDM also showed the working spaces for university and technical students that allow them to collaborate with each other and the companies working next door. Tonight, we had a lovely farewell dinner at the Bazar Restaurant and enjoyed Middle Eastern kebabs and rice.
Thursday 5/22/2025