The Green Side of Entrepreneurship
“Cultivating
a Utopia Within the Desert”
http://youtu.be/0FDsHRNbjyo
The Benefits
 People- Access to affordable quality food, Job creation, &
healthier communities.
 Planet-Reducing vehicle emissions & landfill waste, Reduce
carbon footprint.
 Profit- Boost to local economies, market expansion for farmers,
economic savings on food.
Dean, John. "Urban Farming Offers Green Benefits." Earth Times. Web
Euphrosine St.
S. Genois St.
Agrowtopias Food
 Local
 Fresh
 Affordable
Agrowtopias Model
 High Demand &
High Profit Margin
 Abundant
Yield
 Minimum
Space
“A person who sees a problem is a Human
Being; a person who finds a solution is a
visionary; and the person who goes out and
does something about it is an entrepreneur.”
- Naveen Jain
*We are human beings, visionaries & entrepreneurs.
Top Causes of U.S. Deaths (CDC)





Heart disease: 596,577
Cancer: 576,691
Chronic lower respiratory
diseases: 142,943
Stroke (cerebrovascular
diseases): 128,932
Accidents (unintentional
injuries)
Source: CDC/National Center for Health
Statistics
*(4 out 5 can be linked back to health
)
Access to Affordable Healthy Food

Food Deserts

Genetically modified Foods

Processed Food

Misinformed Consumers
Aging Population of Farmers


“Nobody wants to [farm],”... “And
it’s not just here — it’s around the
entire world. Farming has become
a lost art.”- Gleen Beck
Only about 5% of farmers are
under 25. (Census of Agriculture
2007)
Environmental Issues

Soil Quality in Urban Areas
*Chalmette murphy oil spill

Air Pollution

Climate Change
Cure or Dependence?


Synthetic Medicine
 Natural Medicine
$325.8 billion spent on prescription
drugs in 2012 in a time of
unaffordable healthcare. (IMS
 9.7 billion spent on
Organic Produce in
2012. (Organic
Institute for Healthcare Informatics)

Prevention
For the Profit
Trade Association
survey)
 For the People
Culp-Ressler, Tara. "Prescription Drug Spending Drops As Struggling Americans Are Forced To Cut Back On Health Care." Think Progress. Web.
Solutions: Younger Farmers & Innovative Farming Methods.
 Farms of the future need: ingenuity, creative new technologies, community support,
younger influences, and stronger business models.
 Many successful D.I.Y gardens are sweeping agriculture on a small scale and should
be considered on a larger scale.
 Change the view of urban farms into unique forms of edible art rather than
traditional views.
“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.”
-Theodore Levitt
The Engineer…


+
The Entrepreneur…
Have inquisitive minds

Is People Oriented
Understands state of
the art technologies

Great at Negotiating

Planning

Strong Analytical Skills

Masters of Machines

Managing Money &
Materials
“Innovation is the specific tool of the entrepreneur. ”
-Peter F. Drucker

An opportunity to combine the
green thumb of urban farmers with
the designs and ingenuity of
engineers; to identify and solve the
urban farming and food supply
problems for a healthier future.
Innovative Farming Methods
Aquaponic System
Storage Container Farms
Zero CarbonFarming
Electroculture

Aquaponics is a very
efficient method of growing
food that uses a minimal
amount of water and space
while utilizing waste.
Resulting in an end product
of organic fish and
vegetables.
Brook, Russell. "How Does Aquaponics Work?" Home Aquaponic Systems. Web.
How Aquaponics Works." Http://aquaponics.com/. 2010-2014 Nelson and Pade, Inc. Web.

https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=qHWC2J4xYnM
Vertical Aquaponics
“Hydroponics is the growing of
plants in nutrient-filled water
without soil.”
6 Hydroponic Systems






Ebb & Flow
Water Culture
Wick (Simplest)
Drip
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)
Aeroponic
Ebb & Flow- Timer pumps and
floods the system when turned on;
Reservoir automatically drains the
nutrient solution when pump is off.
-Method used in zero carbon greenhouses



Nutrient Film Technique- Operates
on a continues flowing stream (film)
of nutrient solution to the roots of
the plants. The roots that reach down
into the nutrient solution, are able to
wick up moisture to the upper roots,
and the upper roots can also still get
the air/oxygen that the plants need
as well.
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=2iqOqBCrL5g
"The Six Types of Hydroponic Systems, Part 1." Hydroponics Online. 9 July 2010. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
Storage Container
Farms
*Great for Hydroponics &
Aquaponic systems
ANYWHERE!
Who’s Doing It?





Urban Container Farms (Flordia)
“Alesca Life Technologies”, (Bejing)
Podponics (Georgia)
Freight Farms (Boston)
Growtrainer ( Dallas)
*Also
in the U.K.
Storage Container Farms
Chin, A. (2013, February 17). Shipping container greenhouse urban farm unit by damien chivialle. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from
MODULAR HIGH DENSITY FARMING USING SHIPPING CONTAINERS ON THE RISE."Agritecture. AGRITECTURE 2011–2014. Web.
/
Zero Carbon
Farming

Zero carbon farming is farming
in a way that reduces greenhouse
gas emissions. It is managing
land, water, plants and animals
to meet the triple challenge of
landscape: Restoration, climate
change and food security.
Methods:
• Maximum groundcover (no bare earth)
• No-till cropping
• Compost
• Hydroponics & LED Lighting
Goal=“Zero Carbon Output”
"What Is Carbon Farming." Carbon Farmers of Australia. Web.
Australia & U.K.
Combined use of
hydroponics and LED
lighting. The ebb & flow
system is used to contain
water and provide
nutrients to the produce,
while the LED lighting
system is used to provide
sufficient lighting & heat.

Electroculture
“
“Electroculture is a method of
applying atmospheric electricity
to the fertilization of plant life”
-Justin Christofleau
Methods
•
Antennas
•
Magnets
•
Pyramids
•
Sound
•
Electric Wires (Copper)
•
Natural Batteries
Benefits
•
Accelerate growth rates
•
Increase yields
•
Improve Crop Quality
•
Protect plants from
diseases, insects and frost
White, Dr. G. S. Cosmo-ElectroCulture, Los Angeles, 1929
Christofleau, Justin. Electroculture. The Society of Scientist & Inventors of France. 1927
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=WSt89OF4PJM
How
can engineers and
entrepreneurs make urban
farming more practical &
profitable for the future?
Thanks
Questions & Discussion?