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8/28/13
Vancouver rooftop greenhouse grower secures a high-end market for greens (with video)
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Vancouver rooftop greenhouse grower secures a high-end market
for greens (with video)
The greenhouse, perched atop a Richards Street parkade in downtown Vancouver, employs
a four-metre-high system of hundreds of suspended trays that move to maximize exposure
to natural light
By Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun November 21, 2012
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Len McDonald works among the growing trays at Vancouver's Alterrus rooftop greenhouse.
VANCOUVER -- A unique mechanized greenhouse operation will deliver its first crop of salad greens, herbs and spinach today and begin to pay back a
$2-million investment.
The greenhouse, perched atop a Richards Street parkade in downtown Vancouver, employs a four-metre-high system of hundreds of suspended trays that
move to maximize exposure to natural light and to facilitate harvesting.
Alterrus’ vertical greenhouse prototype has been operating in a greenhouse at England’s Paignton Zoo for three years, providing food for the animals. But
all eyes are on Vancouver to see if the system can turn a profit as a standalone business, according to the company’s strategic adviser Donovan Woollard.
The Vancouver-based company, which trades on the Canadian National Stock Exchange and has a market capitalization of $9.5 million, went back to the
market for $500,000 in operating capital earlier this year.
Alterrus showed an operating loss of $417,453 for its most recent fiscal quarter and on its balance sheet, the company states it has accumulated $53 million
in losses during its development stage.
“Our priority is to show that this is a viable way to grow food,” said Woollard. “We’ve already shown that VertiCrop can grow produce.”
The parkade greenhouse — built on a 6,000-square-foot space it leases from the City of Vancouver — is just a short bike ride from its prized customers,
grocer Urban Fare, and high-end restaurants such as Cioppino’s, Hawksworth, Boneta and farm-to-table concept restaurant Fable.
That proximity is vital because downtown customers will take delivery of their orders from Shift Urban Cargo, a bicycle-based delivery firm. By serving
clients within a few blocks of the greenhouse, lettuce can go from greenhouse to plate within hours.
“I like the idea of fresh urban foods right next door,” said Cioppino’s chef Pino Posteraro.
By building upwards in vertical arrays, the Alterrus design effectively turns one square metre of greenhouse into four and produces about 20 times the food
of a similarly sized field, Woollard said.
The company’s branding trades heavily on sustainability and the local food zeitgeist, selling produce under the brand name Local Garden.
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“It used to be that 80 per cent of what we ate was grown locally, so we are trying to directly replace imported produce from 1,500 to 2,000 kilometres
away,” said Woollard. “The way we operate also employs a broader social purpose.”
Alterrus recently won B Corp status, a certification for sustainable business practices. “We are the first publicly traded company to achieve that,” Woollard
said.
Plants grown in the VertiCrop system use about eight per cent of the water required for typical California field crops. All the nutrients used in the soilless
cultivation system are recovered rather than leaching into groundwater or washing into streams.
Greenhouse workers who pick, wash and pack produce are hired through Mission Possible, a local non-profit agency that helps people find jobs after
extended periods out of the workforce.
Most of the greenhouse’s power consumption needs for lighting, temperature control and mechanical operations are satisfied by hydroelectric power, with
a minimal carbon footprint.
In addition to their commercial clients, Local Garden greens will be made available to customers of SPUD.ca, a firm that specializes in home-delivered
organic and local sustainable foods.
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Len McDonald works among the growing trays at Vancouver's
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16 comments
Add a comment
Everest Fernandez · Life University
Try a higher E.C. nutrient solution in colder weather - those greens might well thank you for it.
Reply ·
2 · Like · January 20 at 8:06am
Michael Christian · CEO & President at American Hydroponics
Plants look starved for light... almost like the Valcent produce.
Reply ·
Matt Geschke · The Oz behind the Curtain at Myself
Just going to say it was reminiscent of Valcent.
Reply ·
Paul Brentlinger · Valparaiso University
Maybe I missed the sarcasm but Alterrus use to be Valcent.
Reply ·
View 1 more
Collin Dubya ·
Top Commenter · Vancouver Island University
id love to see more of this in our city!
Reply ·
4 · Like · November 20, 2012 at 9:23am
Jean-Pierre Cote · Owner at Maison Cote
This is a very good Idea we have Lufa farms in Montreal a 31 000 square foot greenhouse on top of building
as well feeding 600 family, you could find them online https://lufa.com/en.
Reply ·
3 · Like · November 19, 2012 at 5:56pm
Lorin Kintrea ·
Top Commenter · NSCC Seattle
This concept was conceived some years ago and a proposal was put in place before the housing/global
economic crash. It is a VERY good to the environment. Think about it, A head of lettuce is produces in
California and trucked in 1,500 miles! That is a staggering amount of Co2 put into the atmosphere. Growing
locally with local hydro water/electricity and some nutrients is the smartest thing for our economy and the
environment. Now, I need to think about building my self a 3d printer so I can build my self some
replacement kitchen cups instead of having them shipped in from china :)
Reply ·
1 · Like · November 20, 2012 at 12:07pm
Lynne Honey Koss
Fantastic - we'd love to use this technology in York Region! Are you moving east at all? This would be
amazing to add to the Seeds For Change 2015 New Food Gardens by 2015 campaign!
Reply · Like · December 14, 2012 at 12:30pm
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