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The Plant

Former meatpacking facility turned vertical farm and sustainable business complex.

Chicago, Illinois

Added By
Leslie McIntyre
Artist’s rendering of The Plant   The Plant
Tilapia are the fish of choice in The Plant’s aquapontic farms   The Plant
The Plant: A Sustainable Business Model   The Plant
The Plant’s outdoor farm takes shape in the facility’s parking lot   The Plant
Hydroponic crops grown by Greens and Gills, a tenant at The Plant   Greens and Gills
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In Chicago, a former meatpacking plant is going green. The emerging business complex, known simply as The Plant, hopes to set a remarkable example for sustainable food production and business practices.

The  93,500 square foot building is home to a variety of sustainable food businesses, including a brewery, bakery, kombucha brewery, a cheese distributor, and a coffee roaster, among others. Waste from one business often provides fuel for another; for instance, the CO2 emissions from the brewery are harnessed to feed the plants in the aquaponic farms. 

The Plant is a sustainable, self-sufficient business complex that promotes economic growth in the surrounding Back of the Yards neighborhood and serves as a model for green technologies. Tours of the complex are offered Saturdays at 2 p.m. or by appointment.

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Added By

Leslie McIntyre

Published

May 19, 2013

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