This interview details Urban Farm Center, a company based in the United States. The interview is with Eliza Fournier, Director at Urban Farm Center.
The Urban Farm Center was conceived of by a group of food systems stakeholders in Lake County, Illinois who were inspired by the work being done by the Chicago Botanic Garden at the Farm on Ogden on the west side of Chicago.
Once inspired, the group was unclear on what Lake County organization/institution had the capacity and interest in seeing this vision to reality and approached College of Lake County. The concept of a “Community Food Hub” that promotes high quality and wholesome food, health and wellness, and workforce training and education, and sustainability aligned with College of Lake County’s purpose, and strategic priorities. With support from a generous “seed” donor, CLC was able to launch the Urban Farm Center project as part of the College’s Lakeshore campus revitalization in downtown Waukegan. The College leadership and board of trustees integrated this community and workforce-focused project into the CLC Master Plan at that time.
The Urban Farm Center seeks to grow high-quality, affordable local produce year-round in a controlled environment at CLC’s Lakeshore Campus in downtown Waukegan. The Urban Farm Center will 1) increase access to locally-grown produce at an on-site retail location; 2) promote and make possible healthy lifestyle choices in a community whose average life expectancy is 10 years less than neighboring towns; and 3) train and educate local food system workers and entrepreneurs to ensure local food systems are resilient and adaptive to withstand future supply chain disruptions.
The Urban Farm Center will include three growing areas:
Carbon supplementation is an important consideration when designing and maximizing growing systems. The CO2 supplementation strategies for this project are still being considered, as we strive for balance in the demonstration/education/production goals of the Center.
CLC is ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 greenest community colleges. Among many other sustainability initiatives, including solar and geothermal, CLC’s Science building on its Grayslake Campus received LEED Platinum certification from the U.S Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Additionally, the new Student Center at the Lakeshore Campus (located directly south of the future Urban Farm Center) is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. The College is currently seeking funding to support a portion of the Urban Farm Center’s energy needs with renewable energy.
Eliza Fournier the Urban Farm Center Director and can be reached at efournier@clcillinois.edu. For additional information, visit our website at: www.clcillinois.edu/urbanfarm
This article details Microgreens Consulting, a company based in Canada. The interview is with Jonah Krochmalnek, owner and founder of Microgreens Consulting. To learn more about Microgreens Consulting and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!
View Full InterviewThis article details Grodan, a growing media company based in the Netherlands. The interview is with Joyce Rasquin, Business Development Manager at Grodan. To learn more about Grodan and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!
View Full InterviewThis article details Enkitek, a farm management software company based in Spain. The interview is with Victor Canton Ferrer, CEO and founder of Enkitek. To learn more about Enkitek and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!
View Full InterviewThis interview details Microgreens Romania, an indoor farming company based in Romania. The interview is with Cristian Tudor, CEO of Microgreens Romania. To learn more about Microgreens Romania and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!
View Full InterviewThis interview details Cantábrica, an indoor farming company based in Spain. The interview is with Javier Espina Campuzano, Co-Founder of Cantábrica. To learn more about Cantábrica and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!
View Full InterviewThis interview details Greens Do Good, an indoor farming company based in the United States. The interview is with Jennifer Faust, Operations Director of Greens Do Good. To learn more about Greens Do Good and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!
View Full InterviewThis interview details Pink Farms, an indoor farming company based in Brazil. The interview is with Geraldo Maia, CEO & Co-Founder of Pink Farms. To learn more about Pink Farms and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!
View Full InterviewThis interview details Jardins Carya, an indoor farming company based in Canada. The interview is with Alex Flores, Co-Founder of Jardins Carya. To learn more about Jardins Carya and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!
View Full InterviewThis interview details CE-Line, a breakthrough innovation for water and nutrient management in greenhouse horticulture based in The Netherlands. The interview is with Simon D. Meijer, CEO of CE-Line. To learn more about CE-Line and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!
View Full InterviewThis interview details Enrichment Systems, a Nanobubble Dissolved Oxygen Enrichment for Controlled Environment Agriculture based in the United States. The interview is with Charlie Bowman, President & CEO of Enrichment Systems. To learn more about Enrichment Systems and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!
View Full Interview