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Where Sustainability Takes Root – On-Campus Indoor Growing
We’ve embraced state‑of‑the‑art indoor growing technologies to cultivate fresh produce right on campus - dramatically reducing procurement-related embodied carbon, providing sustainably grown food to our students and staff, and integrating these innovations into our academic programming.
We are using cutting-edge growing technology to operate a 200 sq. ft. grow pod, featuring 12 vertical racks with a total of 2,340 grow sites, along with a multi-tiered seedling rack equipped with an auto-feed watering system.
Environmental conditions are carefully controlled by a heat pump and dehumidifier, both monitored via a wireless app. The pod’s main reservoir is supplied with rainwater collected and processed through the attached clean water demonstration site. Each grow rack has its own reservoir, allowing precise control over pH levels and nutrients to ensure optimal conditions for each plant species.
The produce grown in this innovative pod will be distributed in several ways: to the culinary department for student use, at the 100 Elements restaurant, at the North Bay Farmers Market during the summer, and through the establishment of an internal farmers market to provide fresh, affordable produce to employees and students.
