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The Food Garage Project

Details

Commenced:	01/05/2013
Submitted:	02/05/2016
Last updated:	02/05/2016
Location:	23 Oxbow St, Red Deer, Alberta, CA
Phone:	403-986-7981
Website:	http://www.FoodGarage.ca
Climate zone:	Cold Temperate

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The Food Garage Project

Project Type

Urban, Residential, Demonstration, Educational

Project Summary

The Food Garage is a cold temperate climate demonstration project to turn everyday detached garages from simple storage units into four-season food growing and renewable energy-generating systems using urban permaculture design. For more info visit - www.FoodGarage.ca

Project Description

The Food Garage is a cold temperate climate demonstration project to turn everyday detached garages from simple storage units (aka ‘car-holes’) into food growing and renewable energy-generating systems using urban permaculture design. The basic concept is to partner a garage with an attached greenhouse and renewable energy to create sustainable 4-season growing systems with minimal fossil fuel input that serves both practical and recreational purposes. Owners of a Food Garage can then customize how they want the system to function and what and how they want to grow. Hosted by Rene Michalak (Phoenix Fire Permaculture) on a 1/5-acre urban homestead, this project demonstrates sustainable urban living to the community and the rest of the world as it leverages the practice of urban homesteading and the success of the existing edible forest garden on site. This project prototype takes a 24′×26′ two-car garage and couples it with a 23ft off-grid 4-season geodesic dome greenhouse. The greenhouse will be accessed through the heated garage which will host a 6000L aquaponic system to raise tilapia and freshwater prawns, grow various plants, utilize a rainwater catchment system to fill the fish tanks and water the greenhouse, a 7′×9′-32-tray aeroponic system for growing microgreens and wheat grass, an 8′×8′ walk-in cooler / root cellar for cold storage, a solar PV array, and in the greenhouse a climate battery and rocket mass heater (coppiced wood-fired) hot tub! There is even enough room in the garage for a small workshop and/or one parking space. The Food Garage has been supported in part by The Carbon Farmer's Community Investment Fund, the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, and individual contributions through crowdfunding campaigns.

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