Our final day brought us lots of fun and meaningful experiences. We began at the Floating Farm, the first and only floating farm in the world! Upon arrival, we attend a presentation on the global challenges our planet is facing and how the Floating Farm is trying to combat them. With a population of over 8 billion people on the planet, increasing urbanization, and the effects of climate change, traditional food production is under extreme pressure. The Floating Farm was created to produce food closer to urban areas in a sustainable way.
The farm has 3 levels: the cowshed, the production center, and the basement. The cowshed houses the cows, the production center is where the products are made, and the basement is where the cheese is store and vegetables are grown. The cows are free to decide if they want to be on the floating platform or if they want to graze on land.
By placing the farm on water, it allows the farm to be much closer to the city, thus reducing the need for long distance transportation. When transportation is needed, the Floating Farm uses electric vehicles. They also emphasize sustainability with their energy and water usage. An array of floating solar panels supplies 60-65% of their power. Additionally, they collect and filter rainwater from the roof to give to the cows. The cow’s food is also sustainable. The cows eat a mixture of grass and local food returns from supermarkets and beer grains. This limits the amount of local food waste produced!
Finally, the Floating Farm is trying to limit their ammonia pollution, which is an increasing challenge with farming. To minimize their pollution, they use a robot that collects the cow waste. The waste is separated and recycled. Urine is filtered and used to water plants, and the solid waste is turned into fertilizer pellets or biobased products. All in all, it’s reassuring to see a farm so committed to innovation and sustainability.
After our time at the Floating Farm, we ventured off to RDM. RDM was once the largest shipyard in the Netherlands, but it was transformed into an innovation and technology hub. The facility is divided into two main sections- one for education and one for business. The education side focuses on students getting the opportunity to collaborate with professionals and apply their academic knowledge in practical and impactful ways. On the other hand, the business section offers space to small startup businesses. The businesses often partner with the education institutions onsite which create a unique ecosystem of innovation and collaboration.
To end our final day, we had a farewell dinner followed by a fun karaoke session. It’s hard to believe we’re leaving the Netherlands tomorrow. It feels like just yesterday I was running around my house finalizing packing for the trip, and now I am packing up my hotel room to go home. This trip has been an incredible experience- one that I will never forget.