A couple of weeks ago I joined the one hour public tour of
The Plant. What an amazing place; its one part urban factory, one part
sustainable business practices, and a dash of mad scientist experiments.
This 90,000 square foot building was once the pinnacle of
meat packing in the U.S. It was fully operational until just a couple of years
ago, Bubbly Dynamics bought the property, which was destined for destruction. They
have slowly transformed this urban shell into an experimental space which
houses many different business types whose inputs and outputs benefit on one
another.
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| Map explaining energy and byproduct flows. |
During our tour we saw an aquaponics set up. For those
unfamiliar, aquaponics combines fish farming and hydroponic plant growth. The
fish’s waste provides nutrients for the plants, who then filter and aerate the
water, which is then pumped back into the fish tank. This cycle can repeat
forever. We only saw a demonstration area, the commercial production facility
is off limits to the general public in order to maintain cleanliness.
One of my favorite businesses in the building was the Pearl
Oyster Mushroom Farm. Bags of straw that have been inoculated with mycelium
hang from the ceiling in a warm and moist climate. Each bag creates about 50 pounds
of the edible fungi. I took a pound home to try them out and they are freaking
delicious, just simply pan fry them in butter with garlic, salt, and pepper
until they start to brown and crisp.
I highly recommend visiting The Plant, tours are $10 and
they offer two times on Saturdays for visitors. They also host a farmer’s
market outside where you can purchase items grown or made on site. For more
information, check them out at
www.plantchicago.com.
