The Perpetual erpetual erpetual erpetual Harvest arvest arvest arvest Greenhouse reenhouse reenhouse reenhouse System ystem ystem ystem A Copious Approach to Conscious Sustainable Living Just imagine . . . a highly energy-efficient and cost-effective year-round source of the finest quality, healthy, organic produce grown in an innovative manner that protects the environment and the wellbeing of consumers while fostering sustainability and community economic development.
A Copious Approach to Conscious Sustainable Living
Just imagine . . . a highly energy-efficient and cost-effective year-round source of the finest quality, healthy, organic produce grown in an innovative manner that
protects the environment and the wellbeing of consumers while fostering sustainability and community economic development.
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Pg 1 ENGINEERING REVIEW BY MARK HOFFMAN Pg 3 OVERVIEW Pg 3 DESCRIPTION Pg 5 A TYPICAL DAY IN THE GREENHOUSE Pg 10 SUMMARY Pg 13 PROFIT POTENTIAL – BILL WILSON Pg 16 APPENDIX Pg 17 PHGS RESOURCE & ENERGY FLOWPATHS DIAGRAM Pg 18 PHASE I Pg 19 REFINEMENT AND VALIDATION Pg 19 OVERVIEW Pg 19 BASELINE PARAMETERS TO INVESTIGATE AND OPTIMIZE Pg 19 PHASE I SUPPLIMENTS FOR STELLAR RESULTS Pg 21 POTENTIAL RESULTS Pg 23 INVESTIGATIVE APPROACH Pg 25 PROFIT POTENTIAL Pg 26 MARKETING PLAN FOR LILY HILL FARM Pg 27 MARKETING PLAN FOR STELLE Pg 27 POTENTIALS IN COMMON TO LILY HILL FARM AND STELLE Pg 28 ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES CREATED Pg 31 COMPENSATION CONSIDERATIONS Pg 32 RISK ANALYSIS Pg 32 COST ANALYSIS Pg 33 OPERATIONS LABOR, EDUCATION & ADVERTISING Pg 33 SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE Pg 34 GREENHOUSE AT LILY HILL FARM Pg 35 GREENHOUSE AT STELLE Pg 36 COST OVERVIEW FOR BASELINE PROPOSAL Pg 37 RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR BASELINE PROPOSAL Pg 37 GREENHOUSE BASELINE ROI ANALYSIS SPREADSHEET Pg 38 COST OVERVIEW FOR STELLAR PROPOSAL Pg 39 STELLAR ROI ANALYSIS SPREADSHEET Pg 40 PHASE II Pg 41 OPTIMIZED DEMONSTRATION SYSTEM FOR COMMERCIAL SALES Pg 41 APPENDIX A – Bio-dynamics Overview Pg 42 APPENDIX B – Sources of Supply and Sites to Investigate Pg 42 APPENDIX C – White Page Energized Water Primer by Yosef Bender Pg 44 APPENDIX D – Stellar Project Limited Liability Corporation Overview Pg 45
Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Chris Marron is the innovator behind the Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System. He has considerable construction expertise having worked in the industry for much of his life. That background gives well grounded credence to cost and time building estimates. He has 15 years experience growing a variety of crops using many of the technologies and techniques this proposal is based upon. He also has five years experience working at a community supported agriculture (CSA) organic farm. At one point his wife asked him to build a greenhouse to grow food for their family. They lived at an elevation of 6,000 feet in Oregon so that was a challenge. They worked together for seven years operating their greenhouse and living off of what it produced. Their success became the foundation for the spectacular potential outlined here. Chris has spent an additional 13 years refining this concept. What is needed now is to take it from theory to commercial viability by validating it with a working prototype and then developing an optimized design for commercial sale based on the lessons learned.
The uniqueness of the Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System (PHGS) lies in the integration of many innovative aspects of greenhouse design and operation. All the features in PHGS have been successfully applied separately in existing greenhouse systems. However, no single publicized greenhouse system currently in operation combines the features employed in the Perpetual Harvest system. PHGS can simulate seasons and operate economically year-round. It is more profitable than the standard three-season greenhouse. This is due primarily to the ability to operate efficiently even in unfavorable weather thus raising high value produce which can be sold locally at substantial profit.
To accomplish these goals PHGS creates 365 ideal growing days per year by optimizing temperature, light, carbon dioxide enrichment, and soluble nutrient levels in conjunction with continuous planting and harvesting. It is a hybrid system using hydro-organics techniques to create the most favorable growing conditions. Thus crops that would otherwise be shipped from temperate regions during harvest times can be grown profitably year-round near their intended market. Off-season production significantly increases return on investment in comparison to conventional greenhouse systems. This is feasible because heating and cooling costs are as much as 75% less than a standard three-season greenhouse operation. This energy efficiency allows a greenhouse operator to create growing conditions unique to specific crops. Thus almost any greenhouse suited crop can be harvested any time of year even in very unfavorable climates.
PHGS accomplishes profitable year-round production by optimizing two primary features of greenhouse operation: Growing techniques and energy management. It achieves production levels not possible in an outdoor system or a three-season greenhouse. Biomass based energy production is used to increase the profitability of both food production and the associated energy production systems in comparison to either of these systems in a stand alone configuration. Integration of PHGS with renewable energy production systems such as a bio-diesel plant, ethanol still, methane bio-digester connected to a co-generation unit, all combine to improve energy efficiency and further drive down operating costs while producing marketable by-products.
Four-season operation results in energy usage exceeding that of a three-season greenhouse. It eliminates startup/shutdown time and costs. Food production increases, conservatively estimated at five to eight times that of conventional indoor or outdoor approaches, further offset costs. That estimate is derived from Chris’s first hand experience. The high production number is achieved during average conditions. That conservative estimate is given further credence by recently released figures on hydroponics based lettuce production at Cornell University. When compared with California outdoor commercial growers their output was increased by “23 times while decreasing water usage by well over 30 times”; www.verticalfarm.com/plans-2k6_eco.htm. PHGS is a similar system except it is organic based hence yielding a higher quality product.
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Year-round operation levels employment requirements and maximizes resource utilization. With this approach food production can be located close to demand thus eliminating both the current quality compromising practice of harvesting crops prior to maturation and the expense of long distance shipping. PHGS dramatically raises produce quality while delivery costs plummet thus creating a competitive sales price and substantial profit margins. As consumers the general public will be interested in what PHGS has to offer. As producers the inexpensive generation of high quality food year-round will be of great interest to communities focused on sustainability. A resource that can annually yield a conservative estimate of 40 pounds per square foot of the highest quality produce will be of great interest to the farming community as well.
