Fenix Food Factory

Fenix Food Factory is located within the Katendracht neighborhood of Rotterdam. It sources independent chefs, brewers, and craftsmen to fill up booths in their facility to create a unique market experience. My friends and I took a water taxi over there one day to check it out. 

At an initial glance, I thought it was a pretty cool place. With small kitchens or shops to buy from and various styles of seating arrangements, I could understand why people would enjoy going. But that is not the same feeling I had throughout.

 It could have been the time of day, but we were the only ones there, and not many of the businesses inside were open. I also then began to take the whole neighborhood into account and could recognize that this was a very gentrified location. This was made apparent from signage about the history of Katendracht, with its information on its immigration relations and economic activities, to the sheer amount of vegan shops and fancy apartment buildings around. 

Fenix Food Factory just felt like another attempt to change the landscape of the neighborhood towards something 'worth' investing in. 

What the outdoor area looked like at Fenix Food Factory 

A sign on construction fencing directly across from Fenix Food Factory highlighting some history of the neighborhood

Heat Waves and Air Conditioning

 

While being in the Netherlands and learning about their innovations from dikes to sand engines to the stock market, I have become aware that they are leading the pack when it comes to finding new and creative solutions to problems that they face. So while being here during a heatwave, I raised some questions about their approach to a problem. 

The Netherlands does not have central air conditioning in most buildings. Mostly because they haven't needed it as the country maintains a cool temperature even during the summer months. However, climate change may be pushing the Dutch for yet another change. Heat waves are becoming increasingly common across Europe causing problems for all who have to deal with them. In Rotterdam, a multi-day-long heat wave struck the country and I saw how bad this issue is firsthand. Multiple days in a row, the temperature rose to nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which is very abnormal weather for this area. This heat was further exacerbated by the lack of rainfall over the weeks prior. 

Coming from the southern United States, I am used to heat of this temperature but without certain measurements in place, I struggled. Living in a small room with other students, large windows, and no air conditioner was nearly impossible. With no air circulation in our room and essentially being in a greenhouse, our hostel room temperature rose to a point where it was unbearable. Even immediately after taking a cold shower we would be profusely sweating. It was very hard to sleep in there every night as I honestly felt like I was suffocating in the stagnant dry heat. 

I spent my days during the heatwave sitting outside, quite literally trying to survive. With no air conditioning in the buildings, I found it odd how being outside was the coolest place I could find during intense heat. After the country issued heat protection protocols, not much changed. The hostel then provided a fan in the lobby and a water pitcher that was filled with ice water. That is all the relief we could get. 

So why haven't air conditioning units become more common in the Netherlands as it is increasingly becoming a need? It is not like this country does not have the infrastructure or the money to be able to install such units. Through some research, I have come to the conclusion that this is one step of climate change that the residents of this country have a hard time accepting. They don't want to deal with the process of installing it, maintaining it, and paying for it when it is not a dire necessity most times of the year. 

But in terms of hotels, hostels, and gathering spaces like museums or restaurants, I think this has become necessary as they are catering to large amounts of people. Some apartment complexes will allow tenants to install air conditioner units in their windows if they do not face the street, which would ruin the aesthetic of the building otherwise. This limits the number of people that can safely exist within their homes when intense heat hits. 

This country has the infrastructure to combat certain aspects of climate change. If they can maintain their complex dike systems, surely they can install central air conditioning to combat intense heat. They have innovated their way through so much already so it leaves me perplexed as to why they are resistant to a relatively simple change. 

Spent my days reading in the shade by the water trying to stay cool 

It was so hot my candy bar melted after being outside for a couple minutes!

Big Chains Undergoing Protein Transition

After seeing positive feedback in trial runs, McDonald's has decided to introduce the McPlant burger to their menus across the Netherlands. Made from beyond meat, this is a significant switch for the meat-based company. Along with the McPlant, they have also introduced and left other meatless items on the menus like veggie McChickens and McWraps. 

