for Seattle's Millionair Club Charity Indoor Farm
UrbanHarvest Selects LumiGrow LED Technology
When the UrbanHarvest farm is complete before year-end 2013, it will produce 10,000 heads of lettuce annually, or about 20,000 bowls of fresh salad. Greens will be sold to provide revenue to support and scale the initiatives of the Millionair Club Charity, including providing job training and related social services. Salad greens will also complement nutritious meals for homeless or unemployed individuals in Seattle and King County.
The UrbanHarvest farm in the basement of the Millionair Club Charity's facility provides hands-on training in modern farming techniques to individuals in the Millionair Club Charity job training program. The farm uses cutting-edge technology to maximize crop yields and minimize environmental footprint. For example, powerful LumiGrow Pro 325™ LED lights, controlled by LumiGrow SmartPAR™ software, emit precisely the light intensity and spectrum needed by crops at different growth stages.
The LumiGrow LED solution's ability to target light output translates into 70 percent energy savings versus the high intensity discharge (HID) lights historically used in greenhouses and urban farms. Additionally, LumiGrow lights do not contain any mercury that could contaminate food or leach into landfills, unlike HID and fluorescent fixtures.
UrbanHarvest Founder and CEO Chris Bajuk says, "The LumiGrow LED solution is the right choice for the Millionair Club Charity project because it allows us to grow and deliver food in a manner that is sustainable in every sense."
Founded in 2012, UrbanHarvest formally launched after its founders won the prestigious University of Washington's annual business plan competition. Seattle native Chris Bajuk, who holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in addition to an M.B.A. and an M.S. in Real Estate from the University of Washington, drives every aspect of the company's operations including customizable crop production for restaurants; farm development and operating services focorporations and organizations; and long-term contract growing for grocery buyers, restaurants, and food services. For more information, please visit www.urbanharvest.com.