Our prisons, school systems, and Native American Reservations are other potential customers. One of the biggest industries in the United States today is the prison industry. Typically they deal with restrictive budgets. Food is a major expense and its quality a source of dissent within the prison community. In a prison labor is not a problem. Cost effective greenhouse systems would reduce a significant expense, raise inmate moral, and provide an excellent education program. Numerous studies show that the best way to reduce the repeat offender population is education resulting in new employment potential. Similar cost reductions and quality improvements would be feasible for our educational institutions and on reservations. There would be commensurate gains in the quality of the education possible with students and Native Americans eating healthy food as well as a new industry for economic gain.
Cost information for building a PHGS prototype is based on an off-the-shelf greenhouse modified to meet PHGS requirements. Even at prototype level it can be showcased as an educational vehicle illustrating efficient, sustainable food and energy production. A baseline Phase I effort is characterized in the cost figures. It establishes the system’s financial viability while validating the foundation principles. Items beyond minimal scope have been noted for supplementary funding. They allow additional growing technologies to be evaluated in order to achieve stellar results beyond those already anticipated. Examples would be audible and electromagnetic based plant growth augmentation.
A Phase II is included as a follow-on development. It incorporates the Phase I lessons in a custom made greenhouse optimized to meet PHGS requirements. This showcase system will be marketable in all geographic areas as it can adapt itself to climate extremes from deserts to the artic. It could potentially be built totally underground. The Phase II PHGS is especially applicable to urban and suburban settings thereby opening up a previously underutilized market collocated with product demand. Certainly more cost effective than the proposed $200 million 30 story Los Vegas greenhouse: www.verticalfarm.com.
Midwest Permaculture is an educational enterprise founded by Bill and Rebecca Wilson, 28-year residents of the sustainably-oriented community of Stelle, Illinois. They have placed an engineering analysis of PHGS on their website: http://www.midwestpermaculture.com/GreenhouseOverview.php. In their opinion this is the future direction for sustainable food production. The document was authored by Mark Hoffman, a fellow Stelle resident. The content of that paper is included in this project proposal as it is an excellent in-depth analysis of PHGS.
A number of knowledgeable and well intentioned individuals have taken the time to document PHGS in order to give it the exposure it needs to attract sufficient resources to complete this project. Their confidence in what Chris has pioneered is seen in the time they and others have invested developing the information contained in this document. Mel Thomas has joined them as the architect of this collated material. The result builds on the efforts of those mentioned so far as well as others whose contributions are embedded in this material and noted when appropriate.
Mel Thomas (April-08)
Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System 3
Chris Marron’s…..
Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System
Engineeering review by Mark Hoffman
OVERVIEW
Presented here, with Chris Marron's permission, is his Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System
(PHGS); reviewed, generally researched, and edited by Mark Hoffman. Mark is a Stelle area engineer and permaculturist who is the President of the Center for Sustainable Community in Stelle, Illinois, His conclusion is that this is a very plausible system for year-round food production. Offered to the Public Chris is allowing us to publish this body of information to insure public access to his work. He professes that little of this design is his original work for all he has done is researched others work and as he says "put two & two together." But no one we know of has taken all the different components he has laid out in his system and put them together into one design. Chris's motivation in sharing all this is to do his part to support the emerging desire of people to find and live in truly meaningful and sustainable communities. On The Ground This is a recent body of work that Chris has put together and as of this time, neither he nor anyone else we know of has actually built and operated this greenhouse system or tested its production possibilities. The door is open for anyone to experiment with building a PHG System. Chris is interested and available to assist others who are serious about building and operating a Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System. Chris can be reached by emailing [email protected]. . Financially Exciting Also included are some financial projections for an operating greenhouse under this design. Although they are just estimates, they are very encouraging numbers because they answer the need for finding more sustainable ways of economically supporting our small scale farmers and growers. This system can also be used in suburban and city environments providing nutritious food, income and greater food security for local residents. Food Security As this system is capable of producing year-round-healthy food, it brings the possibility of economic stability and true-food security to any region. The system is also sustainable in the long run since it uses only a fraction of the energy of conventional greenhouses. As fossil fuel prices continue to rise, traditional green housing operations will become unprofitable. Be a Part of Building This Greenhouse The Center for Sustainable Community, Midwest Permaculture and Stellar Projects LLC are all 100% behind seeing a test greenhouse built when the interested people and resources arrive. I would invite all who read these words and feel the inner pull to see this greenhouse built to contact one of these agencies. That way the people, resources, locations and markets required will be networked to each other in order to facilitate the building of a fully operational greenhouse.
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Chris and I also encourage other individuals and groups to pool their talent and resources and seriously consider building one of these fascinating greenhouses. Many different individuals and organizations should be testing the Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System in an attempt to find the processes and methods that work best. In all likelihood, those of us who pursue this method of food production will create something that will not only benefit ourselves, but will serve the greater community and future generations as well. Chris Marron is available for consultation and even project support, as time and funds allow.
Bill Wilson (May-07)
To reach Center for Sustainable Community or Chris: [email protected]
DESCRIPTION OF THE PERPETUAL HARVEST GREENHOUSE SYSTEM
Diagram courtesy of: Ross and Kat Elliott RR#1 MacDonalds Corners Ontario Canada K0G 1M0
The Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System provides an indoor ecosystem capable of growing equal yields of organic produce 52 weeks in a year. This system creates 365 ideal growing days per year by optimizing light, carbon dioxide enrichment, and soluble nutrients in conjunction with continuous planting and harvesting. Because the hyrdo-organic based Perpetual Harvest system can economically simulate warm season growing conditions, crops that would otherwise be shipped from warmer climates can be grown profitably in colder climates during winter months.
Such off-season production significantly increases return on investment of the Perpetual Harvest system in comparison to conventional greenhouse systems because heating and cooling costs could be up to 75% less than for the standard three-season greenhouse operation. This system also allows a greenhouse operator to create growing conditions unique to specific crops such that almost any crop can be harvested at any time of year, even in colder climates.
The Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System accomplishes profitable year-round production by optimizing two primary features of greenhouse operation – Growing techniques and Energy management. This system integrates the latest innovations in greenhouse design and operation with emerging understanding of growing techniques to create production levels not possible in an outdoor system, or in a three-season greenhouse. Because this system can operate for four seasons, its yearly energy usage exceeds that of the three-season greenhouse, however its overall profitability is 6-10
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times that of the conventional three-season greenhouse or outdoor plantings because the system can provide organic produce when other systems can not. The uniqueness of the Perpetual Harvest system lies not in any one feature, but instead in the integration of many innovative aspects of greenhouse design and operation. All the features utilized in the Perpetual Harvest system have been successfully applied in existing growing systems; however, research indicates that no single publicized greenhouse system currently in operation utilizes the combination of features integrated into the Perpetual Harvest system. Furthermore, the Perpetual Harvest system can be easily integrated with renewable energy systems such as a bio-diesel plant, ethanol still, methane bio-digester, and/or co-generation unit, thus improving energy efficiency, driving down operating costs, and producing marketable fuel by-products.
Optimizing Growing Conditions
The Perpetual Harvest system utilizes unique growing techniques to maximize plant growth. Enhanced growing techniques include: providing artificial light, carbon dioxide (CO2) enrichment, and maximizing soluble nutrients absorbed through roots and leaves. The system enhances growth by proportionally increasing the five most important growing conditions at certain times of the day, thus producing a ‘supercharged’ growing environment causing plants to reach erectly for the light while rapidly absorbing nutrients. The result is a significant and rapid growth surge. Plants can process approximately twice as many nutrients if light, CO2, and soluble nutrients are increased in balance at the same time. Standard greenhouse growing temperature of diminishing returns is ~85°F, while experience indicates temperature can be successfully increased to 95°F with increased light, CO2, and soluble nutrient levels, along with additional water. Growing at increased temperature has the added advantage of allowing the greenhouse to remain sealed longer from the outdoor atmosphere each day, leaving the higher CO2 concentration available for a longer period. With normal light, CO2, and soluble nutrient levels, plants become stressed at temperatures above 85°F - not so, with the Perpetual Harvest system. Operating at higher greenhouse temperatures effectively utilizes periods where it is difficult to maintain greenhouse temperatures less than 85°F.
Light: In the Perpetual Harvest system, plants receive the same amount of light from the fall equinox until spring equinox by adjusting day length with artificial sunlight. Experience indicates that approximately 11-12 hours is optimal daylight length for most common food plants in temperate zones. Additionally, applying supplemental light for three hours each morning, every day of the year, at the same time that the CO2 concentration is enriched, has been seen to maximize plant growth. Increased light supports CO2 absorption by stimulating plants to open their stomata. Supplementing the red, blue, and green light frequencies during this enhanced growth period optimizes utilization of the added light. Red and blue frequencies enhance vegetative growth while green frequencies are necessary for seed development.
Carbon Dioxide Enrichment: Normal atmospheric CO2 concentration is approximately 370 ppm, however, experience indicates that some plants prefer up to 2000 ppm CO2 (approximately five times normal). In the Perpetual Harvest system this increased level is maintained for only 3 hours in the mid morning. During this 3 hour period, the plants store CO2 that will be used to boost plant growth later in the day after CO2 level has returned to about 1000 ppm. CO2 is primarily produced by a flame (propane or natural gas) CO2 generator. The flame can serve as a ‘peaking CO2 generator’ and baseline CO2 levels could be provided by decomposing compost or other continuous natural low producing sources. A digital
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CO2 monitor determines when CO2 generators will cycle, and also serves as an alarm for humans to take precaution when in the greenhouse during the high CO2 period.
Soluble Nutrients: The Perpetual Harvest system utilizes the ebb and flow style of hydro-organics, passing organic nutrients through a soil-less growing medium placed in plastic lined beds. Perlite, pumice, vermiculite, and decomposing organic matter (potting soil) comprise the soil-less growing medium. Using a soil-less growing medium greatly reduces the likelihood of soil borne diseases and pests that can proliferate in the enclosed greenhouse space. Soluble nutrients are provided by addition of organic compost tea created using the traditional Indore compost method developed by Sir Albert Howard. This method, based on years of compost experimentation, produces compost from decomposing cellulose products such as peat moss, straw, and last season’s crop residue mixed with already composted animal manure along with a small amount of real soil and recently finished compost as an inoculant.
In the Perpetual Harvest system, Indore method compost is made using only organic ingredients mixed in a 25:1 ratio of carbon to nitrogen. Earthworms are added to the pile after the initial heating period (~8 days) to convert the existing nutrients into worm castings, a nutrient form more easily accessible to plants. After 14 days, compost is old enough to use as a nutrient base for making compost tea and/or growing medium. Foliar feeding of this compost tea, applied to the underside of leaves as a fine mist, is also performed in conjunction with the three-hour mid-morning light/CO2 enrichment period. After worm digestion, the compost can be mixed with last season’s used growing medium at a mixture rate determined by muscle testing. During this enhanced mode of operation, daily muscle testing (kinesiology) is utilized to provide the data needed to fine-tune light, nutrient, and temperature levels.
Energy Management System Energy costs are the most expensive aspect of greenhouse operation. The Perpetual Harvest system capitalizes on recent innovations in greenhouse design to significantly reduce energy inputs. This reduction is primarily achieved through two aspects – Insulation design and Energy storage and transfer. Other aspects, such as greenhouse layout and temperature control also enhance efficiency, but to a lesser extent.
Insulation Design: The south facing wall of the Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse is composed of double layers of polyethylene, between which are injected biodegradable soap bubbles. The soap bubbles are fed into a distribution plenum at the top of the greenhouse where they emerge at intervals along the length of the greenhouse, and flow down to fill the space between the polyethylene sheets.
Recent developments in bubble making equipment designed for commercial fire suppression systems have resulted in equipment that can fill the polyethylene gap within minutes. The Perpetual Harvest system employs a bubble indication system that senses bubble collapse and auto starts the bubble making machine when the bubble wall drops below a specified height.
