A year-round solar greenhouse you can build yourself, run on renewable energy and use to grow lots of delicious organic food? Yes please. Or, pinch me, am I dreaming? We can't all be self-sustaining emissions-reducing champions of a better food system... can we?
I may be dreaming, but this solar greenhouse of the future is the real deal - and way easier than you think.
“Filmmaker Curt Close teamed up with Anaconda Productions and the non-profit SolutionEra to release a DVD, eBook and step-by-step guide on how to build a passive solar greenhouse that utilizes renewable energy and is built from natural and recycled materials,” reports EcoWatch.
“We do believe that if we combine this greenhouse with other technologies like compost heating, aquaponics and other intensive growing techniques, we could grow a major part of our food in a sustainable way even in the coldest countries,” Close told EcoWatch.
Why is this such a big deal? Because our food system is profoundly unsustainable. Much of our fruits and vegetables in the U.S. are grown in California, which is in the midst of its most severe drought in more than 1,200 years. All that other stuff on your plate, whether it’s beef, grains or some kind of frozen concoction, can come from all corners of the globe. Transporting food is almost as bad for the environment as raising animals for food. Then there are the chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides that go onto most of our food.
But grow food yourself in your very own greenhouse and you avoid pretty much all of the issues with the current food system.
And Close says that while this is the greenhouse of the future, “The technologies and concepts that have inspired the design of this greenhouse have been proven by over 40 years of research and development by Michael Reynolds’ ‘Earthship homes’ as well as the many studies on passive solar greenhouses.”
Obviously not all of us have the space to build our very own greenhouses. But if enough people start doing this and growing their own food to sell or share with their friends, family and neighbors, we could significantly reduce our impact on the planet while bringing more delicious food to our tables. That sounds like a dream too, but one that we can fully realize.
Watch the video trailer on the Greenhouse of the Future and get inspired to grow your own.
Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger
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