Green Lab Fact Sheet
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Green Lab Fact Sheet
Background: The Green Lab was created by INKA Biospheric Systems. The inspiration of the Green Lab came from INKA’s work in Sub-Saharan Africa, which raised the question how can we grow food in an innovative and sustainable way?
The Green Lab is a vertical garden that uses solar and wind energy to power a pump that circulates water from the trough on the bottom to the top of the vertical garden. As the water trickles down, the plants take in the nutrients from the water, cleaning it along the way.
Plants
- The plants grow towards the sun.
- The plants were planted when they were just a few inches tall into slits in the grow medium.
- To harvest the plants, simply remove leaves from the outside of the plant. The inside is new growth.
Solar Energy
- The solar panels are south facing for maximum sun exposure.
Wind Energy
- When the three Green Lab batteries are charged the wind turbine will not turn.
Water
- At Sanchez, we have instruments to test the temperature and pH of the water in the Green Lab.
- The Green Lab uses 20% the amount of water used in gardening.
Nutrients
- We add nutrients to the water in the form of a liquid or compost tea.
Grow Medium
- The grow medium is made of a synthetic plastic material, similar to what you would find in a fish filter.
