Today was our final day in Rotterdam and of our Netherlands Plus 3 adventure! For our last day, we started off the day by visiting Floating Farms and their floating cow and vegetable farms in one of Rotterdam’s port harbors. We learned about how Floating Farm, a volunteer-run group funded by private environmental investors, is aiming at addressing the three major challenges in feeding people: massive population growth, increased urbanization, and climate change affecting crops due to heavy rainfall and dry spells. Starting construction in 2018, the farm floats on top of the water in the Merwe harbor, anchored to the ground with large poles that allow the platform to sway up and down with the rise and fall of the tides. The platform’s three levels consist of a top level acting as the cowshed for the 26 cows on board, the middle acting as the production lab where dairy products are processed and made, and the bottom level underwater acting as a grow lab for plants under artificial light. Additionally, roughly 60% of the platform’s energy comes from solar panels floating in the water nearby as well as a vertical wind turbine. There are also rainwater collectors that can filter rainwater to be used for animals and plants. Given that cows are not considered a very sustainable animal, Floating Farms has devised a way to collect and separate cow urine and droppings in order to filter the urine to be used as plant fertilizer and process the droppings to be used as floor tiling, dried pellets for fertilizer, and stones for construction. Why, then, is Floating Farms located so close to the city? We were told that for every 1 kg of food on your plate, it took over 15 km to get it there from transportation costs. This can produce large amounts of carbon emissions and be harmful to the environment. Floating Farms’ solution is simply to move the source of quality dairy and vegetable goods closer to the consumers to decrease that variable carbon footprint.
Our last company visit of the trip was RDM, an innovation hub where, according to their website, “…over sixty innovative companies, vocational and higher technical education and high-quality testing and research facilities”. This model is very good for startup companies who have very good ideas, but may not have the space or funding for the project. RDM is selective about who they allow to use their resources and space, interviewing potential groups about the quality of their energy transmission, raw materials transmission, and intention of their product furthering the safety and productivity of RDM. That being said, RDM is home to some incredible groups who are working on truly sustainable and innovative projects, with over 65% of them being groups not from the Netherlands. One of these groups is Coastruction, a women-led team using sustainable materials to create artificial coral reef bases on which natural coral reefs can build and aquatic ecosystems can thrive in. They use 3D printing technology to create models and source the materials locally to the intended area so that they are recognized by local wildlife. Another group is Paebbl, a construction group who is working on a cement replacement made with olivine, ground up and mixed with water. This material looks and functions just like concrete, but is found naturally all over the world and is an incredible absorbent material for CO2. Once perfected, this alternative would be an incredible and sustainable alternative to concrete, which has a high carbon footprint, as well as a large absorber of the excess CO2 we have created.
Overall, this trip has been an enriching experience in both my understanding of sustainable practices as well as my enthusiasm for incorporating such practices into my own lifestyle habits. Seeing real-world examples of sustainability in action made the concept feel more tangible and achievable. It has inspired me to take small, consistent steps toward reducing my environmental footprint in everyday life.