This is part of a larger movement in the Netherlands called eiwittransitie, or protein transition. In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, the Netherlands has begun looking for alternative, plant-based, protein sources. While McDonald's hasn't used insects or seaweed like some other Dutch food innovators, the use of beyond meat in their stores nationwide is still a huge feat in this diet transition. Mcdonald's also attempted to bring the McPlant to the United States but canceled the trial after reports of low sales. It seems as if the Dutch are more willing to accept protein alternatives than Americans.                                                                                 McPlant burger and its green packaging

Meeting with Delft Grad Students

 On June 8th, 2023 I attended a meeting with graduate students at Delft Technical University to learn more about their research. I was interested to see if they shared a similar headspace to what I hold, where there is so much to do with so little time. I often get overwhelmed by this perplexity. These four grad students, from all over the world, shared with me what they are passionate about and why. Whether it be the dijk systems in The Netherlands, the process of reclaiming land in Flevoland, or undoing the effects of colonization, they were passionate about their efforts in hopes of creating real change. What I found more inspiring was learning that they share the same worries as me, but know that if they do nothing, things won't ever change. Standing behind their work, they opened doors of possibility for me that I had previously closed off. Coming from a smaller geography department, it was almost comforting to have these intellectually riveting conversations about the systems in place and how we, as geographers, do hold a significant role in it. This field is a lot like a salmon swimming upstream to me. With the current world operating in a way against what I believe in, I have to find my voice and continue to swim upstream. No change will happen if I don't try.

A green roof over the library on campus. 

Space as a Resource: Bovenop Zuid

  

           The biggest resource the Netherlands uses is its unique perception of space. There is no area too big or too small for something useful to take place.  An example of this is the rooftop art installation on top of  Winkelcentrum Zuidplein, a large indoor mall.  Open for people to walk through the whole month of June, I got the opportunity to volunteer for them and learn more about this project. The floorplan of the mall is huge, leaving lots of open space unused on the roof. But what could that space be used for? Are rooftops the future of innovation?

            That's what the organizers think. One of the goals of this rooftop walk was to show people the possibilities of future cities if rooftops were taken into consideration as usable space. With the help of over 50 artists, the boxy structures on top of the mall were transformed into a collaborative art exhibit highlighting unity within diversity. A 950-meter-long yellow path leads people through this immersive exhibit. The location I was positioned in was at the top of a staircase, connecting various rooftops together. Some people took a break from the walking path and stopped to sit on the bench next to me which gave me the opportunity to learn more from them. One woman I talked to flat-out told me that she doesn't care about the art and was just excited to walk across rooftops. The art was the incentive for people to get onto the roof and see the possibilities that could shape their future. She obviously was incentivized by the roof itself.

This is the view from the rooftop.

Incentivized Sustainability Projects In The Netherlands

 

            The Netherlands is the premier place for a college student to study sustainability efforts. This country is lengths ahead of others at recognizing a possible issue and coming up with creative ways to innovate out of trouble. What I didn't know before coming out here though was that sustainability is at the heart of all citizens too. The Dutch act as a collective, operating under similar values and interests and working together towards achieving solutions. In my two short weeks here so far, I have seen many examples of the Dutch working together to overcome climate, cultural, and economic hardships. There are two projects, in particular, I want to focus on for this assignment, both of which focus on creating a cleaner environment with less litter and human-produced waste in it. 

            Trashurehunt is located on Scheveningen Beach in Den Haag. As someone who grew up on the beach, I have seen just how much human-produced trash finds its way into the water. I was delighted to see that the Dutch recognize this issue as well, knowing that their country is completely penetrable by waterways, and care enough about it to do something. This trash hunt incentivizes beachgoers to pick up trash when they see it. They can then bring the waste to a central location, by the pier, where the Trashurehunt Adventure Game Table is located. Here, the trash is organized into categories, and participants are awarded 'hero points' for their correct disposal. While I'm mostly confident that there is no physical prize for picking trash up off the beach, this interactive table is incentive enough. 

            Different materials are awarded different numbers of hero points, for example, bottle caps are 5 points, facemasks are 10, and glass bottles or shards are 20. Putting the materials into clear bins or containers in a central location helps show people that their small efforts are part of a larger program. They are more inclined to participate because they can see the bigger picture, that they are helping keep their environment clean. This continues with levels being awarded by how many hero points someone has received. It even goes on into a ranking, where the lowest rank is a matroos, or sailor, and the highest being kapitein, or a captain. 

            Another project focuses on one specific kind of waste: plastic cups. I learned about this initiative at Rotterdam Pride. Upon entrance to the event, volunteers handed each person a wooden token. This, in and of itself, is made entirely out of previously recycled materials. This token is the key to keeping cups from being littered. When buying a drink at the bar, your token is exchanged for your cup. This then becomes your one cup for the event or evening. When empty or in need of another drink, you simply bring your empty cup to the bar, and your drink will be made and served to you in that same cup again. If you throw away or lose your cup, the bar will charge you extra for your next drink as you now have to cover the cost of a new cup as well. This initiative limits plastic waste by limiting all event-goers to one cup, with a penalty, a one-euro charge, for requiring a new cup. 

