Today was the last full day of the course! We started the day off at the Palau Aquarium, where we looked around at various exhibits, which had information about mangroves, reefs, invasive species, and more. We also saw even more sea creatures in the tanks.
Then Bruno, who works at the aquarium, taught us about giant clam propagation. Afterward, Cinzia discussed with us her experiments with coral propagation, density, and resilience.
Next stop was the waste treatment plant, where recycling and repurposing is in full swing. The plastics collected around the state of Koror are used to produce biodiesel. This fuel is used to produce part of the electricity needed to run the rest of the facility. The plant also repurposes glass bottles by using them for glass blowing to create creating beautiful jewelry, dishes, sculptures, and, more. Mr. Fuji, the manager of the Solid Waste Management Office/Belau Eco-Glass Center, explained to us the processes of turning the things we throw away into something new.
We headed back to PCC for lunch and a presentation by Jason Johnson about a fungus that is killing one of the local tree species. He explained the process he has gone through in figuring out what the fungus might be and how it is being spread around.
Next, some of us headed to the beach for one last dip. Meanwhile, Mica and Reid worked with those at the PCC dining hall (Gurney, Chermang, Sean, Didil, and Lee) to prepare the tapioca that they harvested on Monday.
We finished off the day with a group dinner at Drop Off Bar and Grill. Everyone had a fun time and ate great food!
Today’s blog post was written by Gary Esvelt and Emma Schnabel
