In 2019, Lafayette College approved the Climate Action Plan 2.0 (CAP 2.0), committing to become carbon neutral by 2035. But the path to carbon neutrality is not always clear – several institutional changes need to be made before 2035. We believe one of the ways the college can be more sustainable and achieve its goals is through the construction of a carbon neutral greenhouse at LaFarm. This report is focused on this possibility- a future in which sustainability is at a centerpiece of what we, as an institution, do at Lafayette College. A greenhouse that is carbon neutral, that is, off-the-grid, would be a representation of a carbon neutral future for Lafayette College in the next few decades. But constructing a sizable greenhouse that uses renewable sources of energy can prove difficult. This report will examine the difficulties that might be encountered, along with some of the relevant actors and organizations at play in an effort to create a holistic view of what the construction of a greenhouse would entail.
LaFarm is a sustainability initiative at Lafayette College and serves as a key player of the Lafayette College Sustainable Food Loop. Overall LaFarm’s mission is to foster education around sustainable food and agriculture for the campus community. In 2009, Jenn Bell, a student at Lafayette, started LaFarm through a grant from the Clinton Global Initiative University Conference, in which she began efforts to cultivate the land using organic principles. In 2012, the project received additional grant funding to hire a garden manager. A LaFarm Advisory Board was established and today, the farm serves as a hub for sustainability initiatives on campus. They do this by growing produce, engaging student volunteers and workers, and serving as a laboratory for multidisciplinary student-faculty education and research. It is located at Metzgar Field, near the Athletics Complex and is responsible for programs like Vegetables in the Community. LaFarm works as the perfect staging site and a key player for building a greenhouse, as it will not only be used by the farm, it will also serve to enable students, faculty, and community to learn more about small-scale sustainable agriculture.
This 2019 LaFarm Greenhouse Report is a continuation of several years of work. Three other Engineering Studies capstone projects have focused on building a carbon neutral greenhouse. The 2015 LaFarm Greenhouse Report determined the initial steps for creating a greenhouse at LaFarm by analyzing three standard greenhouse designs, determining the Gothic Greenhouse as the best design for LaFarm. As next steps, the 2015 group recommended doing additional research on how to power the structure. The 2016 Carbon Neutral Greenhouse Report’s objective was two part: “integrating a carbon neutral power generation medium into the greenhouse” and using the structure to integrate LaFarm into the Lafayette/Forks/Easton communities. In the end, their recommendation was to conceptualize a plan that begins with the construction of a basic hoophouse and ends with a carbon neutral greenhouse. They also foresaw a timetable of 5-10 years for completion of a project due to funding. The last group to work on the project, the 2017 LaFarm Greenhouse Report, recommended a 30’x96’ gothic style greenhouse at LaFarm. This greenhouse would be bought off-the-shelf from Nolt’s Greenhouse Supplies. This group also completed a cost-benefit analysis of the greenhouse, including material and operations cost.
Although the 2015-2017 were beneficial in creating an initial framework of work that has been done, the 2019 LaFarm Greenhouse Report makes several changes to the recommendations from previous groups. The reasons behind this are two-fold. First, there is a new sense of urgency from Lafayette College, as evidenced by the CAP 2.0, on creating sustainability on campus. This wasn’t necessarily the case in 2017. As such, reevaluating potential funding sources, as we do in the economic context section of our report, proves indispensable. Second, LaFarm has not only increased in size, but also in function. With hundreds of volunteers going on-site and more than 6,000 pounds of produce harvested, washed, and delivered last year (LaFarm 2018), it is necessary to also reevaluate the political and social contexts the farm is currently in. Furthermore, there are also different people working in the Office of Sustainability since the report in 2017. Namely, Lisa Miskelly as the Assistant Director of Food & Farm and Delicia Nahman as the Sustainability Director. As we explain in our report, we believe that the construction of a carbon neutral greenhouse must also align with the goals of the current staff of the Office of Sustainability.
The 2019 LaFarm Greenhouse Report is divided into four areas: social, political, technical, and economic contexts. The social context is focused on understanding the LaFarm, Lafayette, and Easton community as it pertains to the construction of the greenhouse. Through meetings with Lisa Miskelly, LaFarm’s keystone figure, we gathered valuable input on what the functions and form of the LaFarm greenhouse would be. As she would be the main actor in the greenhouse, her input was crucial to us. Further, we considered the social context of the greenhouse on Lafayette College’s entire campus from an educational as well as physical scale. More broadly, we discussed the possible effects of the greenhouse on the Easton community as a whole and how to involve as many people in the quest for carbon neutrality as possible. Addressing the social context of this project was important for our group, as it recognizes the need for community-based sustainable development of any engineering project, including this greenhouse.
The political context section focuses on how greenhouse construction is directly related to institutional goals through the Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2.0. More than anything, the CAP 2.0 highlights the relationship between Lafayette’s goals as an academic institution and its commitment to becoming more sustainable. By delving into the relationship between this plan and our proposed project, we can interpret what some of the political limitations of our project might be. We also offer insight on Lafayette’s Development Office and their stake in the greenhouse project. Lastly, there is a short introduction on zoning requirements from municipal government and some of the steps Lafayette might need to take in order to begin the actual process of the construction of a greenhouse.
The technical focus of this project examines the use of renewable technologies to take a greenhouse off the grid for Lafarm. After speaking to several farmers about the best systems to use, we synthesize our findings and explore several different techni ues that may be used in the construction of a greenhouse at LaFarm. We base our technical assessment on two forms of renewable energy: geothermal and solar. These energy sources would provide heating and temperature control, as well as power all of the other components of the greenhouses system such as vents and fans. The technical analysis takes apart the benefits and concerns for each energy option and recommends an overall design that will enable the greenhouse to be built off the energy grid. After consulting with Farmer, we have envisioned a structure that will be twenty-four by fifty-eight feet with approximately 11 tables as well as space to potting soil, a work bench, and a place to make flats for the seedlings. In order to maintain a proper temperature, we recommend using hoses that pump hot water under the seedlings to keep the root systems at the proper temperature. Based on our analysis, we have determined that a solar power system will be the best source of energy because it does not require significant set up costs, unlike most geothermal techniques. However a backup connection to the energy grid will be beneficial as the greenhouse starts out. Along with simple insulative measures this greenhouse should be able to successfully start seedlings for the greenhouse to be successful at LaFarm.
The Economic context establishes a cost analysis of the alternative energy system that will be used in the construction of the greenhouse. This cost estimation may shape the decision -making process for stakeholders and the Greenhouse itself. We go in-depth on the costs of a solar system and also briefly mention some costs and considerations for a geothermal system. Secondly, we explore initial sources of funding that LaFarm could use for the construction of a greenhouse. Two of these sources are Lafayette-based: Lafayette Development Office and Lafayette’s capital budget. The other sources of funding are in the form of grants, both government-based and foundation-based.
Overall, the 2019 LaFarm Greenhouse Report is intended to be a stepping stone towards the construction of a carbon neutral greenhouse at Lafayette. While still in its infancy as an idea, we believe that building a greenhouse will enhance Lafayette’s reputation as a leader in social and professional responsibility. Furthermore, it will allow for students to continue their work at LaFarm and provide for a greener, carbon neutral, sustainable future.
Also, check out our bibliography! In our next section, we go into our social context.