After another morning of bread, yogurt, and cheese, our group departed for de Tulperij, a family-owned tulip farm in Voorhout. Grown there are a variety of tulips for the purpose of selling their bulbs and stalks locally and nationally. A unique aspect of the farm is how it utilizes the environment of the Netherlands to optimize their agriculture. The use of sandy soil and the high groundwater level allows for the tulips to be naturally watered without using the energy or manpower needed to operate an outside water source. Then, to prevent flooding or oversaturation, excess water diverts into nearby canals. While Pennsylvania may not have the water levels or soil required to grow tulips in such a manner, it’s interesting to understand how the natural environment can be integrated into agriculture rather than working around it. Of all the flowers, my favorite was the feathery dark purple tulips displayed below(Judging from the amount grown to meet demands, I’m not the only one!)

Next stop after the beach and lunch was Schoonship, a neighborhood of docks and floating house boats in Amsterdam. The small community was formed from the plans of a small group to create sustainable housing that utilized water space—an important consideration considering the housing crisis faced in the Netherlands. A number of goals were implemented in order to ensure the houses could be considered sustainable: first, the materials of the house needed to be sustainable. While each home owner had plenty of freedom in their house design, they were limited to using sustainable materials—materials with a long lifespan or recyclability—and having a third of their roof as greenery. This could be deciding between wooden or aluminum windows or having a couple of plants vs an entire garden. Beyond the materials, the energy consumed by the entire grid of houses needed to at least match the amount of energy produced. This was seen in an abundance of solar panels and heat pumps that utilized water to heat and cool the buildings. The amount of thought and energy that was put into the neighbourhood, along with the scenery, make it out to be quite a lovely place to live. Plus, the houses were pet friendly with cats all over! 

Last stop was the EDGE company building for a presentation and tour. The real-estate company specializes in creating energy-efficient office buildings with a focus on humanity. On the humanity side, they use technology to control the environment to ensure the air quality and temperature fit the needs of each room. Additionally, a lot of their buildings utilize natural light, art, and plants, and when their EDGE building is not in use they allow it to be used by the community, such as the local orchestra. On the sustainability side, they follow Paris Proof standards(almost similar to LEED) and utilize solar panels to reduce the consumption and production ratio. After getting a chance to walk around two buildings built by this company, it was easy to see the focus on humanity in its architecture. Not a bad place to work!