BrightFarms, one of the "Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Food," has announced plans to build and operate a massive greenhouse in Wilmington, Ohio that it says will be a model for scalable, sustainable and local farming.
It is billed as "The Most Sustainable Farm in Ohio."
The company, with other greenhouses outside Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Chicago, says the planned 160,000 square foot greenhouse in Wilmington will "use far less energy, land and water than conventional agriculture." The idea is to build just outside big cities and then be able to ship locally-grown fresh produce to them quickly.
CEO Paul Lightfoot explained his case for greenhouses to NPR's Dan Charles in 2015.
BrightFarms grows a handful of vegetables including salad greens, basil and tomatoes at the greenhouses now but that could expand to include cucumbers, peppers and strawberries.
In this video Lightfoot and his staff demonstrate the concept.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFA0eYKbJ5Y
At a Wilmington College news conference Wednesday Lightfoot plans to detail how the Clinton County greenhouse will serve the Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus area. A release says the greenhouse will create more than 30 permanent "green collar" jobs.
Lightfoot anticipates the greenhouse will be finished late this year. It will be built near 1850 David's Drive in Wilmington.
