The Vertical Farm: Keystone Concept to the Sustainable Eco-city
DICKSON DESPOMMIER, Ph.D.
EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF
PUBLIC HEALTH,
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Techno-sphere
Biosphere
START
END
WASTE
NO BEGINNING, NO END
Cradle to cradle
Cradle to grave
Everyones Birthright:
2.3
1500
Liters of safe drinking water
Calories
of safe food
The Challenges
Safe and Abundant Water Supply
Food Safety and Security
Engaging Society in Environmental Sustainability
Reducing Dependence on Fossil Fuels
Agricultural Footprint
6.8
Billion
People
Not including grazing lands
World Population Growth
Billion
10
By the year 2050 our species will increase by another 3
billion people
8
6
Developing Regions
4
2
Industrialized Regions
1750
1800
1850
1900
1950
Sources: United Nations Population Division and Population References Bureau, 1993
2000
2050
6.8
Billion
People
Agricultural Footprint
3
Billion
People
Forecasting Agriculturally Driven Global Environmental Change
David Tilman, et al.
SCIENCE Vol 292April, 2001
80%
of the Earths available land is already
farmed
Herbicides
20% of US Fossil Fuel
Use
Food
requires
Fertilizers
AGRICULTURE
Pesticides
70% of Available Fresh
Water
produces
Agricultural Runoff
Agricultural Runoff is Destroying the Worlds Oceans
<10
1020
2040
4060
6080
>80
Percent Increase
in TN River Flux
Dead Zones
US Floods:
1993, 2007, 2008
Within 20 years, 80% of us will live in cities or
suburbs
Provide a
sustainable, safe and
abundant
food and water
supply for 10 billion
people?
AND
Can We?
Repair
Earths
damaged
ecosystems?
We Can If we Want To
The Future of Agriculture: Growing Soilless
Hydroponics
Aeroponics
Drip Irrigation
The Future Is Now
Lettuce from Tennessee
Rice from Japan
Tomatoes
EuroFresh Farms, Willcox, Arizona
Endless Possibilities
Variety Is The Spice Of Life
Berries
Blackcurrant
Blueberry
Cranberry
Huckleberry
Loganberries
Raspberry
Strawberry
Bush Vegetables
Green Bean
Tomato-- beefsteak, campari,
plum, cherry, globe
Specialty Crops
Coffee
Grapes
Luffa Sponge
Olives
Sunflower
Wheat Grass
Vine Vegetables
Cucumber
Eggplant
Okra
Squash
Sweet Bell Pepper
Zucchini
Hydroponics
Legumes
Soybeans
Peanuts
Melons
Cantaloupe
Muskamelon
Pumpkin,
Watermelon
Root Vegetables
Beet
Belgian Endive
Carrot
Onions
Potato
Radish
Sweet Potato
Grains
Barley
Corn,
Wheat
Rice
Leafy Greens
Herbs & Spices
Asparagus
Arugula
Butterhead Lettuce
Broccoli Brussels Sprout Banana Pepper
Cauliflower
Bay Leaves
Celery
Chile Peppers
Charita Lettuce
Chervil
Chinese Cabbage
Chives
Collared Greens
Cilantro
Estelle Lettuce
Cinnamon Basil
Garlic Chives
Coriander
Green Coral Lettuce,
Curry Leaf Dill
Green Oak Leaf Lettuce, Fennel
Kale
French Tarragon
Kuala Lettuce
Green Basil
Mizuna Mustard
Lavender
Peas
Lemon Basil
Red Coral Lettuce
Lemon Thyme
Red Oak Leaf Lettuce Marjoram Mint
Romaine Lettuce
Opal Basil
Roxy Lettuce,
Oregano
Spinach
Parsley
Swiss Chard
Rocket
Upland Cress
Rosemary
Sage Sakura Cress
Thai Basil
Watercress
Yellow Pea Shoots
Apply these proven indoor agricultural
strategies to growing food in
buildings located within the urban
landscape
The Result:
Vertical
Farming
Advantages of a Vertical Farm
5
ALLOWS RESTORATION OF DAMAGED ECOSYTEMS
USES 70% LESS WATER, NO AGRO-CHEMICALS, NO
FOSSIL FUELS
NO CROP LOSS FROM SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS
YEAR ROUND CROP PRODUCTION
NO AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF
Advantages of a Vertical Farm
10
CAN GROW BIO-FUELS, PLANT-DERIVED DRUGS
USES ABANDONED CITY PROPERTIES
SUPPLIES FRESH PRODUCE FOR INNER CITY
DWELLERS
CREATES NEW JOBS
REMEDIATES GRAY WATER
Addresses Two Urgent Needs in Distressed Regions of the World
Food
Water
The Vertical Farm: Key to Eco-Urbanization
The Vertical Farm is the centerpiece
for creating an eco-city in which all
human activities reflect ecological
process.
Vertical Farm Tool Box
Hydroponics
Aeroponics
Drip Irrigation
Waste-to-Energy
Automation
Water Re-capture
Passive Energy
LED Lighting
The Sustainable Eco-City
(employs cutting-edge technologies)
CITY DRINKING WATER
Vertical
Farm
CITY ENERGY GRID
Food
Potable Water
Energy
Metabolic By-Products (urine, feces)
Gray Water Remediation
Plasma Gasification
Liquid Municipal Waste
Gray Water
Sludge
Can we actually
do any of this??
We are already doing it!
Santa Ana, California
Black water
Gray water
Drinking water
Port St. Lucie, Florida
1,500 tons of solid municipal waste/day!
