Project Description
Growing Power’s Iron Street Farm is envisioned as a waste processing, carbon-neutral facility that produces local, healthy, and sustainable food year-round for Chicago with a focus on serving, training, and engaging vulnerable populations. The project team developed a master plan and marketing materials to accommodate the current and future needs of the farm.
The facility’s anaerobic digester will convert organic waste into 29,200 gallons of water, 7,300,000 lbs of biogas, and 197,100 lbs of compost annually. The methane gas from the digester will produce enough electricity and heat for local operations with the surplus energy sold commercially.
Iron Street is located on a 7-acres bordered by the Chicago River in the Bridgeport neighborhood. Iron Street’s purpose is to “grow” healthy soil and energy, using closed loop ecological practices that also serve the local community by providing education, training, employment, and after school programs for youth.
The site will include: hoop houses to grow fresh produce year-round; aquaponics systems, which will produce healthy Tilapia and Yellow Perch; vermicomposting; a small ruminant husbandry, including chickens, ducks, and rabbits; urban apiary; orchard and vine fruit production; green roof production and research; and facilities for the training and employment for local residents and youth.