Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 56

Macro steps
micro farms
with
Hydroponic farm systems find
homes in higher ed
Chris Hollomon
marketing & PR manager,
Babylon Micro-Farms
At institutions like Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), sustainability
isn't just a buzzword, but a commitment made and upheld
by the universities' dining services teams. One way they are
providing their students with fresh, locally sourced produce,
to be more sustainable and offer more healthy dining options,
is through the implementation of a micro-farm in their dining
halls.
Currently, 39 universities are growing their own
produce in hydroponic vertical micro-farms that
are remotely managed and built by Babylon
Micro-Farms in Richmond, Virginia, including
some members of the National Association of
College & University Food Services (NACUFS)
like VCU and UNL. Babylon states that their vision
is to make fresh and healthy food accessible to
everyone, regardless of gardening experience
or available space. Many universities use their
micro-farms to earn points in the Association
for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher
Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking,
Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS®) campus
sustainability program, according to Babylon.
The micro-farms are hydroponic, meaning they run solely
on water, electricity, and nutrients. The system is remotely
managed through a combination of software that is
connected through an app and an array of sensors in the farm.
Once the client receives the seed packets from Babylon's
headquarters, they place them into slots on the farm's trays
and scan the barcode into the app. The bottom of the farm is
a large basin containing water and small bottles of nutrients
that are released to nourish plants as needed. From there, the
56
CAMPUS DINING TODAY | MACRO STEPS WITH MICRO-FARMS

Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today

Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 1
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 2
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 3
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 4
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 5
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 6
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 7
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 8
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 9
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 10
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 11
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 12
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 13
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 14
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 15
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 16
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 17
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 18
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 19
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 20
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 21
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 22
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 23
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 24
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 25
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 26
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 27
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 28
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 29
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 30
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 31
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 32
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 33
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 34
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 35
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 36
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 37
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 38
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 39
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 40
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 41
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 42
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 43
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 44
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 45
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 46
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 47
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 48
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 49
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 50
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 51
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 52
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 53
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 54
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 55
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 56
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 57
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 58
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 59
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 60
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 61
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 62
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 63
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 64
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 65
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 66
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 67
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 68
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 69
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 70
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 71
Fall 2023 Campus Dining Today - 72
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com