The soap bubbles resist convective heat transfer, and with an ‘R’ value of approximately R-1 per inch
Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System 8
of bubbles, significantly increases R-value over that of single sheet polyethylene walls, or even double sheet polyethylene walls with an air gap in between. Soap bubbles also block infrared light but not visible or ultraviolet light. This attribute creates an ideal greenhouse situation since the light frequencies required for photosynthesis (visible light) pass through the bubbles but the frequencies that would result in radiant heat loss (infrared) are moderated. This means that light needed for plant growth is available even though unwanted heat transfer is minimized. Bubbles can impede unwanted heat transfer in either direction using this system. For example, draining the bubbles during the day can increase internal heat gain, while injecting bubbles during the day can reduce internal heat gain. Bubbles can be produced at night to prevent heat loss and maintain inside temperature. This process was developed in the Stelle greenhouse nearly twenty years ago by residents who received their funding in 1989 through a State of Illinois grant, It has been successfully used in Canada. We have used the Solaroof.com diagram depicted here because it illustrates how the insulation system works. The design pioneered in the Stelle greenhouse will be used when the prototype PHGS is built as it incorporates the same principle. Energy Storage and Transfer Systems: The Perpetual Harvest greenhouse design employs redundant energy storage and transfer systems. These systems listed by priority of use are:
• Subterranean heating/cooling system (SHCS) • Hydronic radiant heat system with the following heat sources:
o Solar/thermal heater o Co-gen unit waste heat o Babington burner
• Natural gas/propane forced air heat as the final back-up heat source
The subterranean heating system is comprised of several hundred feet of thin walled 4" perforated, polyethylene drainage tubing buried under gravel inside the greenhouse base. A fan connected to the tubing via a common plenum provides forced flow of greenhouse air through the tubing. Because daytime greenhouse air is warm and humid and the greenhouse base is cool, moisture will condense as the air passes through the buried drainage tubing, thus removing heat from the air. Upon returning into the greenhouse air space, the air is cooler and less humid. In this condition, the returned air can absorb moisture, thus cooling the
greenhouse air. The uniqueness of this cooling system lies in the phase change that has occurred in the buried tubing. Besides cooling the greenhouse air, this process also heats the greenhouse base. At night, the fan can be run to heat air as it again passes through the buried tubing, thus convectively transferring heat stored in the greenhouse base to the greenhouse atmosphere as the air reenters the greenhouse. In this manner, the subterranean heat storage system can
provide both heating and cooling. The SHCS is equipped with dual speed fans to allow for finer temperature control. Experience in Colorado indicates that this system can meet the greenhouse heating and cooling needs for all but approximately 50 days per year. Cogeneration-hybrid heat systems economically cover what is left.
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The Perpetual Harvest heating and cooling system design integrates a multi-fuel fired hydronic radiant heating system with the SHCS (primarily for climates without the solar resources of Colorado). The hydronic radiant heating system consists of tubes placed beside the SHCS tubes. This system includes a large water storage tank and is needed only during colder months, storing heat during daytime that can be withdrawn at night or during cloudy days by airflow of the SHCS along the tubes of the radiant heating system. To some extent, the radiant floor heating system also transfers heat into the greenhouse base/floor. Heat is desirable at floor level to keep the root zone warm. As long as roots are warm, plants can withstand air temperatures up to 15°F less than the root zone temperature.
The hydronic radiant heating system is heated by three sources: a solar/thermal system, a co-generating unit, and a Babbington burner. The solar/thermal heating system is essentially a solar and/or wood boiler powered pool heater circulating hot water into the storage tank. The co-gen waste heat systems and Babbington burner are also connected to the radiant heating system as backup heat sources. The Babbington burner burns oil (waste vegetable or motor oil) or biodiesel and can quickly provide a significant amount of heat (the U.S. military heats all the meals served in the field using this system). The co-gen unit provides both heat and electricity and can be powered from a variety of renewable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, or methane.
Greenhouse Layout: The Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System can be retrofitted to just about any existing greenhouse design. However, due to low angle of sun in northern winters the optimal PHGS would have a tall northern wall and the planting beds vertically stacked in terraces stepping upward toward the northern wall. Looking externally at the greenhouse from one end it would appear similar to an A frame with the northern wall earth bermed. Ideally, the greenhouse would be built into a south facing hill and include a short southern wall at ground level. Besides terraced beds, it would be possible to apply the verti-grow method that utilizes pots stacked one above the other. It would also be possible to build the terraces out of enclosed concrete fish tanks, thus allowing fish to be raised (aquaponics), providing another income stream. Temperature/Humidity Control: The Perpetual Harvest control systems are designed to regulate temperature using thermostats, timers, and/or programmable controllers, all with the option for manual override. The energy management systems are operated with the intent of maintaining the desired greenhouse temperature and humidity with the minimum energy input. The greenhouse should be maintained below 60% humidity at all times, if possible.
General temperature control in a northern climate is as follows. The SHCS (Subterranean Heating and Cooling System) is operated at all times, unless its outlet air temperature drops below 55°F . Should the SHCS air outlet temperature drop below ~60°F, the radiant heating system automatically initiates flow, thus transferring its heat to the air in the SHCS tubing, maintaining or increasing the SHCS outlet air temperature. During the mid-morning enhanced growth period of operation, heat addition from solar gain, the CO2 generators, and artificial lights could cause significant heat buildup, especially on sunny days. If such heat buildup causes interior air temperature to reach 96°F, CO2 generation and artificial lighting are automatically terminated and the greenhouse atmosphere is exhausted to the outdoors. After the cool incoming outside air causes interior temperature to drop to 75°F, exhaust fans are stopped and CO2 generation and artificial lighting are reinitiated, provided the three hour enhanced growing period has not reached completion. Subterranean heating operates to
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provide heat at night and in the morning until needed. Cooler temperatures may be needed to improve fruit set and possibly enhance fruit sweetness. Most berries need cooler night time temperatures to produce fruit, so the Perpetual Harvest system utilizes a solar air conditioning system to draw evening temps down to around 50°F for a short period during hot weather.
A TYPICAL DAY IN THE GREENHOUSE
Temperature/humidity regulation and plant maintenance activities during a normal Spring or Fall day in a northern climate typically occur as follows:
Sunrise - 7AM: Interior temperature - 60°F, Exterior temperature - 35°F Remove bubbles to allow solar heat gain and turn on fans to recharge SHCS (if not already running). Turn on all interior air circulating fans to promote plant strength .
