In the economically distressed Homewood
neighborhood of Pittsburgh sits a greenhouse that is mere feet from city
utilities infrastructure, but there are no city utility connections in this
building. Powered exclusively by energy from the sun through a revolutionary DC
micro grid, the Homewood greenhouse requires no supplementary heat, energy, or
water. Inside the greenhouse, Oasis Farms and Fishery is perfecting the revolutionary agricultural
technology called aquaponics, where plants are combined with aquatic life
to create a sustainable, diverse system of food growth and cultivation. It is a
revolutionary urban farming initiative that provides a model for agricultural,
economic, and sustainable development for even the most remote and
under-privileged locations. Designed to increase food productivity and density,
especially in urban areas, this experimental greenhouse not only grows food,
but acts as a global model for developing nations.
The greenhouse includes:
- Aquaponics systems to grow plants and fish
- A STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
education classroom under a solar canopy
- A rainwater collection and purification system, with
both 1,200 and 500-gallon cisterns, that uses a series of ultraviolet
light, filters, and pumps to make the water safe for the aquatic living
environment
- Maintenance-free materials and design
- Zero operating cost
