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8/28/13 Vancouver rooftop greenhouse grower secures a high-end market for greens (with video) Shopping | Obituaries | Horoscopes | Lotteries Search Search vancouversun.com... Search 21 Partly cloudy Vancouver More SUBSCRIBE Subscriber Services ePaper eStore Place an Ad canada.com network Newspapers National Post The Province (Vancouver) Vancouver Sun Edmonton Journal Calgary Herald Regina Leader-Post Saskatoon StarPhoenix Windsor Star Ottawa Citizen The Gazette (Montreal) Log in Register Online Now www.vancouversun.com/Vancouver+rooftop+greenhouse+grower+secures+high+market+greens+with+video/7572632/story.html 1/17 8/28/13 Vancouver rooftop greenhouse grower secures a high-end market for greens (with video) Shoppers go nuts for Aritzia Shoppers lined up as early as 12:45 a.m. Tuesday morning for one of Vancouver’s biggest shopping events of the year, the Aritzia Warehouse Sale. The seven-day sale runs through Monday. 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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. www.vancouversun.com/Vancouver+rooftop+greenhouse+grower+secures+high+market+greens+with+video/7572632/story.html 6/17 8/28/13 Vancouver rooftop greenhouse grower secures a high-end market for greens (with video) “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. [email protected] © Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun E-mail this Article Print this Article Share this Article More on This Story The Green Man Story Tools E-mail this Article Print this Article Font: * * * * * Image: * * * * www.vancouversun.com/Vancouver+rooftop+greenhouse+grower+secures+high+market+greens+with+video/7572632/story.html 7/17 8/28/13 Vancouver rooftop greenhouse grower secures a high-end market for greens (with video) Spotlights Watch Popular Vancouver Sun Videos Follow The Vancouver Sun on Facebook Follow The Vancouver Sun on Twitter Download the Sun's iPhone app Download the Sun's Android app Visit The Sun's Chinese-language website, taiyangbao.ca Previous Next Len McDonald works among the growing trays at Vancouver's Alterrus rooftop greenhouse. 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MacMillan Space Centre was ... more » More Photo Galleries » RECOMMENDED James Bond event in Vancouver by Taboola Discover What Few Golfers Will Karate Girl Lands Surprise Know About Hitting A Golf Ball Knockout Like A Pro Graves Golf www.vancouversun.com/Vancouver+rooftop+greenhouse+grower+secures+high+market+greens+with+video/7572632/story.html 9/17 8/28/13 Vancouver rooftop greenhouse grower secures a high-end market for greens (with video) Vivian Green Gets Personal GoGoMix Stanley Park homeless series: The newcomer CES 2013: It's A Wrap! InformationWeek Local Flyer Deals Sav e Up to 25% on Dining Sets at Sears Great Selection Of Laptops On Sale Deal Expires: 2 01 3 -09 -02 Deal Expires: 2 01 3 -08-2 9 Urban Fare is Proud to Support BC Growers Go Ahead, Giv e in to Temptation at Sav e On Deal Expires: 2 01 3 -08-2 9 Deal Expires: 2 01 3 -08-2 9 We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information. www.vancouversun.com/Vancouver+rooftop+greenhouse+grower+secures+high+market+greens+with+video/7572632/story.html 10/17 8/28/13 Vancouver rooftop greenhouse grower secures a high-end market for greens (with video) 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 · 6 · Like · January 20 at 8:41am Matt Geschke · The Oz behind the Curtain at Myself Just going to say it was reminiscent of Valcent. Reply · 2 · Like · January 20 at 10:00am Paul Brentlinger · Valparaiso University Maybe I missed the sarcasm but Alterrus use to be Valcent. Reply · 2 · Like · January 20 at 11:15am 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! 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