9AM: Interior temperature – 80°F, Exterior temperature - 50°F Refill bubble cavity to minimize heat input Water plants with soluble nutrient solution
9:30AM: no change in temperature Foliar feed plants
10AM: Interior temperature – 85°F, Exterior temperature – 60°F-80°F Turn on CO2 generator and gro-lights Leave greenhouse for three hours to avoid high CO2 concentration
11AM: Interior temperature – 95°F No human activity in greenhouse
12PM: no change in interior temperature
1PM: Interior temperature - 95°F Shut down CO2 generators and lights Give greenhouse a long exhaust fan cycle to lower interior temperature to 85°F
2PM: Interior temperature – 85°F Remove any dead foliage Prepare plants for taking cuttings
3PM: Interior temperature maintained at 85°F
4PM: Interior temperature maintained at 85°F Begin daily harvest, plants like lettuce should be harvested in early morning to avoid a bitter taste. Plant seeds If afternoon is cool or cloudy, remove bubbles to allow for solar gain
5PM: Interior temperature – 75°F Exterior temperature – 60°F Turn off half of interior fans Start gro-lights
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6PM: Interior temperature – 75°F Exterior temperature – 55°F Refill bubble cavity to hold in heat Transplant seedlings and cuttings
6:30PM: no change in temperature Turn off gro-lights Give greenhouse a long exhaust cycle to remove humidity and lower temperature to below 60°F to sweeten fruit
8PM: Interior temperature - 60°F
Cooler night time temperatures may be needed for fruits and berries at certain times of their growing cycle to improve fruit set and possibly enhance fruit sweetness. Through use of the SHCS, the Perpetual Harvest system can produce these lower temperatures for a short period even during hot weather.
Integration of Renewable Energy Systems
Although the Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System can operate profitably with the systems already described, overall energy efficiency can be improved by addition of a variety of renewable energy systems. Higher energy efficiency can lead to more profitable long term operation despite the initial higher capital expense of additional systems.
Perhaps the most viable and efficient energy component to integrate into the Perpetual Harvest system is the co-generation unit. This is because the co-gen unit produces multiple useful outputs. The co-gen unit produces electricity, which is needed for lighting, fans, and electronics. As described earlier, it also produces heat which can be stored in the hydronic radiant heating system. If the co-gen unit is powered by ethanol, methane, or bio-diesel it might even be possible to feed its exhaust into the greenhouse as a CO2 source after filtering (depending on completeness of combustion) and/or heat source. Furthermore, the exhaust line and cooling system lines could be buried into the greenhouse base where their heat can be transferred into the greenhouse substructure, much like the heat in the radiant heating system.
A system to produce the bio-fuel consumed by the co-gen unit could also be added. For example, if the co-gen unit is powered by a diesel engine, a bio-diesel plant could be built alongside to feed the engine. The same would be true for an ethanol still if the generator were powered by an engine designed to burn ethanol and/or gasoline. An ethanol plant has the added benefit of producing CO2 as a distillation by-product. As described earlier, it is desirable to enhance CO2 enrichment in the greenhouse, therefore CO2 produced by an ethanol still would displace the need for some of the CO2
generated through igniting propane or natural gas torches during the mid-morning enhanced growth period and thus cut operating expenses. The still would also produce waste heat that, if it could be captured, could heat water in the radiant heating system.
Addition of a methane digester to the mix of energy systems could produce at least two useful byproducts. The first would be the methane gas itself, which could be used at least three ways: 1) to power a gas engine for the co-gen unit, 2) burned during the enhanced growing period as a CO2
generator, 3) used to heat an ethanol still. A less obvious byproduct of a methane digester is the nutrient rich sludge left over from anaerobic digestion. The liquid from this sludge can function as an important nutrient source for the hydroponics solution being fed to the plants, and any
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undigestible sludge can be applied as landscape or flower garden fertilizer or be sold thereby creating yet another income stream.
Regardless of which renewable energy systems (if any) are integrated with the Perpetual Harvest system, a building separate from the greenhouse will be needed to ensure the mechanical components are isolated from the humid greenhouse environment. This building would likely also house the composting, aquaponics, and vermiculture operations.
Choice of renewable energy systems integrated into the Perpetual Harvest system will likely depend on availability of local biomass resources. It should be noted that for cases where a bio-fuel waste product (for example, methane digester sludge) is to be used in growing greenhouse produce, the biomass inputs may need to be of certified organic origin in order to retain the ability to certify the greenhouse produce as organic. This could be problematic unless the operation has access to organic biomass inputs.
Competitive Features and Profit Centers
The Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System has numerous unique features that enhance its competitiveness in comparison to a standard three-season greenhouse. These features are:
• Simple, yet highly efficient heating and cooling design • Continuous year-round growing and harvesting of organic fruits and vegetables, providing
‘just in time’ availability for buyers • Ability to grow ‘designer’ fruits and vegetables by artificially creating ‘seasons’, thus
capitalizing on increased prices for out of season crops • Reduced need for pest control due to compost based nutrient application bringing balance to
plants and keeping soil borne insects and diseases out of the greenhouse biome • Higher plant brix (sugar) levels, resulting in better taste and longer produce shelf life • Maximized sunlight harvesting through use of tiered beds • Integrating renewable energy systems to:
o reduce energy costs, o provide several additional profit centers – such as sales of bio-fuels, o establish local energy self-sufficiency
• Significantly reduce shipping costs by raising food crops locally
Besides the advantages just listed, it should be noted that the Perpetual Harvest food production system can become a uniquely closed resource loop if it is integrated with nearby restaurant(s). A resource sharing relationship with a local restaurant would allow waste cooking oil to be utilized as a bio-diesel source. It would also allow food scraps to be recycled, either directly into a bio-digester, or indirectly via feeding animals such as hogs and chickens. In turn, these animals could provide another income stream in the form of meat, dairy and eggs. It can be seen that as the Perpetual Harvest system integrates greater numbers of resource utilizing components, additional income streams arise due to the efficient utilization of energy and biomass. Ultimately, reduced waste increases profit, while greatly minimizing the challenge of waste elimination and removal (pollution) so prevalent in modern, large scale, industrial agriculture systems. See Perpetual Harvest Energy and Resource Flowpaths for a diagramatic representation of possible resource flows within the Perpetual Harvest system.
