Indoor farms are remaking the produce market — at a cost to the planet
Basil grows in vertical rows at Eden Green. (Nitashia Johnson for The Washington Post)
An excerpt from the Washington Post.
“A few vertical farm companies, like Texas’s Eden Green, have responded to the problem of dirty energy by focusing on efficiency. The company’s hybrid model uses some natural light, and it lessens the burden on its cooling system by using programmed vents to control heat and humidity.”
No one would argue that the climate in North Texas is ideal for growing lettuce, a crop that thrives when there’s a chill in the air. But the region’s boiling summers are of no concern to Eddy Badrina, the chief executive of Eden Green Technology, a vertical, hydroponic greenhouse company located just outside of Dallas.
The company, which sells its leafy greens to Walmart, controls every aspect of a plant’s life. Inside its 82,500 square foot facility, cool air is pumped in to create the ideal microclimate around each baby butterhead and romaine lettuce. Seven miles of pipes deliver nutrient-rich water. Although natural light floods the space — setting it apart from other vertical greenhouses that completely block out the sun — additional LED lights obey a programmed algorithm directing them to shine just the right amount of light on each plant.