Greenhouse Greatness
We started today with our first long bike ride to the town of Naaldwijk. Once there we recharged from our 15-kilometer ride at the market and some hot stroopwafle.
We also tried some fresh raw herring, loved by some members of the group and not as appreciated by others.
After our lunch we toured the greenhouses of Decorum Plants. Utilizing 4 hectares of space to grow flowers in the state-of-the-art high-tech greenhouse Decorum Plants yields over 3.5 million flower plants per year. They achieve high yields by using scanners and cameras that read each plant every 24 hours to asses the needs of the humidity, light, heat, water, and much more of the plant. Based on this information the plants are categorized and grouped using a conveyor system. We were lucky enough to see the plants being sorted by the system.
One short coffee break later we went to Tomato World. Here we learned all about sustainability within tomato production. The special soil is recycled to make bricks! After gearing up in lab coats and other protective articles we went in to see how the over 80 different types of tomatoes are grown using much less water and resources than a traditional farm. Many students’ favorite part of the day was tomato tasting. Bellies full of tomatoes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and tastes, we biked home to process and digest the days events.
- School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
- Study Abroad
- Civil Engineering
- Environmental Studies
