Environmentally Sustainable
Greenhouse gas emissions
Collectively, agriculture is responsible for around a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. Some agricultural sectors are, of course, worse emitters than others. The conventional greenhouse industry is a heavy emitter of carbon dioxide gases, in particular. This is because greenhouses need to be heated in the winter and cooled in the summer; typically this is done using a lot of fossil fuels.
At BrightFarm Systems we design greenhouses to capture waste heat from the host building or to simply use the building’s heating system. This means our systems are either using no additional fossil fuel for heating, or only a small additional amount – much less than would be used if the greenhouse were located in the countryside. We also use low energy cooling systems and generate power for cooling by installing solar panels.
Land & water
Modern agriculture is the largest consumer of land and water on the planet. As populations increase and diets improve, our land and water resources are becoming ever more strained. Thus, according to a United Nations study, we will not have enough food to feed the earth’s population by 2050 if we do not learn to farm using less water and less land.
Urban farms designed by BrightFarm Systems produce up to 20 times as much produce per unit area of land compared with conventional field agriculture. This is because we use greenhouses, which can grow all year round, and because hydroponic techniques are more space efficient than field agriculture.
The recirculating hydroponic techniques we use also use up to 10 times less water than conventional field agriculture, making this the most water efficient form of agriculture currently being used.
Protecting rivers
Recirculating irrigation systems used within the greenhouse not only reduce water usage overall, they also stop fertilizers from leaving the irrigation system. Our systems are thus able to produce vegetables with no harmful agricultural runoff.
Food transportation
Food travels thousands of kilometers to reach urban consumers, adding to traffic congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions.
The average item of food in the United States travels at least 1500 miles. In the United Kingdom food transport accounts for over 30 billion vehicle kilometers a year, which produces 19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Farming within urban areas removes the need for lengthy transportation. Zero food miles is great for the environment.
Cooler buildings
Covering a building’s roof with vegetation can help keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This reduces the building’s energy bills (and associated carbon emissions) and also helps combat the urban heat island effect.
Recover rainwater
The greenhouse roof can be designed to capture rainfall. In many urban areas, enough rain falls on the greenhouse to supply all or most of its water needs. This saves on water bills and also helps reduce storm water runoff.
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