Plasma Arc Gasification
TITLE
Dubai Pyramid Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Eric Ellingsen
Dickson Despommier
LOCATION
Dubai
TITLE
Pla(n)tform:
An alternative for
urban growth
ILLUSTRATOR
Ori Ronen &
Adi Reich
LOCATION
Tel Aviv, Israel
TITLE
Pla(n)tform:
An alternative for
urban growth
ILLUSTRATOR
Ori Ronen &
Adi Reich
LOCATION
Tel Aviv, Israel
TITLE
Pla(n)tform:
An alternative for
urban growth
ILLUSTRATOR
Ori Ronen &
Adi Reich
LOCATION
Tel Aviv, Israel
TITLE
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Gordon Graff
LOCATION
Toronto, Canada
TITLE
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Gordon Graff
LOCATION
Toronto, Canada
TITLE
City of the Future
ILLUSTRATOR
Fougeron Architects
LOCATION
San Francisco, CA
TITLE
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Blake Kurasek
LOCATION
Chicago, IL
TITLE
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Blake Kurasek
LOCATION
Chicago, IL
TITLE
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Blake Kurasek
LOCATION
Chicago, IL
TITLE
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Owen Foster
LOCATION
Queensland, Australia
TITLE
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Owen Foster
LOCATION
Queensland, Australia
TITLE
Urban farm,
urban epicenter
ILLUSTRATOR
Jung Min Nam
LOCATION
New York City
TITLE
Urban farm,
urban epicenter
ILLUSTRATOR
Jung Min Nam
LOCATION
New York City
TITLE
Urban farm,
urban epicenter
ILLUSTRATOR
Jung Min Nam
LOCATION
New York City
TITLE
Experimental
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Claudio Palavecino
Llanos
LOCATION
Santiago, Chile
TITLE
Experimental
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Claudio Palavecino
Llanos
LOCATION
Santiago, Chile
TITLE
Experimental
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Claudio Palavecino
Llanos
LOCATION
Santiago, Chile
TITLE
Experimental
Vertical Farm
ILLUSTRATOR
Claudio Palavecino
Llanos
LOCATION
Santiago, Chile
TITLE
Museum of Science and
Industry
LOCATION
Chicago, IL
TITLE
Illinois Institute of
Technology, College of
Architecture
DESIGNERS
Vertical Farm Model Team
LOCATION
Chicago, IL.
First Create a Prototype
Weber Thompson - Seattle
Weber Thompson - Seattle
TITLE
Grade School Vertical
Farm Project
ILLUSTRATOR
Toms Students
A Special Thanks to All My Students
2004
Anisa Buck
Daniel Dine
Stacy Goldberg
Vani Gulate
Vivek Iyer
Ben Jacob
Eugene Kang
Roger Kim
Jennifer Montes
Pearl Moy
Anita OConnor
Katerina Paraskevas
Rebecca Tatum
Carrie Teicher
Janice Turner
2005
Alam Saad
Kristen Coates
Stephen Lee
Maribeth Lovegrove
Michelle Robalino
Theodora Sakata
Dennis Santella
Sapna Surendran
Kelly Urry
2006
James Baumgartner
Jasmine Beria
Kenneth Chamber
Elizabeth Del Giacco
Leslie-Anne Danielle Fitzpatrick
Bryan Joshua Garber
Greg Gin
Alexis Katrell Harman
Rory E. Mauro
Jun Michjael Mitsumoto
Natalie Neu
Ivan Ramirez
Elizabeth Morgan Reitano
Kathleen Ann Roosevelt
Jordana Rothschild
Nicholas Sebes
Adireenne Sheetz
Sonia Demitrie Toure
Athina Vassilakis
2007
Evelyn Natalia Alvarez
Matthew Peter Bussa
Caroline Carnevale
Yana Chervona
Richele Lynn Corrado
Manisha Daswani
Jonathan Gass
Moshen Ghanefar
Kahterine Gifford
Sookyung Ham
JongJin Jo
Dianna Jones
Steven Kauh
Raeya Khan
Danille Kontovas
Cynthia Lendor
Jason Light
Kevin Lo
Diego Lopez De Castilla
Chrisytopher Martin
Mary Ann Popovech
Iris Anne Cruz Reyes
Yalini Senathirajah
Timon Tai
2008
Sarah Autry
Claudia Cujar
Geoffrey Garst
Erica Hahn
Schuyler Henderson
Carolyn Hettrich
Yuki Kaneda
Chris Karampahtsis
Hannah Kellogg
Mateusz Kruk
Gilma Mantilla
Karl Minges
Christopher Ovanez
Johanathan Stettin
Sarah Wishnek
A Special Thanks to All My Students (contd)
2009
Joshua Bernstock
Alisa M. Koval
Yanjuska Lescaille
Sara M. Miller
Jonathan P. Salud
Alexander T.
Sonneborn
Naomi J. Sorkin
Sunny Uppal
Alexander T. Varga
Kate R. Weinberg
Daniel Yagoda
Zahira Zahid
2010
Juilee Prakash Barde
Jonathan Remy Camuzeaux
Michelle T. Chuang
Offira Shuly Gabbay
Elizabeth Ellen Hornyak
Lea Kiefer
Freda Robyn Laulicht
Allison Michelle Martineau
Genevieve Sophia Slocum
Ida Hui Suen
Iesha Wadala
Patrice Adele
Its time to stop talking
and START DOING!
Save Water
Farm Smart
Help Keep Our Blue
Planet Green!
Thank You!