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SUMMARY
The Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System derives its effectiveness and economic competitiveness from the integration of its many innovative features. Those features include high R-value bubble wall insulation, integrated methods of heat storage and temperature management, and an enhanced mid-day growing period stimulated by increased carbon dioxide concentration, enhanced lighting, and increased soluble nutrient levels. Although the construction costs of the Perpetual Harvest system exceed that of the standard three season greenhouse, the extended harvest season and significantly reduced long term energy costs should result in a higher return on investment for this system than for other greenhouse systems currently in operation. (See the article titled, “Packin' snacks for trip to Mars ” to learn of a successful greenhouse in New Jersey that implements many, but not all of the features of the Perpetual Harvest system.) Inclusion of renewable energy systems into the overall design produces multiple income streams not typical of a greenhouse system. Ideally, the Perpetual Harvest system would be completely energy self sustaining – deriving all its energy needs directly from the sun or from locally harvested sunlight via biomass. Some general benefits of this system are:
• High quality, fresh-picked, organic produce with superior flavor. • Local Grown. Minimal trucking costs. • Can produce seasonal crops all year long if desired. • Holds potential to integrate agribusiness into metropolitan areas. • Diversifies income streams, providing a vehicle for reviving rural farm communities. • Sustainable, renewable, environmentally sound. • Profitable. Weekly crops/weekly income. Income can be steady instead of seasonal. • Promotes self-sufficiency and independence. • Could be used to reduce food and energy costs for prisons, schools, hospitals etc.
Lastly, it deserves to be stated that not only does the Perpetual Harvest system provide local employment and a possible means of regenerating local farm economies, it also can serve as the physical life blood of a sustainable community or co-housing unit. Considering that human societies are typically organized around and through sharing of both food and energy, the fully developed Perpetual Harvest system provides for these two most basic human needs.
At this time, a prototype of this fully integrated energy/food system is needed so that performance of the Perpetual Harvest system may be optimized. Once proven effective and profitable, this system can serve as an example of how a community can function in a self sustaining manner by efficiently using the resources at its immediate disposal.
Notes:
Chris Marron, creator of the Perpetual Harvest system, has operated greenhouses for 15 years. His experience with different lengths of light exposure, frequencies of exposure, and exposures at different times during the day provide much of the basis for optimizing light to maximize plant growth. Chris built his own single family greenhouse that he used continuously for 7 years at elevation 6000 ft. in central Oregon near the city of Bend. Chris has experimented extensively with Bio-dynamic and Perelandra (http://www.perelandra-ltd.com) principles in his growing systems.
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Carbon dioxide is heavier than air and displaces oxygen at floor level. Furthermore, operation of the CO2 generators reduces oxygen concentration in the greenhouse atmosphere. The alarm function could also be provided by an oxygen monitor.
For information on Sir Albert Howard and the Indore compost method, visit the Journey to Forever website (http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/howard.html).
Muscle testing (aka: kinesiology) utilizes the inherent wisdom of the human body to determine truth. Muscle testing utilizes the predisposition of the body’s muscles to strengthen in the presence of truth. This process allows answering ‘yes-no’ questions by observing strong muscle response to ‘yes’ answers and weak muscle response to ‘no’ answers. This technique can be used to determine optimal nutrient levels needed by plants. See ‘Power vs. Force’ by Dr. David R. Hawkins for a full description of how truth can be determined via muscle testing.
A plenum is a common area in a distribution system, from which a substance will flow through openings in many directions.
The U.S. insulation value index. Most stick-framed houses have R-19 in walls and R-38 in the attic.
Read about the LivelyUp Greenhouse that retains remarkably warm indoor temperatures in the cold Canadian winter using this system. See the description at: www.solaroof.org/wiki/SolaRoof/LivelyUpGreenhouse .
Refer to the Sunny John website (http://www.sunnyjohn.com/indexpages/shcs.htm) for a complete description of the subterranean cooling and heating system, as well as how this system relies on phase change of water for its effectiveness.
The Babbington Burner is what the U.S. Military uses to heat meals in the field. It is a very simple system that quickly creates a substantial amount of heat by burning bio-diesel, vegetable oil, or even waste motor oil.
A co-gen unit is an internal combustion motor attached to an electric generator/alternator that captures waste engine and exhaust heat to create heating/cooling resources for living/growing space. A diesel generator that captures and uses waste heat, becomes more than twice as efficient as one that only makes electricity.
Verti-Grow is a growing method that stacks growing pots from floor to ceiling. When adding nutrients one simply fills the top pot and the rest are fed by gravity.
For optimal vegetative growing conditions, it is desirable to keep greenhouse temperature at 55°F or higher.
Solar air conditioning uses solar thermal techniques to supply the energy needed to drive a cooling system. They typically utilize a phase change or other molecular process to move heat from a cool location to a warmer location. Phase change systems of this sort often consist of a propane refrigeration unit and have been in use for more than 150 years to create ice for icehouses. These systems can also be as simple as passing air through piping buried at least 4 feet below ground where the soil temperature is maintained year-round at a temperature approximately equivalent to the average yearly air temperature for a location.
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Without airflow to move plants, plants will not develop the necessary structural strength and will be prone to falling over.
See http://www.hydor.eng.br/Pag22-1.html for the uses of bio-digester sludge. This is a wonderful teaching site created using Dr. Raul Martins’sustainable farm as a model. That farm was in operation for more than 40 years.
The ‘Packin’ Snacks for Trip to Mars’ article can be found at http://www.pacpubserver.com/new/news/4-30-00/greenhouse.html .
Postscript… At this time, I am satisfied with the completeness of this paper and that it can be sent out for review. Although many of the features and methods in this concept paper may sound untried, research Chris and I have performed on the Internet indicated that nearly all the features described here have been tested and proven. However, no evidence can be found of anyone having applied all these concepts into one system - not that they couldn't. We both suspect that greenhouses in Holland operate similar to this system - Holland is a world leader in greenhouse operation and its greenhouses feed much of Europe. Unfortunately, we can't find Internet information on Dutch greenhouses. Perhaps all their greenhouse articles are in Dutch.
I went to considerable effort to reference this document to existing information. Recognize that the description is generic and written for any climate. Certain aspects and features, particularly those related to energy production and management, may not be applicable to our local climate. Also, realize that this document describes all the possible options that can be included. It is unlikely that all the energy systems described would be included in a single design since that would drive up the cost significantly. I realize the document is a bit long, but that seemed to be necessary to adequately describe the system.
