Today was full of tours and activities that highlighted the sustainability of the Netherlands. First, we went to De Tulperij, which was a beautiful tulip field that uses sustainable practices. While most of the tulips had been cut in order to preserve the nutrients of the bulb, there were still many tulips left for us to see. We learned that tulips are an important part of the economy in this region and are shipped across the world. This was a very fun and beautiful experience that I’d love to see again someday.
Before our next main excursion, we took a detour to a beach! While we didn’t go in the water, it was nice being by the coast and getting some fried fish for lunch. Afterwards, we took a bus to Schoonship, which is a floating residential community that is a pioneer in sustainable development and eco-conscious living. This project was initially conceptualized in 2007, and at the time was seen as financially infeasible. Despite this, they put in hard work and built the homes in a very sustainable way- the materials they used are very sustainable due to either lasting long or from being reused/recycled. I loved walking through this area, because there was so much greenery, and it was cool hearing about ways that they’ve made the houses more sustainable, such as solar chimneys. Solar chimneys utilize convection of air that’s heated by solar energy that allows for natural ventilation.
We ended the day with an industry tour at the EDGE building. This was very interesting because the building was developed in a way that maximized daylight, utilized biophillic design, and ensured there was enough oxygen.