            At events I've been to previously in the United States, it is typical to throw away your cup when it is empty and the bar will serve you with a new one. This creates a lot of waste though. For example, if Rotterdam Pride had a total of 1,000 people at it, the goal is to only use 1,000 cups. If they didn't push for reusing the cups and everyone got 3 drinks, you are looking at upwards of 3,000 cups being thrown away at the end of the night. Charging eventgoers for a new cup every time they do not return their previous one incentivizes them to participate in this project as I'm sure they don't want to be spending extra money if they don't have to. They also state that if at any point you don't want to hold onto your empty cup, you can bring it up to the bar in exchange for another wooden token, allowing them to turn that in for their next drink, cup free of charge. While this limits how effective limiting the number of cups being used, it prevents the plastic from being littered on the ground and winds up in one of the Netherlands' many waterways. I didn't see many people choose to do this though, and saw more people dancing with their empty cups in hand.  Originally, I thought this initiative was Pride-specific, but after talking to my other classmates who have attended other large-scale events during our time here, this seems to take place at event venues nationwide. 

            Overall, I am pleased to see how willing Dutch citizens are to participate in programs designed to help keep their country clean. This is credited to their values towards acting in unison, as a collective, to best achieve their shared goals. These small projects speak volumes about the agreed way of life here in the Netherlands. It is a stark difference between how the Dutch and how Americans view sustainability efforts. 

Figure 1: Trashurehunt table on Scheveningen Beach 

Figure 2: Wooden token received upon entrance into Pride 

Figure 3: Sign at Pride outlining how the token/cup system works 

Haagsemarkt: Tensions Between Local Economy and Globalization

          Haagsemarkt in Den Haag is most definitely a very cool market to check out. Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of every week, this market fills a town square and is an impressive feat to look at. Hundreds of booths fill the space and spill out into the small walkways between. Vendors sell anything from produce to clothing to household items and novelties. But can Haagsemarkt be considered a local farmers market? I'm not sure.

          The Netherlands emerged as an agricultural powerhouse when the country figured out how to produce crops with efficiency. The Dutch have become masters at high food productivity within a small space. The Netherlands is the world's second-largest produce exporter behind the United States, a major feat when considering the size difference between the two countries. With flat lands, a temperate climate, and soil rich from its waterways, they are set up with favorable conditions. Adding in the realm of technological advancements and globalization, the Netherlands has capitalized on this money maker.

          This changed everything. Up until then, the agricultural sector was dominated by local farmers tending to and selling crops produced on their property. A family's excess produce would be sold in town markets, like Haagsemakrt, but would not be their main focus of food growth. Their main focus still being to sustain themselves and their livestock to live self-sufficient lives. With mass agricultural production taking place at larger rates, there is even more food to go around, but probably less land for local families to live off. Additionally, globalization and colonization have brought an influx of diversity to the Netherlands in order to meet the demands of these citizens, new varieties of produce and goods are being sold in the market square, not all of which can be grown in these conditions.

          In all honesty, I did not talk to the produce vendors at the market as they were constantly being swarmed with people wanting to make purchases. With that said, I find it hard to believe that all of these fruits and vegetables were organically produced by family farms in the countryside. It seems way more plausible that city residents make bulk purchases from these larger producers at a discounted price, and bring that produce to the town market to sell.

          Haagsemarkt is definitely a market but misses some key factors for me to consider it local. About half of the vendor stalls sold something other than produce or food entirely. This is a place for locals to get supplies they need for their own homes but isn't necessarily the kind of market where tourists would buy souvenirs. In fact, there was more clothing hanging up that was branded with American cities than clothing advertising Den Haag or the Netherlands.

          With the sheer amount of products up for sale at this market each day, the context of a 'locals' farmer market falls off. It appears as though the market culture changed from farmers selling their surplus to city folk selling to make money for themselves. I credit the switch to the larger-scaled switch in the agricultural business of the Netherlands as a whole. While the Dutch certainly have figured out how to mass-produce fruits and vegetables, there are far too many people coming to this market to meet demands. It is not uncommon to see 'exotic' foods not mass-produced within the country to be sold. While Haagsemarkt is a great market and a must-do experience in Den Haag, globalization, colonization, and mass production do not allow it to be considered a local farmers market.

    

                                                Figure 1: Produce being sold at Haagsemarkt

                                

                                            Figure 2: Crowded walkway through vendor stalls