Location-independent, portable and scalable, this novel approach to agriculture applies principles already used in cloud computing and other high-tech services to the growing of everyday essentials, effectively tucking a 1-acre farm into a 350-square-foot box.

Each Freight Farm container has space for 4,500 plants, stacked and ready to grow: “Built entirely inside a 40’ x 8’ x 9.5’ shipping container, freight farms are outfitted with all the tools needed for high-volume, consistent harvests. With innovative climate technology and growing equipment, the perfect environment is achievable 365 days a year, regardless of geographic location.” The units can also be moved to market to sell directly, carried easily (just like any cargo container) on the back of a standard truck.

Constant monitoring of temperature, CO2, pH and other essential data means instant feedback and easy remote adjustments as well, while a built-in 4G hotspot lets these farms stay connected from anywhere in the world. Optimized LEDs allow for maximum growth and minimum energy. Modular and stackable, farmers can order more units delivered on demand and expand their operations as needed.

Someone new to the game can also start out small: “Designed to be easily implemented and operated, The LGM is a complete farming system delivered ready-to-use for immediate crop production. The modular and stackable design makes it easy to integrate into any operation and add farms to scale quickly. Every LGM comes equipped to handle every aspect of commercial production, from seed to harvest.”

Cargo containers for non-standard purposes are nothing new, but this goes more than a step beyond turning shipping containers into homes or offices. More on the ecosystem: “Vertical hydroponic system for mature plant growth.  The vertical towers create a high density growing environment with four rows providing space for over 4,500 plants.  Drip irrigation, nutrient delivery system and spectrum focused lighting supports climate conditions to maximize plant development.”

The post Freight Farms: Shipping Containers as Mobile Farming Units first appeared on Gajitz.

With the potential to convert nearly 150 billion trashed coffee cups per year (in the US alone) into regional seed bombs, this product aims to go beyond simple recyclability to help replenish native wildflower populations in regions around the country (or eventually: the world).

The creators of Plant Trash boast compost-certified cups that created with post-consumer paper contain organic seeds of indigenous species, starting with various parts of California – they are also testing to make sure the seeds will be able to survive the heat of being adjacent to a hot beverage.

“We have taken those fibers from local recycling centers, which would usually be too rough to implement back into a packaging product, and created a cup that we are happy to truly name the most eco friendly disposable coffee cup.”

The paper cups themselves will biodegrade naturally in about half a year and help the surrounding soil grow the seeds contained within them. The seed mixes all include a tree seed as well as various region-appropriate plant seeds.

“The consumer drinks their coffee from the coffee shop.  If they choose to take the cup with them, they can plant it in several scenarios based off of the seed variety embedded within the cup. They can see the seed variety displayed on the front of their cup as well as planting instructions on the bottom of the cup.  ”

“Where does our trash actually go?  With our current waste stream, as consumers none of us really know.  In America we discard over 146 billion cups from coffee consumption annually.  Even when we think we are recycling and doing a good deed, the paper itself within these products can only be reused 2-3x before the fibers are unusable and discarded into local landfills without consumer’s knowing.”

“Currently, we are testing the Coffee Cup CA Blend prototypes in a variety of soil types to pin point our germination periods as well as time range of decomposition for our bio based papers and liners. We are testing seeds types to find their temperature variability when exposed to high heats within the paper press processes as well as when they are exposed to the heat of hot beverages. We have a partnering company in which we are working with to further develop commercial grade prototypes for large scale production.”

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