What a relaxing day we had 5/9! Today we took a walking tour of downtown Enschede’s water drainage systems lead by one of their own local civil engineers who works on this. Our lovely guide explained to us the Enschede is one of the few places in the Netherlands that is naturally above sea level…
Tag: Plus3 The Netherands
Tiptoeing Through Tulips – Day 3
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…
Say Cheese!!
Day 3 brought us the most social day of the trip. We started bright and early at 8 am with a bus ride to the Amsterdam countryside to view the old windmills used to boost the area into an agricultural powerhouse. The windmills were commonly used to make clogs, grind spices, and pump water. Using…
Cutting EDGE technology
Day 2 we had some amazing site visits. We started off early with the tulip farm. The owner of the farm took us on a tour and explained to us how the tulip industry in the Netherlands functions. Afterwards we visited a local beach and got the best fish of chips ever. The afternoon…
Plus3 & Me: Tulips Galore, Floating Homes, and More!
Day 3: After a much needed nights rest, I woke up to such a beautiful sunny day outside. I met the group for breakfast around 9:00 a.m. followed by departing for our first adventure via charter bus. At around 11:00 a.m. we arrived at “de Tulperij,” a tulip farm near Voorhout. This farm was just…
Canals Chocolate and Clothes
Once arriving in the Netherlands with very little sleep, we got right into our tours with a canal cruise around Amsterdam. We learned about how they regulate the water levels or move water through them using the lock and dam system. As we moved through the canals we got to see the many house boats…
Plus3 & Me: Days 1 & 2 in the Netherlands
Day 1: We safely arrived in the Amsterdam airport around 5:20 a.m. and headed for the hotel with our tour guide, Enno. We dropped our bags off, had breakfast, and started our day by taking the metro to “Centraal Station.” At 10:15, our canal tour started where we saw the beautiful architecture of downtown Amsterdam….
Day 1 + 2: Planes, Trains, and Trams (and Miffy)
Album of the Day (Listen while reading :3): Analphabetapolothology – caP’n Jazz (It’s a long album so here’s some specific songs to listen to: AOK, Ooh do I love you, Oh Messy life, Theme to “90210”) Yesterday (day 1) started early, with our flight landing around 5 am here in The Netherlands, having us…
Hallo! Waar zijn de stroopwafel?
Day 1 in the Netherlands done! We started off the day by winning the group scavenger hunt in a landslide. Then we stopped for lunch at and met some of the local crowd while we ate by the water. Afterwards we walked over to the Waterloo plein market and on to the Rijh Museum to…
Day 1: Locals are dogs
On the first day in the Netherlands, I learned a lot about their culture and sustainability. Today, we visited the House of Denim and learned how they manufacture jeans sustainably. One of the most interesting things I learned was about how they wash the jeans. They used to use punice rocks that were very rough…
Never Bored in The Netherlands!
Hello, my name is Cassandra Wheeles, and I’m from Lansdale, PA, a town near Philadelphia. I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering and planning to get a certificate in sustainability. At the University of Pittsburgh, I am a part of the Irish Step Dancing club and the Pitt Society of Women Engineers. Some of my favorite…
Preparing for the Netherlands
Hi, my name is Hayleigh Klan, and I am a first-year Civil Engineering student going on the Netherlands trip! I love to crochet, draw, and paint, but I am also learning how to knit and play the electric guitar. I am currently in the symphonic band here at Pitt and I previously did the marching…
Day 12: Koeien?!?
Today was our 12th and final day of the trip. We took a long train ride to the Floating Farm in Scheidam, which houses 26 cows in a 25×25 meter perimeter, floating atop the port. We first were given a presentation about the current climate crisis, and how the floating farm addresses some of these…
Mooving Toward the Future: Sustainability That Floats
Today, we explored two standout examples of sustainability and innovation in Rotterdam: the Floating Farm and RDM Rotterdam. Each, in its own way, offers a glimpse into how cities can adapt to climate change while rethinking how we grow, build, and live. Our first stop was the Floating Farm, a floating dairy facility docked in…
From Concrete Jungle to Rooftop Garden: A Sustainable Stop at DakAkker”
As part of our journey through the Netherlands, we visited DakAkker, one of the largest rooftop farms in Europe. Perched high above the streets of Rotterdam on top of the Schieblock building, DakAkker isn’t just a quirky green space—it’s a living, growing example of what urban sustainability can and should look like. What makes DakAkker…
Dams, Seals, and Storms—Oh My! A Day at the Delta Works
On Day 10 of our trip, we visited Delta Park—a fascinating blend of museum, aquarium, and coastal engineering hub. Though the weather kept us from enjoying the water slides, the real highlight was our tour of the Delta Works: a massive flood defense system that reflects the Dutch commitment to long-term sustainability and climate resilience….
Day 10: A Flood of Information
Today, we got on a private transfer bus super early at 8:20 AM to The Delta Works. The Delta Works is a series of dikes, flood barriers, and polders in Southwest Netherlands, built to protect the country from floods like the one in February of 1953, which killed 1800 people. The Netherlands is so low…
Day 9: Go Bolts!
Today we took a train to the famous technical institute, The University of Delft. The campus was beautiful, and we were first offered a tour of their Green Village, a part of the campus which has looser laws and regulations for permits to innovate. The space was full of innovations pertaining to sustainability, either made…
Day 8: Water Under the Bridge
Today we took a long bus ride to the Watersnoodmuseum in Ouwerkerk, one of the outer islands of The Netherlands. The name “Watersnood” translates to sever flooding, which is exactly what the museum was depicting. The museum is a commemoration to the sever floods that took place in the Netherlands in January and February of…
Going Green and Staying Keen: How TU Delft’s Green Village is Saving the Planet (One Brick at a Time)
Nestled within the campus of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), The Green Village is a pioneering living lab dedicated to sustainable innovation. It provides a real-world environment where researchers, students, and innovators develop and test sustainable technologies and practices. Here’s a closer look at some of the unique and impactful sustainability initiatives taking place…