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food security in times of disaster or emergency are other good reasons for investing in local food supply. Also, diversification of the economy. But ya, it ne

food security in times of disaster or emergency are other good reasons for investing in local food supply. Also, diversification of the economy. But ya, it needs to make some economic sense too. We grow a lot of food in hothouses in Canada...

toomuchtodo 7y ago
I would love to see the math of geothermal greenhouses powered by renewables versus the carbon footprint of air freight of food. As renewables drive down the cost of electricity, the economics continually shift towards local production versus import. Outside of Alberta, most of Canada's electrical generation is very low carbon (nuclear and hydro) per electricitymap.org.
- allannienhuis 7y ago
  ya, but I think a lot of commercial greenhouses are heated by natural gas because of lower cost. A quick google found some really interesting stuff regarding alternative (geothermal, biomass) heating specifically designed for greenhouses: https://www.greenhousecanada.com/topic/structures-equipment/heating/ https://www.greenhousecanada.com/topic/structures-equipment/...
  - toomuchtodo 7y ago
    Current state, yes! But something we need to get away from (unless methane from bioreactors or landfills is used, in which case burning it is the best form of disposal).
- dh-g 7y ago
  NS, NB, NT, SK are all pretty dirty - https://energyrates.ca/the-main-electricity-sources-in-canada-by-province/ https://energyrates.ca/the-main-electricity-sources-in-canad...
  - triceratops 7y ago
    They only account for 10% of the national population though.
- netjiro 7y ago
  Check out Iceland. https://usgreenchamber.com/how-iceland-is-revolutionizing-green-agriculture/ https://usgreenchamber.com/how-iceland-is-revolutionizing-gr... Slowly developing insulated indoor aquacultures, led lighting, robotic harvesting, perfect climate control, gas mixture, mineral and nutrients. With near future robotics we'll see near zero carbon footprint production with near zero human work load for a fairly wide range of healthy foods.
  - toomuchtodo 7y ago
    This is very helpful, thank you for sharing!

toomuchtodo 7y ago

I would love to see the math of geothermal greenhouses powered by renewables versus the carbon footprint of air freight of food. As renewables drive down the cost of electricity, the economics continually shift towards local production versus import. Outside of Alberta, most of Canada's electrical generation is very low carbon (nuclear and hydro) per electricitymap.org.

allannienhuis 7y ago
ya, but I think a lot of commercial greenhouses are heated by natural gas because of lower cost. A quick google found some really interesting stuff regarding alternative (geothermal, biomass) heating specifically designed for greenhouses: https://www.greenhousecanada.com/topic/structures-equipment/heating/ https://www.greenhousecanada.com/topic/structures-equipment/...
- toomuchtodo 7y ago
  Current state, yes! But something we need to get away from (unless methane from bioreactors or landfills is used, in which case burning it is the best form of disposal).
dh-g 7y ago
NS, NB, NT, SK are all pretty dirty - https://energyrates.ca/the-main-electricity-sources-in-canada-by-province/ https://energyrates.ca/the-main-electricity-sources-in-canad...
- triceratops 7y ago
  They only account for 10% of the national population though.
netjiro 7y ago
Check out Iceland. https://usgreenchamber.com/how-iceland-is-revolutionizing-green-agriculture/ https://usgreenchamber.com/how-iceland-is-revolutionizing-gr... Slowly developing insulated indoor aquacultures, led lighting, robotic harvesting, perfect climate control, gas mixture, mineral and nutrients. With near future robotics we'll see near zero carbon footprint production with near zero human work load for a fairly wide range of healthy foods.
- toomuchtodo 7y ago
  This is very helpful, thank you for sharing!