Day: May 30, 2023

5/30/2023 – Ana Panday

Today we were able to visit various farms to witness firsthand the issues and potential solutions discussed during yesterday’s department meetings with National Pingtung University for Science and Technology. We first began in Xiangyang Vanilla Farm, where they implement agrovoltage, also known as agro-photovoltics, to provide energy for the vanilla farm. Agrovoltaics is designed to use less sunlight to yield the same amount of products, which increases the economic value of the crop. Xiangyang Vanilla Farm is a non-profit organization that grows vanilla for 8 months and processes them, via fermentation, for another 6 months until it is ready for sale. One of the three workers on the farm explained that for a long time land for farming was a large issue, but with government subsidies it has become less of an issue. A more current concern is the increasingly salinization of fresh water with the rising ground water, which is irreversible.

We then headed to Gangcai Wetland, another non-profit organization, where we saw one of two methods of raising the wetland structure above the ground. The other main structure are boathouses in Seattle, which are more expensive and require certain specific levels of water. The structure was built and powered with solar panels following the destruction of Typhoon Morakot in August of 2009.

After a lunch at the wetland, we went to an inland aquaculture known as, Wenfeng Seawater Supply Station, which supplies water for many family businesses pursuing aquaculture. At this location and the following fishery and electricity symbiosis, Wenfeng Energy Indoor Aquafarm, we saw large usage of PVC piping to supply and transport water. As previously mentioned in my May 26th post, PVC is a pervasive plastic polymer that is non-recyclable nor biodegradable. While the owner explained to us that the pipes are used for 50 years before recycled, it is still important to note that these pipes are not necessarily easy to recycle and can still become faulty before their full 50 year use and get discarded. Both locations also discussed the role of electrical companies and renewable energy to allow the pumping stations and aquafarms to function. The income from solar panel energy on the aquafarm was 3 million New Taiwan Dollars annually, however, the panels cost 27 million NT$ to install in the first place. In each of these locations we were able to understand and examine much of the information NPUST had provided us with from yesterday.

5/30/2023

Dear Diary:

Today we visited the Sahara Desert. I severely underestimated the insane heat that would bombard me from all sides. Here is my recount of the day.

Act 1 (50 calories):

Woke up this morning to a nice, cool room and headed downstairs to grab my daily two slices of bread and liquid. It is a hard day ahead in the mines, and I’m grateful that the company provides us bots with the proper nutrition to work tirelessly in the fields. Don’t worry, I savored each slice throughly.

Act 2 (Chocolate or Vanilla)

I’m a chocolate man. Or am I a Vanilla Man? The eternal debate that almost rivals Lebron vs Jordan. A guaranteed way to immediately start a fight in New York City. One thing I do know however is that the Vanilla farm that we visited had some absolutely banging vanilla buns. Oh and we also learned about more about the solar panels/water salination issues. But clearly the buns were more important. Vanilla Buns.

Act 3 (Death)

Guangcai Wetland? More like Guangcai Deathland. When I stepped off the bus I immediately knew that my time was up. It was inevitable. All I could ask was for the father to forgive me for my sins. I listened in on the informative talk about the solar panels and sustainability as I watched as death slowly approach me from afar. I closed my eyes and basked in the unbearable heat. It was a good life.

But just as he was about to take me, I was suddenly pulled back into the safe zone where I was handed lunch. Ah, but I can still see him watching me. Luckily he can’t enter past the line for I will live another day.

Act 4 (Fans)

As we arrived to the Wengfeng Seawater Supply Station, I nervously looked around for Death. Weirdly enough, I couldn’t see him in my Lambo, but as soon as I got off, it was apparent that I was not in the clear. As we learned about the Station and got a tour of the factory/facilities, I clutched my anti-death fans and shook them (quite literally) for my life. What we learned was super cool, but I wish everything else was super cool instead (get it? cuz it was hot). As I tried my best to stave off what seemed like the inevitable, I managed to clutch it out like Jordan in Game 6 and made it back to the Ferrari. One more stop. Come at me.

Act 5 (Shrimp Teriyaki)

Weichen Energy Indoor Aquafarm. Try saying that 10 times really fast. We arrived and immediately was put into a room where we had a nice information/conversation/question session with the owner. He had inherited that land from his stepfather. Notice how I’m not mentioning any of the details from before. This was because we had AC. I heard AC stands for “Another Chance” and it was what saved me from Death taking me away into the void.

Act 6 (Singing)

We sang on the bus. Everybody had great voices. Harmony and sound. End Scene

-Thanks for listening to me diary. It was a fun day. Weirdly, I never realized the Sahara Desert was in Taiwan. You learn something new everyday am I right?

-fin-

-Jay Chung