Today was our last day in the Netherlands. We went to a floating farm, a warehouse of learning and business development, and finally, a nice farewell dinner. After a hotel breakfast and a short water taxi ride there, we toured the Rotterdam floating farm. We first got a short presentation about the farm and its creation. The presenter, a volunteer at the farm, explained about what the farm is, and the goals of the farm. The floating farm is a three-story building that floats in the water. The top story currently holds 26 cows that are fed from a conveyer belt and automatically milked by a milking robot. The middle floor is where some of the products from the farm are made, like the pasteurized milk, yogurt, buttermilk, and butter. In the bottom floor there were some plants being grown, and cheese was being aged. The tour guide spoke about how in the creation of the farm, they paid attention to the sustainability of the building. The farm has many solar panels, and collects a lot of rainwater for re-use. The farm has zero ammonia pollution, is climate adaptive saves land, and makes healthy food. The farm is a good concept, but the guide mentioned that they have not made any money yet. It is a difficult thing to make work well, but it shows that the concept is possible. It has the potential to be a great way of increasing the sustainability of the farming industry.
Our next stop was RDM. RDM is a warehouse that gives spots to companies and students to test out their ideas while also providing many tools and resources they can use. RDM doesn’t give money to those who take a spot there, but they can connect people with other companies or people with money who can become investors. The innovators at RDM always consider sustainability, and RDM cultivates a community in which people can work together and bounce ideas off each other.
An example of the problem solving and innovation that happens at RDM is the solution that some students came up with to handle the heating issues in the warehouse. RDM installed a large heated floor, but because of the high ceilings in the building, the heat rose to the top, so the people on the floor of the building were still cold. The students at RDM had the idea to make large air ducts that spanned from the ceiling to the floor so that they could suck the heat in at the top and push it down to the lower part of the building. One such vent is pictured below.
We saw many businesses and their areas where they create or test out their products at RDM. One example business is Coastruction. Coastruction is a company that focuses on 3D printing parts of coral reefs to aid in the restoration of damaged reefs. We saw several examples of their fake pieces of coral. Our guide explained that they are 3D printed using dry and wet sand so that they can make specific shapes of coral that make them seem real.
We left RDM and later had a nice farewell dinner as a group. This trip has been an amazing experience. From sustainability practices by companies to the culture and history of the Netherlands, I learned so much. I met some great people and made memories that I know will stay with me for a very long time. The Netherlands is a great place, and going on this Plus3 trip was a great idea.