The Unreal Reality that is Sardinia

The end of this week was extremely eventful! Starting on Wednesday night, we all went to Republik in the hopes of seeing Eli and Dylan play on stage. Unfortunately, they did not end up playing, but plenty of other good artists came on and everyone had a great time per usual. Luckily, we were able to sleep in on Thursday morning before classes started in the afternoon. After a lazy morning, we all hiked up the hill and went to class. On top of Annalisa's lectures, we were visited by Aldo who gave us a lecture on hydrogen recovery as well as providing us with tiramisu. I'm pretty sure that was the first time I have ever had tiramisu and I have to say that it was pretty tasty. After Thursday classes wrapped up, we did work, went out to dinner, and got packed up for the away trip.

Starting on Friday morning, we boarded the bus and headed for our first stop, The Museo Della Vita E Delle Tradizioni Popolari Sarde in Nuoro. Here, we learned about the traditional costumes and dresses that people from Sardinia wear for various occasions such as weddings, ceromonies, and carnival-esc parades. It was interesting to see how intricate the costumes were and it was also interesting to see how heavy the costumes were fabric wise. I couldn't really imagine wearing any of them in the heat of this island. I was also happy to note that we were not at any of the festivities where these costumes were worn due to the fact that it sounded like the people come after you harassing you in various ways. After the museum, we went to the Church of Santa Maria Della Solitudine. The story behind the church and the famous Sardinian author was fascinating. It takes some real courage to do what she did and go against the grain, especially at such a young age. Once we were done visiting Nuoro, we went up meet with the shepherds for lunch. We ate a variety of cheeses and meets and all around it was a pretty solid lunch (With the exception of the firewater). While lunch wrapped up and Eli was off being harassed by older women, the shepherds performed and danced with us. As if our day wasn't eventful enough, we went over to Orgosolo to look at some of the art that was all over the buildings. The whole town was a pretty interesting place...if there wasn't something painted on the walls, it was filled with gunshots. I also finally bought some knives as souvenirs for my dad and grandpa there so it was definitely a productive trip. Finally, after a full day, we headed up to our final destination of Hotel Enis Monte Maccione to eat dinner and crash.

Come Saturday morning, some of the group and myself woke up at 5:00 am to hike the mountain and watch the sunrise (I missed out on the hike the day before because I was playing with the world's cutest kitten). We got to the top of the mountain and the view was pretty breathtaking. One good view led into the next as we departed for the Gulf of Orosei. We boarded the boat and headed for the Grotte del Bue Marino. I'm a secret geology nerd so adventuring into the ocean-side cave was extremely awesome. After the cave, we spent the rest of the afternoon, going from beach to beach and enjoying the crystal clear water. There's not many words that can describe the beauty of the beaches and water. I don't think anyone wanted to leave when the final boat came to come pick us up.  After the beach, we got back to Cagliari and returned to normality. Overall, this weekend was incredible and I know I will take away memories that I will never forget. 

 The Museo Della Vita E Delle Tradizioni Popolari Sarde in Nuoro displaying a traditional costume where a shepherd dresses as a sheep.

The front of the church door in Nuoro, Church of Santa Maria Della Solitudine. "Grazie Nardada"

 Lunch with the shepherds

 Orgosolo

 Cutest cat ever

 Monte Maccione

Monte Maccione

Grotte del Bue Marino 

Cala Luna

Cala Mariolu

Chillin' and Landfillin'

In the past three days since my last blog post, we have completed our first project and visited a sanitary landfill as another one of our technical visits!  Having the first project done is a huge relief and now I can continue to focus on the work ahead.  Overall I feel as though our group did well on the presentation and report and I'm totally stoked about it.  I loved my group but I'm also looking forward to working with new people and getting to know everyone a bit better.

On Tuesday the group and myself visited a sanitary landfill and co-generation plant operated by Ecoserdiana.  This was the first time that I have ever visited an operational landfill so it was extremely cool to see the work that was going on.  The area was comprised of six different landfills the majority of which had been closed and one of which was in use.  The one in use is specifically for designated waste as well as the fly ash and bottom ash from the waste to energy facility that we visited earlier in the trip.  The landfill no longer accepts municipal solid waste, only the designated waste and ash.  I found the magnitude of the total area to be immense; much larger than some of the examples I remember doing in class this past semester.  I also found it interesting to note that the leachate that they produce is sent to the waste water treatment plant that is operated by the same entity that operates the waste to energy facility (Of which the ash is sent to the landfill).  This is a very symbiotic relationship that seems to be somewhat sustainable, at the very least financially.  It was also interesting to note that the current landfill was being built upon an existing MSW landfill that had been closed.  This is an efficient use of space.  The landfill also utilizes horizontal biogas collection pipes as well as joint collection pipes located at the bottom.  The joint collection pipes collect both leachate and biogas by means of gravity and vacuum respectively.

When we went to the co-generation plant, we saw that the amount of methane that comprised the total biogas was roughly 55 percent.  This is a pretty good amount of biogas for a landfill, especially upon closer of the MSW section.  Beyond the biogas plant, there was also a solar farm.  It was interesting to note that the solar farm produced 1/4 the amount of electricity but only took up 1/20 the amount of space.  This fact only highlights that biogas generation should not be looked at as a means to an end, but a supplement to other forms of energy.  Beyond using the combustion of methane for electricity, the plant also used the heat from combustion, hence the term, "co-generation".  By doing this, the process of using methane is 90% efficient.  Overall, the visit was extremely informative and provided finer detail to accompany what I have learned in the classroom.  The trip also allowed me to see the co-generation plant and learn about how the methane is utilized as efficiently as possible.

