Grant

Proposal: Windowfarming Project Project Goals and Description Out of eleven fresh or canned fruit and vegetable products that I removed from my refrigerator and cupboards, only one product came from within 100 miles of my home The ability to acquire produce from far off distances is made possible with cheap oil, a diminishing resource. Currently, it is possible and convenient to make a trip to the store for our produce needs. Eventually, it may become increasingly difficult as fossil fuel and land resources become less obtainable and the human population grows. Localizing food production can help to offset future problems that are associated with modern agricultural methods in the United States. In many places, including Idaho, year round traditional farming is not an option. In some places, localizing food production is not a viable option due to space constraints. One way of localizing food production, minimizing land use and increasing campus sustainability is to grow food year round on campus in Windowfarms.

http://our.windowfarms.org

A window farm is a vertical hydroponic system used to grow food indoors, year-round. The farm consists of recycled plastic bottles that contain a substrate for plant roots to attach to, hanging vertically in columns. An air or water pump is used to pump a nutrient rich solution to the top of the system and allow it to trickle down through each plant container, and then it is recycled back to the top of the system. Because most indoor temperatures are controlled, the plants are able to grow year-round as long as there is enough sunlight in the window in which they reside. The purpose of this project is to develop an effective method of using a vertical hanging hydroponic system to grow produce indoors year round. After designing the farm, data will be gathered based on temperature and humidity requirements of plants and differences in vegetative growth based on aspect. This data will be used to determine suitable locations for implementation of window farms on University of Idahos campus and to provide information for those interested in beginning their own farms. Sourcing food from places that are far away is made possible by cheap oil, a diminishing resource. Implementing a Windowfarm project on campus will increase campus sustainability by reducing food miles associated with sourcing produce from far off locations. With Windowfarms, some of campuss produce needs can be met as locally as possibly, on campus. The farms will be set up in public locations on campus that will catch the eye of passerby and hopefully spark interest in students, faculty, and staff to participate in the project. Methods Five Windowfarms will be designed. Each one will be a single column farm that holds four plants. The four plants will be arugula, basil, lettuce, and spinach. Each plant will be planted in soil obtained from the Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery in November and transplanted into a Windowfarm once all plants have developed a substantial root system. Four farms will be placed in locations that face different directions. These farms will be referred to by the direction the farm faces, North Farm, East Farm, South Farm, West Farm. The last farm will be placed in a greenhouse and will be referred to as Control Farm. The four variable farms will all be placed facing different directions so that changes in vegetative growth based on aspect can be noted. The Control Farm will be placed in a greenhouse so that it receives all of the available sunlight each day. Data loggers will be used to record the variations in temperature at all times for each variable farm. The Control Farm will have a consistent temperature for the length of the experiment. A hygrometer will be used to measure variations in humidity for the variable farms. The Control Farm will have consistent greenhouse humidity. After the experiment period of four months ends, the accumulated data will be analyzed to compare vegetative yield amongst the variable climatic locations of each farm. 2

 Project Outcomes During the course of the project, temperature and humidity will be measured daily with data loggers and plant yield will be measure weekly by myself and other environmental science students. At the end of the project, all of this data will be accumulated and analyzed to determine what the most suitable climatic location is for successful Windowfarms on campus. With this data, I will be able to have an idea of what an ideal indoor environment is like for a successful Windowfarm. This initial information gained through experimentation will then be used to determine the best placement of Windowfarms on campus. Once these farms are constructed, students will be able to grow a portion of their own food on campus thus increasing local food production. Outreach Approach The Windowfarms will be installed in public locations where students, faculty and staff pass. At the sites of the farms, signage will be placed denoting the how the university is now sourcing some of its produce directly from plants grown in Windowfarms on campus. Information will also lead interested persons to resources about starting their own Windowfarms In addition to signage, a Windowfarm construction workshop will be held by members of the Environmental Club in Morrill Hall. Participation and Support Dr. Jan Boll, director of the Environmental Science and Water Resources Department is acting as my advisor for this project. He is providing the financial resources to pay for hygrometers, data loggers, and renting greenhouse space for the control part of the experiment. All of the supplies for construction of five farms have already been obtained other than the more pricey items such as hydroponic nutrients, hydroponics supplies, and air pumps.The Environmental Science and Water Resources Department will also be helping me in getting interested students to help with the project by sending out promotional e-mails to students in the program. The Environmental Club has already expressed their support in helping with a Windowfarm Construction workshop. 3

