What Seeds Vertical Farms? Creative Problem Solving!
Vegetables growing in water at The Plant, Chicago
© Plant Chicago, NFP/Rachel Swenie
How “The Plant” in Chicago Inspired Me
You may have heard that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Headed by John Edel, the team at The Plant in Chicago is putting this concept to work—in farming. Their creative problem solving is directed at achieving truly sustainable food production.
Housed in a former meatpacking plant building, The Plant is an indoor vertical farm with a closed-loop production model. How does it work?
Aquaponics
First, there is an aquaponics system which occupies one-third of the former factory. Fresh-water tilapia fish are raised in large tanks. The fish produce waste, which becomes watery fertilizer for the vegetable plants growing nearby in hydroponic beds. In absorbing the fertilizer, the plants clean the water, which is...
