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…
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Rotterdam’s Rooftop Gardens and More
One of our final days in Rotterdam highlighted some of the most sustainable urban practices we’ve seen on this trip so far. From countless rooftop community gardens that often sell to local businesses, to repurposing old building materials into new space, Rotterdam’s sustainable infrastructure is one of the best I’ve seen on this trip. One…
Seals and Storm Surge Barriers
Delta Works, a storm surge project located in Zeeland, highlighted our 10th day of exploring the Netherlands. Taking over 30 years to complete, the project with the intention to help cushion the impacts of storm surges on the coast and protect the coastal Dutch. The construction of the Delta Works system was promoted by the…
TU Delft Students for A Day
Today brought us to the campus of TU Delft, a Dutch university with a focus on sustainability. From walking around the campus’ Green Village we were able to identify many spots where both students and local groups could brainstorm and workshop different sustainable techniques in construction and infrastructure. One of the most prominent examples we…
Our Coastal Future: A Day at the Watersnoodmuseum (Flood Museum)
After a slower morning due to religious observations, we rolled into a transport to the Watersnoodmuseum, a scenic hour drive through the rural farmlands outside of Rotterdam spotted with cows and wind turbines. The museum itself was an insightful reminder of our false sense of control over mother nature and how we can only do…
Exploring The Hague: Rembrant, Beaches, and Noodles!
Our first day in The Hague gave us the full sights and sounds of the city. Taking a break from professional touring for the day because of the weekend, we took advantage of the sun and walked around both the historical and modern parts of the city. After taking the train to a new part…
Roadtrip to Rotterdam!
Day 6 brought us, full business casual clad, to the gates of Nouryon, a chemical production site whose Polymer Production site was centered in their Deventer location where we visited. After gearing up in lab coats, tied up hair and safety goggles, we were guided around the facility’s many environmental compliance, testing and experimental laboratories….
Saying Goodbye to Amsterdam
We also learned about the history of the church across the alley, the Westerkerk church. The reformed Protestant Calvinist church was a symbolic haven for Protestants from all around seeking to escape Spanish Catholic rule, and remains an active Protestant church to this day. We learned how the wealthy of the city, including names like…
Ducks, Ducks and more Ducks
Our next adventure brought us to the windmill district of Zaanse Schans, a quaint, windmill-ridden town ridden with picturesque views of canals, ducks, sheep and Henri Willig’s historic cheese farm. We noted how the company, at least the historic plant we visited, used sustainable practices when producing their cheese, such as maintaining the natural environment…
¡Bienvenidos a Costa Rica!
My first day in Heredia was hot and humid, with a touch of sleep deprivation. My expectations prior to arriving in Costa Rica was primarily based off of my experiences in Belize last summer. I assumed there would be a few major “highways” that were really just two-way streets with dirt roads branching off of…
Day 1 – Orientation/Exhaustion
My first impression of Milan was that it looked like any small American city in many ways. The main difference that I noticed first was the constant presence of scooters and bikes, which are not as common in the US. As we were told before we arrived, Italians also dress notably better than Americans on…
Day 6 – I think we did everything in Florence today…
My feet were very unhappy about all the activity of today, however, I was happy to experience business models that stood in opposition to those we have previously explored on this trip. Our first visit was to the Florentine leather school, which started as a way to impart trade knowledge onto WWII orphans but has…
Truly Torrential
Today will be hard to beat. We went to the town of Como, which was very different from Milan. It is a center for textile manufacturing, which explains our visit to Mantero Seta SpA, a family-owned silk company that does nearly everything from design to screen printing and Inkjet printing for brands including Calvin Klein,…