I think that at this time, this document needs to be reviewed by people with greenhouse experience. I'm not really sure what they might say - no doubt some will pick holes in it due to its cost of construction - but others might see features that they wished they had in their own greenhouse. In my opinion, simply utilizing the bubble wall insulation system and the subterranean heating and cooling system would be very cost effective, simple to install, and energy efficient. Based on what I have read on these two systems, they alone might meet over 75% of the energy needs of this greenhouse system in our climate - and they require virtually no energy input to operate.
PROFIT POTENTIAL Simple Greenhouse Projections for Perpetual Harvest System
Bill Wilson – Midwest Permaculture
Please note: In a permaculture greenhouse operation, it is more likely that there would be 2-3 dozen varieties of plants growing together for a complementary and sustainable system to be developed. For purposes of exploring production capabilities however, we were only able to find numbers for single crop production. Imagine having 18 of the most common vegetables growing in your greenhouse and you are supplying food not only for your family but for a local health food store and several restaurants that want tomatoes, cucumber, dill, lettuce, asparagus, zucchini, peas, beans, etc. all year-round.
What if it were possible to net $500 a week from a single greenhouse...!
Industry standards: …claim a commercial greenhouse in the temperate climate zone (Feb. - Nov.) can conservatively produce an average of 4 lbs. of tomatoes per square foot (/sf), per year. They estimate that the cost to operate runs between $.70 and 1.00 per pound which includes the current cost of energy. They estimate product to sell for $1.25 to 2.50/lb. depending on the time of year and market competition. So… A 25’ x 90’ greenhouse = 2,250 sf. @4 lbs./sf x 2,250 sf = 9000 lbs. of tomatoes annually
Conventional Expenses, Income and Profit Estimate Operational costs at .90 lb. (x 9.000 lbs.) = $8,100 to operate (Heating and electrical, labor, debt repayment and interest, operating supplies, and taxes.) Gross sales @ $1.30 (x 9,000 lbs.) = $11,700 gross revenue Gross Profit (before management & sales costs) = $3,600 There are typical annual profit projections for a single, relatively-small greenhouse.
What is Possible with a Perpetual Harvest System? A year-round New Jersey greenhouse operation using CO2 and supplemental lighting (in the winter months) demonstrated that tomatoes can be produced year-round. Yields were comfortably in the 12-16 lbs./sq./ft range. Chris Marron is confident his system will do much better. This needs to be tested, so for now we will use a conservative, 12 lbs./sq./ft yield.
12 lbs./sf x 2,250sf = 27,000 lbs. of tomatoes annually Operational costs (go ahead and triple the above $8,100) = $24,300 (Heating and electrical, labor, debt repayment and interest, operating supplies, and taxes.) Gross Sales @ 1.30 (x 27,000 lbs.) = $35,000 in gross revenues Gross Profit (before Mgmt. & sales) = $10,700
Note: If tomatoes were grown organically and sold for a higher premium ($1.80 instead of $1.30) this would boost income by $13,500 without increasing expenses. Gross Profit with organics = $24,200
So... Build three of these greenhouses and you have a nice annual income.
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Dear Reader: Remember, these are just my best estimates of what is possible. A prototype greenhouse still needs to be built to test these assumptions. However, just imagine the possibility of growing three times more food than anything previously achieved with the bonus of using renewable energies.
Bill Wilson (5-17-05) Note: This page was written by Bill Wilson for his Midwest Permaculture website, without edit by Chris. Chris’ response is on pages 26-27 and is aided by recent hydro-organics industry data.
APPENDIX:
http://www.hydro-gardens.com/planning_your_house.htm TOMATOES require from 4.0 to 5.0 square feet of greenhouse area per plant. Therefore, the plant population in a 30' x 132' greenhouse will range from 990 plants to 792 plants. Plant population is affected by greenhouse style, time of year you're in production, and your location. Production is normally calculated in pounds per square feet of greenhouse area. It can range from 6.0# psf to well over 12# psf per year with currently available varieties. (See production estimates at www.hydro-gardens.com/tomato_seeds.htm) The cost of producing vegetable crops varies substantially from season to season and year to year. It is generally accepted in the industry that this cost can range from $.70 per pound to $1.00 per pound. A few of the many factors that affect this cost are heating and electrical, labor, debt repayment and interest, operating supplies, and taxes. The average selling price for vegetables in your area times the total yearly production gives you gross income. This will also vary substantially from season to season and year to year. Traditionally this yearly average has ranged from $1.25 per lb. to $2.50 per lb. for tomatoes.
High Production Green House (40lbs. sq. ft. annually) From (Source: http://www.pacpubserver.com/new/news/4-30-00/greenhouse.html) It takes only about 90 days to go from seed to harvest. An automated irrigation system waters and delivers nutrients to the plants, and is almost completely re-circulated. Special lamps augment the natural light and carbon dioxide is introduced to further boost production. The entire tomato-growing technique is very high-tech, except for one aspect: a hive of bees pollinate tomato flowers in the old- fashioned way. The end result is a red, delicious tomato. Only a food snob could tell the difference between one of these greenhouse babies and one grown in Jersey's summertime fields. "We produce about ten times the amount of tomatoes that would be grown outdoors in a similar space," said Mr. Specca. The hydroponic growing process utilizes technology from the Netherlands and requires only about half the manual labor normally required.
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Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System 19
PHASE I PERPETUAL HARVET GREENHOUSE SYSTEM REFINEMENT AND VALIDATION
OVERVIEW
This proposal is based on building a new greenhouse located where land is made available or retrofitting an existing greenhouse if funding restrictions and opportunity dictate that approach. Either way purchasing land is not included. The assumption is that an agreement can be made with a land owner based on their acquisition of a functional greenhouse and the physical plant to run it independent of the local power grid. If the Phase I greenhouse is to be used for continuing experimentation it would be highly desirable to have it located at Lily Hill Farm, Stelle or some other community moving in a similar direction towards sustainability and research that supports that goal. Because both Lily Hill Farm and Stelle have expressed interest this proposal has been written based on the assumption that the PHGS will be located in one or both of those communities. The proposed duration of Phase I is one year with the clock starting when construction begins. It will take three months to finish construction with building or retrofitting the greenhouse the highest priority. Initially the power grid will be the source of supply. PHGS will transition to self-generation when that system comes on line. Building a new or retrofitting an old greenhouse and equipping it can be done in less than a month. In that same time frame the grow beds can be built and populated thus compressing the time it takes to produce fruit. Samples of technologies being considered, such as grow lights and water treatment systems, will be evaluated right away and the best candidate(s) chosen and installed in the finished greenhouse. The next five months are for experimentation while production ramps up and stabilizes. This time period ends with operations at full capacity. The remaining six months of phase I is for finishing any remaining experimentation required for Phase II while documenting productivity levels. During this time the operation should be self-sustained based on sales. Chris would continue mentoring the personnel involved via phone and email if Phase II design and initial construction require his presence elsewhere. In order to properly document operations cooperative agreements would be forged with Universities in the states involved. Professors at least two major universities have already expressed interest in PHGS and one has offered graduate student participation to document viability as a business. Due to the focus on agriculture that many higher education institutions have and the ground breaking nature of PHGS, canvassing other Universities for their interest will generate an abundance of offers for participation.
