by Glenn Hasek
June 30, 2011 04:46
I stumbled across a new company this week that you should definitely check out. Its name is Gotham Greens and is located in New York City. Gotham Greens owns and operates a hydroponic greenhouse on the roof of an industrial building in Brooklyn, N.Y. The company recently had its first harvest--the first part of an annual 100 tons of premium quality, pesticide-free vegetables and herbs. A few examples of Gotham Greens' produce is pictured on the company's website--baby butterhead lettuce, basil, red leaf lettuce, and green leaf lettuce. It all looks great. Gotham Greens' customers include companies such as Whole Foods Market and Fresh Direct, as well as numerous well-known restaurants in New York City.
Gotham Greens' expertise in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) combined with its technologically sophisticated, renewable energy-powered greenhouse facility allows the company to produce crops year round. When compared to conventional agriculture, Gotham Greens' recirculating hydroponic methods use 10 times less land and 20 times less water. Pesticide use and fertilizer runoff--one of the leading causes of global water pollution--are eliminated. The company's sterile greenhouses and comprehensive food safety program minimizes the risk of food borne pathogens including E coli and Salmonella. Sophisticated computer control systems manage heating, cooling, irrigation and plant nutrition.
After reading about Gotham Greens, I was curious to know whether any hotels or resorts have tried hydroponic growing. Turns out the CuisinArt Resort & Spa in Anguilla has. Many different types of vegetables and herbs are grown in the resort's hydroponic "farm." The facility also includes fruit-bearing trees. The greenhouse is 18,000 square feet in size and was engineered to withstand winds of 110 mph. Tours of the farm are given three days a week. Unlike Gotham Greens' greenhouses, the resort's greenhouse is on the ground, not the rooftop.
If you have a restaurant or restaurants on your property and you have unused land or space, perhaps you should consider hydroponic farming. Your thoughts?