Project Administration November 2012 December 2012 January 14-28 Week One Send E-mail seeking students interesting in participating in project Install variable and control Windowfarms Meet with Jan Measure plant yield Compile temperature & humidity data Meet with Jan Meet with UISC Project Coordinator Meet with interested students Measure plant yield Meet with Jan Measure plant yield Compile temperature & humidity data Meet with Jan Meet with UISC project Coordinator Measure plant yield Meet with Jan Measure plant yield Compile temperature & humidity data Meet with Jan Meet with UISC Project Coordinator Measure plant yield Meet with Jan Measure plant yield Compile temperature & humidity data Meet with Jan Meet with UISC Project Coordinator Measure plant yield Meet with Jan Measure plant yield Maintain seedlings Germinate seeds

Week Two

January 28-February 11 Week One

Week Two

February 11-25 Week One Week Two

February 25-March 11 Week One Week Two

March 11-25 Week One Week Two

March 25-April 8 Week One Week Two

Compile temperature & humidity data Meet with Jan Meet with UISC Project Coordinator Measure plant yield Meet with Jan Measure plant yield Compile temperature & humidity data Meet with Jan Meet with UISC Project Coordinator Measure plant yield Meet with Jan Begin compiling all data Measure plant yield Compile temperature & humidity data Meet with Jan Continue compiling data Finish compiling last data Project completed by April 26th, 2013 Final poster Final presentation

April 8-April 22 Week One

Week Two

April 22-May 6

Plan for Future Action With Windowfarms on campus, University of Idaho will be able to continue to increase the amount of campus food that is locally grown on campus, thus reducing environmental impacts associated with modern agriculture and food miles. With further involvement over the course of successive semesters, more farms can be installed. The Environmental Club and environmental science students will continue this project. The Environmental Science and Water Resources Department has committed to further funding of the project after the initial startup costs have been covered and they have also committed to involving environmental science and Environmental Club students. Progress of the project will be measured in plant yield with the results being given to the University of Idaho Sustainability Center. The information on plant yield will provide data for the UISC to calculate precisely how much food is being sourced locally on campus.

Team Members Qualifications I am a senior student getting my B.S. in Environmental Science. This project is a part of my senior thesis. Much of my undergraduate coursework has been focused on plant science, so I have the educational background to conduct the horticultural aspects of this project. I will be constructing the Windowfarms, growing the plants from seed, installing and maintaining the first five farms. At the end of the Spring 2013 semester, I will present the project and pass on the accumulated information to the students that have expressed interest in installing Windowfarms on campus. The interested students will be able to consult with Dr. Jan Boll and myself as academic resources for Windowfarming information. Dr. Jan Boll has been interested in starting a Windowfarming Project on campus and is willing to be a resource for interested students. Budget UISC Grant Budget Template Requested Funds Matched Funds 1. Equipment/Capital Expenditure Item/Description $0 Item/Description $0 $0 Total Equipment 2. Travel Trip Description $0 Trip Description $0 $0 Total Travel 3. Other Direct Costs Materials and supplies 5 air pumps $51.95 5 bags Hydroton clay $19.15 pellets 4 packs Net cups $14.36 10 bottles Maxsea all $150.00 purpose 16-16-16 10 bottles Maxsea bloom $150.00 3-20-20 Total Other Directs $385.46 4. Personnel* name/role $0

name/role $0 name/role $0 Total Salaries $0 Total Budget Request $385.46 Budget Justification: All material costs are needed to construct five Windowfarms. Because the farms will be in different locations on campus, each farm will have to have its own air pump rather than having one air pump hooked up to all of the farms. The most expensive supply needed is the hydroponic nutrients. Each nutrient bottle provides enough nutrients for ten weeks. The course of the project is roughly 20 weeks, meaning that two bottles of each nutrient type will be needed for each farm. With five farms, 10 bottles of each nutrient type are necessary to maintain the plants in the farms.