Featured in the New York Times a couple of days ago, the mind-bending concept  of ‘vertical farming’ attempts to address both food and space shortages in a way that will force you to rethink the words ‘locally grown’.

We all know that the earth’s growing population is a problem. In fact, by the year 2050, it is estimated that the world population will increase by 3 billion people and nearly 80% of this population will live in congested urban super-centers. Using traditional farming practices, it would take a piece of land bigger than the entire country of Brazil to feed that many people. So unless they figure out a way to start inventing land, the inability to feed all of this urban-overgrowth could be a problem in the very near future. One proposed solution comes in the form of a very non-traditional farming practice.

Architects and other sustainable building experts alike have been working on an indoor cultivation technique called vertical farming to address these very issues. Resembling multi-story office buildings reminiscent of something from the Matrix, these indoor farming structures would be situated in the heart of urban centers and be used to sustainably grow crops right where they are needed most.

If successfully implemented, vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

The only drawback seems to be that the creators of these farms seem resigned to the fact that green space and open air are doomed to become a thing of the past, and that we must begin scrambling for a way to survive in the future concrete jungle, rather than find a way to reduce our numbers, consumption and development on the land masses we currently inhabit. For me, no climate controlled skyscraper can substitute for the combination of sun, wind, and dirt under my fingernails. The sad thing is that someday it might have to.

For more info about vertical farming visit: verticalfarm.com

- The Team at GenGreen

My lack of blogging is a direct result of this exciting new stage of GenGreen and its network. We have been working so hard, for so long, when we arrived here, we didn’t even think to exhale. It’s kind of like when you finish a sprint, and your legs keep running on their own for a few yards or so before you realized your brain had already shut them off. I think that is what is happening to the team at GenGreen. I have the most amazing, brilliant, hard working, caring, dedicated team on the planet. I know all proud bosses say that about their team, but I mean it, mine really is the all time best.

This year has not been easy, but wow – how much sweeter the reward is when you have to sweat a little.
Through all the chaos and confusion, my personal challenges and company’s set backs, our core team stayed strong and powered through it unlike anything I have ever seen before. Goals were met, timelines were kept, and we became what I had always dreamed of us becoming; the most comprehensive and diverse resource for people who desired to tread lightly upon the earth.

I hope to have more time to blog in the future, but somehow I doubt it will happen. I do think however, I will take a moment, and bask in the glow of this entirely collaborative masterpiece that we know as our life… our GenGreen Life to be exact.

Charisse