Below are some pictures of the landfill:

Closed landfill used for designated waste.  The reason it is green as opposed to dried out is because of the impermeable layer on the top, through which water cannot percolate.  

 A shot showing various equipment as well as the working face of the open landfill used for the disposal of fly ash, bottom ash, and designated waste.

   Another shot of the landfill and the land being worked on next to it on the other side of the impermeable berm.  

Oh the places you'll go...

The end of this week ended with a handful of cultural visits to round out the technical visits that we had at the beginning of the week.  This Thursday, we began the day with a visit to the San Benedetto Market.  This market is the largest open market in all of Europe, and yes, it was very large.  The market consisted of two floors of the freshest meats, fruits, cheese, and fish that I have ever seen in one place.  To top it off, when I was purchasing some fruit from one of the vendors, he smiled at me and ended up giving it to me for free.  The act was actually pretty flattering and the rest of my day was made.  To finish off the day, I got some laundry done and grabbed some dinner at the local cafe.

Friday began as a normal school day but the afternoon session ended with a guest speaker.  She came and talked to us about her company and the logistics of waste management collection.  It was pretty interesting to be able to ask a professional about various logistical issues associated with the problem.  She was extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions.  To top Friday off, I tried my first Kinder Egg.  As a candy critic, I would have to give it a 3/5.

On Saturday, the real adventure of the weekend began.  We all boarded the bus and headed to the Geomining Park of Sardinia.  When we first arrived, we were stunned by the spectacular view of the "Pan Di Zucchero", a stunning geological formation off of the coast.  After a handful of pictures, we headed into the old tunnels that connected the mining area to the area where the boats docked (Porto Flavia) to collect the various ores. I'm a secret geology nerd so this portion of the trip was extra awesome.  After the tour of the old mining tunnels, we had a spectacular lunch on the water.  The usual order of various seafood and pasta was served which I was happy about.  After lunch, we headed to some old ruins, which I believe was the Temple of Antas in Fluminimaggiore (So much happened this weekend so it is difficult to remember the many names we learned).  It is spectacular to think that the ruins pre-date Christ and are still standing.  After the trip to the ruins, are already full day concluded with arriving at the agriturismo "Sa Perda Marcada where we were greeted warmly.  We had a divine dinner and concluded the night by looking up at the stars.  Without the light pollution, the view was spectacular.

Sunday started off with another exceptional meal...eggs.  Thanks to Annalisa's special request we had an American staple thrown into our breakfast and I think that everyone who tried them truly appreciated it.  After breakfast we relaxed a bit and then got to preparing our own food for lunch.  We rolled our own gnocchetti and prepared our own unique desert.  After eating our own meal for lunch, we headed off to Piscinas Beach where the water meats the desert.  The ocean borders the famous sand dunes with the mountains looming in the background.  The water was awesome to swim in and the current was unreal and actually pretty fun to play in.  After the beach we headed home and called it a weekend.  This weekend was truly a sensory overload in the best of ways.

 San Benedetto Market

 Pan Di Zucchero

 The old ruins

 Whata cutie 

  The homemade gnocchetti 

 Piscinas Beach

Photo Assignment: Waste Collection Systems in Cagliari

Me doing my due diligence by throwing away my waste in a small garbage receptacle on campus.  

A recyclable receptacle used for various bottles.

A cardboard receptacle next to a small mixed waste container.  Cardboard containers seem to alternate between large yellow and large brown.  Small brown, plastic containers are called out to be mixed on the container.

A blue waste receptacle used for various recyclables.

Two cardboard receptacles next to a mixed waste bin.

Another small garbage can located on campus...at capacity.

A vast array of garbage receptacles along the street.

A cardboard receptacle and a small mixed waste receptacle contained within a yellow outline.  

Another beautiful cardboard recyclable container.

A different angle of this wonderful cardboard recyclable container.  

A different type of garbage can on campus.

Another different type of garbage can on campus. 

A mixed waste container.

Three mixed waste containers, two large, one small, and a cardboard container located within a yellow boundary.

A label on one of the waste receptacles.  This label is for cans and glass.

A can for the organic waste collection.

A container for bottles.

Two waste receptacles, one for cardboard and one for mixed waste.

Two mixed waste receptacles.

A litany of waste containers in the main town square.  

A public garbage can.

The waste collection bins outside our guest housing.

The elusive garbage truck picking up our waste bins!

The garbage truck driving away.

Similar to the equipment we have in the USA.

The garbage truck doing its rounds at night.

Once the garbage truck leaves, this is where the paper portion of the waste will end up.

 The baled paper waste; some of it high quality and some of it mixed.

 A series of local waste receptacles near the final disposal sites (Paper facility, Compost, WTE Plant).

 The initial dump site of the organic fraction of the waste at the composting facility.

The final product of the composting process.

 One of the dump sites at the waste to energy facility.

The area of the waste to energy plant where the sludge waste from the waste waster treatment plant is located and treated.

All of the garbage receptacles that were listed above are collected by the garbage trucks pictured, and then go to the various treatment processes such as paper recycling, composting, or waste to energy.  The processes are listed in more detail in my previous blog.