When Wasted Space Becomes Opportunity

Design student Philippe Hohlfeld is looking to shake up the shipping industry in a major way. 

After learning that China exports twice as much as it imports, Philippe Hohlfeld was curious as to what happens to the extra shipping containers that lack cargo.  The answer? Nothing - they are shipped back to China, empty and unused.  Hohlfeld saw this as an incredible business opportunity and came up with GrowFrame - a hydroponic system that is not only tailored to produce greens within the closed containers, but that can fold up when not in use.

“I was obsessed with finding something that I could manufacture while shipping,” says Hohlfeld. “The problem is that most products require enormous energy, large machinery and multiple processes. Farming, however, requires relatively little energy, only needs nutrients and plants, and after one process, the whole thing is finished. It was a perfect fit for manufacturing in containers.”

Hohlfeld acknowledges that his project is ambitious, but we can all agree that this would be a great way to use an immense amount of empty space.  Check out the article for more details on how GrowFrame works and why it would be so beneficial!

FogBox

The aeroponics revolution begins!

Earlier this summer, the company GroBox launched a Kickstarter campaign for a small-scale aeroponics growing system called FogBox.  This planter can fit on a desk, bookshelf, or windowsill, and it’s sleek, minimalistic design makes it just about the coolest thing we’ve seen all week. 

For those that don’t know, aeroponics is a growing method where the plant roots are exposed directly to air and misted with a nutrient solution. There is no soil, as used in traditional gardening, and no growing medium, as used in hydroponics.  The FogBox makes a slight adjustment though - rather than misting the roots, fog is used to transport the nutrients.

Be sure to explore their page for a full explanation of how their innovative design works!