Our Stories: What’s in the Box? It Might Be the Future of Urban Farming

Down a narrow path in the middle of Governors Island sits an 8-foot-by-40-foot shipping container on the grass. Inside, you won’t find cargo that belongs in a retail warehouse or cars fresh from the factory. Nope, this container holds something potentially far more valuable: The future of urban farming.

Step inside and you’ll find a series of parallel movable walls—almost as if they’re hung on curtain rods—with columns of floor-to-ceiling sponges. Tucked into the sponges are shoots of kale sprouting every few inches.

“This is part of our commitment to creating the clean energy future,” says Bill Fairechio, a department manager in Con Edison’s Research and Development department.

No matter what the weather is, this container farm can grow fresh, reliable produce year-round. Con Edison partnered with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to design and install the agricultural facility to learn more about the impact of indoor farming on the grid and to study the environmental benefits for our communities. Our partners, the Trust for Governors Island and GrowNYC, operate the farm and provide community education opportunities.

“As climate change continues and other things progress along, the future of farming is going to be controlled versus maybe in the natural environment where you have pests, insects, rodents, and unpredictable weather,” says Steve Labudzinski of R&D, who served as project manager for the installation of this Con Edison pilot project.

The container is one of several that EPRI is using for research around the country, where electrical loads and environmental factors vary.

The Governors Island container is optimized for agriculture in New York City, with heating and cooling systems that keep the temperature between 63 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit. It also features ultra-violet lighting and an 80-gallon water tank.

Part of the beauty of container farming is you can grow a lot in a small footprint, says Barry Rothstein of GrowNYC, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the farm. So far, the container has produced more than 900 lbs of kale.

“One of the difficulties in an urban environment, especially in New York, is the limited space,” he says. “This container is 320 square feet but the lateral soil equivalent of 2.5 acres.”

And because the container’s irrigation system is vertical and recycles water, it uses about 95% less water than traditional farming, notes Rothstein.

Another huge benefit? Food grown locally is fresh and convenient. In the future, local eateries might collaborate to install container farms on their properties.

Container farms can also potentially reduce truck traffic, and the carbon emissions generated from bringing produce into the region. Container farming even avoids the release of trapped carbon dioxide from the tilling of soil. Plus, with food being produced locally, supply chain issues become less worrisome.

“If there’s a natural disaster like Sandy and you’re relying on food coming in, having it local is a big advantage,” says Labudzinski.

While kale is the first crop for the Governors Island farm, Rothstein expects to next plant various lettuces, an assortment of herbs, radishes, and turnips.

For now, GrowNYC is distributing produce from Governors Island to communities in need, which ties into Con Edison’s commitment to supporting organizations advancing equitable, climate-resilient communities. Chili's on Wheels, a group working to make veganism accessible to communities in NYC, has received the majority of the kale harvest.

“We are very much interested in urban agriculture because not everyone has access to fresh produce and there are areas in New York City that are food deserts,” says Ana Traverso-Krejcarek of Strategic Partnerships, manager of our climate change and environmental stewardship giving portfolio.

People who have tried the container farm kale have mentioned how good it tastes and how well it holds up in the fridge.         

By educating our communities about urban farming, GrowNYC is not only raising awareness about healthy food and increasing access to fresh produce, it’s also engaging communities in need in the process of urban farming and perhaps even planting ideas about community gardens.

“Food justice can be an important aspect within environmental justice and is related to health equity,” says Traverso-Krecarek, noting GrowNYC is just one of Con Edison’s partners engaged in urban agricultural efforts. Community gardens in urban centers contribute to cleaner air, she notes.

In the future, the societal good from the Governors Island project could multiply as we move the container farm off the grid. This could mean connecting it to battery storage, solar or wind energy, or a combination of all three. We’re working with EPRI and the Trust for Governors Island to develop recommendations by the end of the year to make the container self-powered.

“That’s really the next phase of this project. We’re looking at the best technology out there and asking: How do we deploy that into future units?” says Fairechio. “We want this to be a sustainable project from every angle.”