Indiana Ag Connection - Make Your Garden Greener with Plastic?

Indiana Ag News Headlines

Make Your Garden Greener with Plastic?
Indiana Ag Connection - 06/30/2016

Garden Tower Project announced that it is working to become the first company worldwide in the garden industry to produce a large, durable product using fossil-free or "greener" plastic. The highly durable, long-lasting, and recyclable compound is an alternative to petroleum-based plastic.

The Indiana-based company is in the development phase to produce its Garden Tower 2 (GT2) in a fossil-free plastic version, which it plans to release later this year.

The GT2 container garden is known as a best practice in food sustainability by making the farming of organic vegetables a reality in locations that have never before been capable of nourishing plants, like flat rooftops, concrete slabs and ordinary decks. By growing plants vertically in a soil-based system, it supports 50 plants or more in 4 square feet without the use of electricity.

"We have always been committed to an environmentally conscious product, and moving away from petroleum-based plastic is the next evolution for us, and for our industry," said Garden Tower co-founder Joel Grant. "We hope to set a precedent that shows a viable path to an alternative plastic that leaves a positive impact on our world."

This fossil-free plastic, sometimes called "bioplastics," is produced with carbon, which is 97 percent harvested from the atmosphere by the sustainable farming of sugar cane. Even after transportation to the manufacturing facility, the raw material sequesters more atmospheric carbon than is released during its production. The use of a renewably-sourced plastic, combined with the purchase of renewable energy for manufacturing, will allow Garden Tower Project to produce garden solutions that have a verified positive impact on the climate, water and human health.

Already dedicated to reducing waste, reusing resources and upcycling, the GT2 has a perforated compost center column that allows for vermicomposting. With the addition of redworms, ordinary kitchen scraps convert to nourishing organic fertilizer, which makes the GT2 self-fertilizing. Early adopters also report water savings of as much as 90 percent compared to traditional garden plots.

Earlier this year, Garden Tower Project announced entering the International Living Institute's Living Product Challenge. The Challenge is part of a certification that is awarded to companies who re-think the design, manufacturing and use of all materials to have a net-positive impact on the environment and society.

Other Indiana Headlines