Social Innovation Challenge Winner Building Food Growing Facility In Shipping Container
Social Innovation Challenge Winner Building Food Growing Facility In Shipping Container
May 14, 2018
A MUN student and entrepreneur is building his first shipping container food growing facility after winning a pitch contest at Memorial University over the weekend.
20-year-old Bennett Newhook won the 2018 Social Innovation Challenge this weekend for his social enterprise Green Space Farms. His partners were Justin Elliott, Sonya Killam, and Draco Dunphy.
The group’s goal is to lower the cost of alternative farming methods for communities across the province.
Bennett says he’s always had a keen interest in food sustainability on the island.
He says he and his team were shocked to find out Newfoundland only produces ten percent of the food that’s consumed while Labrador only produces one percent, so they decided to try and make a positive impact by coming up with Green Space Urban Farms.
The group is proposing to build food farms out of 20-foot shipping containers constructed with post-consumer materials.
Green Space Urban Farms won $1,500 cash and $2,000 in business support for market research and product development.
Newhook would like to see the idea brought to rural communities to help residents access fresh, local produce year-round. He expects to see the first unit up and running within the next few months.