Greenhouse project could turn trash into community treasure

From KY3 News:

Watch a KY3 News newscast on the project here.

Springfield, Mo. -- City leaders, local growers, architects, grocery store owners, and agricultural experts gathered in the same room on Wednesday to come up with ideas and solutions for a $2 million community greenhouse project.  Some voiced concerns but all agreed the plan would turn trash into something that the community would treasure.

"Anything we can do to decrease the amount of waste product that we put back into the environment is always a good thing," said Jennifer Duzan, an environmental technician for the city.

Duzan said every person in Springfield produces about five pounds of trash per day.  It ends up in a massive landfill a few miles outside the city.  Duzan said microbes break down the buried trash and produce a byproduct called methane.

We just release the methane out into the atmosphere; it is a greenhouse gas," Duzan said.

Instead, for the last few years, the city collects the gas and turns it into enough power to supply 2,100 homes.  That process in turn produces heat, and that is the basis for the greenhouse project.

"The heat generated from the generaters is just going into the atmosphere.  It's being wasted, so we got the idea: 'What if we captured that?'" said City Manager Greg Burris.

Burris said the generators produce enough heat to power a four-acre greenhouse.  He said the first phase of project would cost between $2 million and $2.5 million.  It would be funded through grants.

"This is really a chance for us to do something that nobody else is doing," Burris said.

The proposed location for the new greenhouse is just south of the landfill. Overall, educators, business leaders, and even local producers think it could benefit the community.   Some have concerns about competition, however.

"The last three years, we've seen a great uptick in sales," said Dan Bigbee, operator of Fassnight Creek Farms in the middle of Springfield.

Bigbee said he would like to the products produced in the greenhouse be channeled to places like schools.

"I don't like the idea of it finding its way into the food chain at farmers markets, restaurants, or grocery stores, because those are all markets local growers are already engaged in," Bigbee said.

Other farmers share those concerns, and city leaders say they are taking them seriously in an effort to make sure the greenhouse becomes a place that benefits everyone.

The grant-writing process is taking place right now.  That's why city leaders wanted to hear from so many different people on Wednesday in a community meeting. They are trying to determine how the greenhouse would be operated.  Burris said strong community partnerships will help the city secure grants.