For those of us who live in the blistering cold during the winter and want to eat local produce, it isn’t easy. Traditional greenhouses are one way to meet the demands for year-round local produce, but they are energy guzzlers and are heated with fossil fuels. In the Midwestern region of the U.S., greenhouses are changing thanks to a new system that uses the Earth’s own internal heat to warm and cool greenhouses. They dig the floor of the greenhouse four feet below the surface, and use the warm air taken from a perforated plastic tubing buried underground to cool and heat the greenhouses. As the air circulates in a loop from the underground to the greenhouse, it picks up heat from soil to keep the greenhouses warm enough at night to grow produce all year round. And by using geothermal energy, the energy costs at these greenhouses are about a $1 a day. If more of these kind of greenhouses can be placed around the world, then it will help reduce our need to transport produce and the emissions that come with it.
Citrus in the snow: Geothermal greenhouses grow local produce in the winter
More of Today's Solutions
MIT to publish free plans online for a cheap emergency ventilator
Imagine a class project from over a decade ago ended up holding the solution to a global issue? Well that's the case for a ...
Read MoreThe case for growing nectar-rich plants in your garden this spring
The nectar created by flowering plants is a significant food source for many of the critters we share our environment with. Those of us ...
Read MoreNew York schools commit to nurturing mental health through mindful breathing
Meet Noah Hill, a third-grader at Brooklyn's Dr. Ronald E. McNair Public School 5. He's discovered a simple yet significant technique for finding peace ...
Read MoreThe surprising power of penguin poop: how guano-made clouds may help cool the...
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In the chilly heart of Antarctica, a bunch of tuxedoed waddlers may be doing more for the planet ...
Read More
