Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
It Is Time To Grow!
In an Urban farming pilot project, we grow leafy greens in a nutritious fluid, in a container powered with 100% renewable energy outside the IKEA Malmö store in Sweden
2ndProject portfolio Leader på IKEA, Ingka, Group Sustainability
The majority of IKEA visitors enjoy the IKEA food offer and today we enable millions of people to eat healthier and more sustainably by choosing our plant-based options. We are continuously exploring how we can contribute to a better, greener, and tastier future making healthier and more sustainable food accessible and affordable for many people.
In an Urban farming pilot project, we grow leafy greens in a nutritious fluid, in a container powered with 100% renewable energy outside the IKEA Malmö store in Sweden. This will not only result in delicious, fresh, locally grown greens that IKEA visitors can enjoy but what is more important this contributes to our ambition to become people and planet positive by 2030 by using fewer natural resources compared to conventional growing methods:
90% less water
No pesticides
No farmland
Less food waste
Together with Urban Crop Solutions we have installed a controlled-environment vertical farm where plants are grown in a closed system. Water and nutrients are used instead of soil and LED-light is used instead of sunlight.
We believe that every action that enables and inspires people to live more sustainably matters and perhaps we can change the world together, one plant at the time.
Urban Crop Solutions
Ikea Just Shared Its Garden Sphere Design For Free
Blueprints for IKEA’s Garden Sphere are available for free download, distribution, and reuse. The product design allows any users to feed an entire street, block, or even neighborhood, depending on population
IKEA's idea lab Space 10 created a sustainable, spherical garden for urban environments called The Growroom with open-source blueprint and instructions.
IKEA is making its garden sphere design free to access.
May 12, 2020
Blueprints for IKEA’s Garden Sphere are available for free download, distribution, and reuse. The product design allows any users to feed an entire street, block, or even neighborhood, depending on population.
The Growroom gardening sphere design makes it easy to grow fresh produce in dense urban areas. The multi-tiered, spherical design mimic some forms of verticle gardening by maximizing airspace. The structure’s designers, architects Sine Lindholm and Mads-Ulrik Husumtoin are part of Space 10—IKEA’s innovative idea lab.
The entire Growroom frame can be constructed with just a few supplies: plywood, screws, a hammer, and access to a local fab lab. Experts suggest small workshops offering digital fabrication are increasingly commonplace. “This means most people — in theory — could produce almost anything themselves,” the company press release read.
Community-grown food minimizes the distance traveled and other contributing factors in food production’s carbon footprint. Many people do not have ready access to fresh produce and outdoor space. The Growroom can help facilitate shared access to both.
“Local food represents a serious alternative to the global food model. It reduces food miles and our pressure on the environment and educates our children about where food actually comes from,” Space 10 noted on its website. “The challenge is that traditional farming takes up a lot of space — and space is a scarce resource in our urban environments.”
The Growroom could increase access to fresh produce in urban areas. | Image/bellinghammakers
IKEA And Sustainability
IKEA emphasizes sustainability in several other areas of its business. In its 2018 sustainability report, IKEA estimated its climate footprint to be 26.9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Following this, the home furnishings retail giant announced plans to invest over $220 million in efforts to become “climate positive.”
IKEA has also banned all single-use plastic from its cafes to minimize waste and preserve the environment. Instead, the company now uses alternatives such as wooden cutlery and paper straws. The retailer says it sources all materials from sustainable suppliers.
STAFF WRITER | BRISTOL, UNITED KINGDOM | CONTACTABLE VIA: LIAM@LIVEKINDLY.COM
Liam writes about environmental and social sustainability, and the protection of animals. He has a BA Hons in English Literature and Film and also writes for Sustainable Business Magazine. Liam is interested in intersectional politics and DIY music.