Today was one of the later start days of this study abroad, as after breakfast, we left around 10:15 to begin our day.  After taking public transportation, we spent some time at the Floating Farm.  Floating Farm is an initiative that began over a decade ago with the goal of creating water/floating farms, including livestock and vegetables, that are resistant to water damage.  During the presentation, our presenter discussed aspects of the floating farm, such as the feed they give to cattle, incorporating stale bread and orange peels (food waste).  This made me think about the sustainability concept of the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle), as mixing this food waste into the animal feed reduces the overall waste that goes into landfills and new food products needed for the animals, thus, especially in the United States, where fossil fuels are heavily used, would reduce CO2 emissions through less fuel needed for both processes.

After the Floating Farm, we boarded a boat and arrived at the other side of the port.  While there, we grabbed lunch as a whole group before heading for the RDM building.  The RDM building, a partnership between the Rotterdam Port Authority and Rotterdam University, holds a wide variety of technology workshops and “makerspaces” for students, while offering space for companies.  Not only did we get to see the student section, but we also toured the company section, seeing startups and more established companies like Ampelmann, which creates self-stabilizing platforms for ships and is currently working on a delivery service for people on offshore wind turbines.  While touring these companies, our guide discussed how, for some young startups, if they reflect their core beliefs enough, they are willing to offer them space rent-free for the time being, as the RDM building serves as an “investment for the future.”  This discussion, along with the country’s widespread implementation of renewable energy and other factors, has enabled me to see that in the Netherlands, many people tend to have a very forward-thinking mindset.

Once the tour concluded, a small group, including me, departed for the shopping center close to the hotel.  After arriving, we spent some time walking around until the mall closed at 6.  Around that time, I got dinner and returned to my hotel.  Overall, today gave me the opportunity to learn more about the industry surrounding Rotterdam.