Sustainability

Growing "Green" in the City
UrbanPonics is built on a sustainable model for production, distribution, and consumption of fresh, wholesome, locally grown produce. In addition to sustainable growing methods that incorporate progressive models of climate control, pest control, and energy use, we locate production close to the point of consumption. Our holistic approach supports environmentally sustainable growing practices while creating jobs within the urban communities that will consume our products.

Location
UrbanPonics' facilities will be located on underutilized urban sites, dramatically reducing the distance from "farm" to table. Produce is grown right in the community where it will be eaten, increasing freshness and access to quality food. Growing seasons are not restricted by climate, so fresh food may be produced year round, even in harsh Midwestern weather.

Sustainable Agricultural Practices
Pest and disease management is often an issue in enclosed growing situations, where insects and diseases, once introduced, may reproduce quickly and thrive in the seasonless environment. UrbanPonics seeks to avoid the use of persistent insecticides and fungicides whenever possible, and achieves this through six primary means of control:

• Crop rotation intersperses pest-incompatible plant species to discourage pest populations.
• Crop isolation employs barriers such as wet thresholds, pest screens, and strict work protocols to limit the introduction of pest species.
• Pest strips and bug catchers control pests without the application of pesticides.
• CO2 atmospheres are periodically introduced to asphyxiate pests while stimulating plant growth.
• Sanitation, including the use of non-residue sanitizers and vacancy periods, reduces the potential carryover of fungal and bacteriological pests.
• Integrated pest management utilizes the natural relationships between insect species, such as the introduction of beneficial insects to control harmful insect populations.

Greenhouses And Other Growing Opportunities
UrbanPonics' operations will be housed in greenhouses or other structures that enable us to control growing conditions such as temperature, light, humidity, and air quality. We will seek locations on vacant land, rooftops, and even within old factory space where feasible.

Greenhouses – Greenhouses capture the sun's energy and collect heat inside. However, in Chicago's northern climate with its extreme cold and low winter light levels, the glass enclosure alone is insufficient to maintain the light intensity and optimal daytime temperature that most produce requires. UrbanPonics greenhouses incorporate multiple sustainable technologies to ensure a proper growing environment, potentially including highly efficient, natural-gas-fueled bio-boilers; electrical co-generation; and solar thermal panels that create a heat bank underneath the site that can be tapped during the winter.

Other Structures – In addition to greenhouses, UrbanPonics will explore hydroponic growing opportunities in vacant commercial/industrial space and in non-traditional structures like solid-wall bunkers and cargo containers. These options will incorporate multiple sustainable technologies where feasible to ensure a proper growing environment.

Resource Management
UrbanPonics' hydroponic growing techniques significantly reduce consumption of natural resources and production of harmful by-products such as carbon emissions and chemical run-off in relation to conventional agriculture.

CO2, or carbon dioxide, a by-product of burning natural gas, is also an essential element of photosynthesis. CO2 produced by our heating systems may be collected and circulated through the greenhouse, boosting production and helping to control pests and diseases.

Hydroponic processes require a fraction of the water that conventional farms do to produce the same amount of food. Aggressive water recycling and the level of control intrinsic to the process ensure that plants consistently receive the optimal amount of moisture and nutrients while requiring significantly less water to be brought into the system. Additionally, chemical run-off that can affect nearby water tables is minimized.

Year-round growing requires large amounts of electricity to support the lighting systems that are essential to optimal production, particularly in northern geographies where winter light levels are low. While artificial light enables the optimal light spectrum to be used during various growth stages, the expense of producing it has traditionally been an obstacle to the large-scale production of affordable, locally grown, hydroponic produce.

UrbanPonics is engaged in industry collaborations with research colleagues such as Purdue University, the Univerisity of Arizona, Michigan State University, Rutgers University, Orbital Technologies Corporation, and others to explore the application of light-emitting diode (LED) arrays to use in commercial greenhouses, dramatically reducing electricity consumption.

Additionally, UrbanPonics will take advantage of electricity co-generation to reduce our carbon footprint. In co-generation, a generator produces electricity for lighting, while the hot water produces as a by-product of this process will be used to heat the greenhouses, reducing energy costs by up to 60%. Any excess energy produced may be bartered or sold back to the grid.