[Greenbuilding] Growing food by electeric light - urban sustainability?

[Corwyn]

On 6/10/2012 9:21 AM, sanjay jain wrote:
> http://www.urbansustainable.org is encouraging city dwellers to grow
> food indoors using electricity.
>
> I asked one of the staff if it's more sustainable to grow food locally
> using electricity than buying food at a store, he said yes!
>
> Not convinced? Are you?

'yes' is hardly a convincing argument.  About like spelling 'fact'.

Quick back-of-the-envelope calculation:

Plants convert about 2% of the energy they receive into stored energy 
that we can digest.  Lettuce, for example, could have 80 calories per 
pound.  Or 93 watt-hours.  Which would require 4.65 kWh of electricity.

Trucking lettuce on the other hand, (according to Elliot Coleman) takes 
about 1.18 kWh per pound from California to Maine.

So, I guess put me in the 'not convinced' category.

***

Seriously though, don't these people have roofs?  Are they already full 
of vegetables?

Thank You Kindly,

Corwyn
-- 
Topher Belknap
Green Fret Consulting
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