BASELINE PARAMETERS TO INVESTIGATE AND OPTIMIZE
One simple technique that increases production over conventional approaches is vertical growing along the North wall thus eliminating the problem of shading while increasing yield. With vertical growing greenhouse production is based on cubic footage as opposed to a two dimensional operation based on square footage. Because some plants are shade loving vertical growing can also be practiced in some internal locations. A common greenhouse problem that needs to be addressed during Phase I is keeping the Polyfilm cover properly tensioned as it expands and contracts with temperature changes. It is vulnerable to wind damage if it becomes slack in the summer heat or can be contracted beyond its capacity in the
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winter cold. Development of a spring loaded tensioner is the answer. Arcosanti in Arizona has already worked this issue and has demonstrated a satisfactory solution to the problem. A critical aspect to the operation of PHGS is working cooperatively with Mother Nature. That statement means far more than most realize. Its wisdom was long ago demonstrated both culturally and more recently scientifically. An excellent overview of the early studies validating this can be found in the book, The Secret Life of Plants. It was published in 1972, roughly the same time frame that Findhorn in Scotland began operations, www.findhorn.org. Findhorn definitively demonstrated that working consciously with the flora and associated intelligences results in unheard of yields even when dealing with low quality soils. They also pioneered the use of Bio-dynamic techniques which have eight decades of documented application yielding incredibly successful results. This can be investigated at, www.biodynamics.com. Appendix A gives a good overview of Bio-dynamics. That success established Findhorn as a focal point sustainable community which prospers to this day. It also inspired similar efforts in the United States. One that is well documented is the Perelandra Institute, www.perelandra-ltd.com. It is located in Virginia. Chris’s wife took a class at Perelandra. What she learned led to significant refinements in how she and Chris operated their greenhouse as they had a new partner, Mother Nature. This partner was eager to explore cooperative ventures with them. For example, a critical technique for quick turn around propagation is cuttings. Success rates rose dramatically from around 40% to over 95% by following the advice the plant kingdom provided. They also employed the Bio-dynamics based techniques used at Findhorn resulting in large increases in productivity. A question sometimes raised is whether or not PHGS’s artificial environment is too removed from nature and hence unnatural. One of the principals behind Perelanda is Machaelle Small Wright. She is an acknowledged expert in this field. She has written: “Anything that has order, organization, and life vitality, is nature.” PHGS certainly fits that definition. It is really a form of garden. On that subject Machaelle writes: “A garden is any environment that is initiated by humans, given its purpose, definition and direction by humans, and maintained with the help of humans.” Machaelle lists examples of soil-less gardens: A home, a business, classrooms, computers, computer programs, books, a car and a human body. Given those examples it is difficult if not impossible to come up with anything that has form that would not be considered part of nature nor anything that man builds that would not be considered a garden. However, what mankind creates is seldom accomplished working cooperatively with Mother Nature; hence the lack of balance and thus both vitality and sustainability. Machaelle further states that: “When humans consider solutions for restoring balance to an out-of-balance world, they need only access the intelligence of nature involved for answers. That intelligence contains inherent balance and is fully capable of defining all that is required for reflecting that inherent balance through specific form.” The baseline for PHGS was developed by Chris and his wife working cocreatively with Nature’s Intelligence. That is why we have high confidence it its success. Much closer to Stelle is a second well documented effort at working cooperatively with Mother Nature, www.lilyhillfarm.org. Penny Kelly’s Lily Hill Farm is located in Lawton, Michigan and she is another expert in the field. The quality and size of their organic grape harvests eclipsed all
The QXCI is a portable computer running proprietary software interfaced with a patented broadcast/receiver which is the SCIO. The result is an easily transported biofeedback device licensed for Class II medical research in the United States and worldwide. Over 16,000 of them have been sold globally with 10,000 of them in the United States. Its software is the world’s largest medical program. It deals quite effectively with humans, animals, plants and growth mediums such as the soil or organic solutions used in the PHGS. What the QXCI does is more closely akin to something you would expect from the Star Ship Enterprise. It incorporates 400 other machines such as EEG, EKG, blood chemistry, and many more fundamental medical functions while improving their effectiveness with biofeedback. The QXCI works as a quantum potential device sensing and adjusting energy fields in the entire system being analyzed. It contends with the micro environment down to atomic levels. It can sense and modify the macro environment with a 1000 meter energy field generating organic levels of health in that sphere. It has been demonstrated to double plant growth rate. Because it takes a long time to learn how to effectively operate such a complex system, and the cost of acquiring the equipment exceeds $20,000, hiring an experienced operator as a consultant has been included in Phase I development. It is anticipated that the results will justify the purchase of a QXCI for Phase II. If the machine turns out to be as useful as anticipated it could be worth purchasing and learning how to work with during Phase I. That becomes doubly true if it can also handle energizing the volume of water a greenhouse requires. Having this level of technology combined with Perelandra techniques will yield new understandings and a synergized result far beyond current expectations. Penta Hydrate is a form of water discovered relatively recently by engineer Bill Holloway. Only 3-5% of naturally occurring water is a molecule forming the high energy circular penta shape. The remainder is predominately unstructured and thus low energy. Unstructured water is invariably found associated with disease tissue. Penta Hyrdrate is the smallest regular geometric shape water molecules organize into. It is therefore highly viscous. That means that it moves freely through the membranes in living organisms thus functioning very effectively in its primary function, as a transport medium. Consequently both nutrient delivery and waste product elimination are accelerated to high efficiency with comparable gains in health. Bill used his water experimentally on his plants. The results were so dramatic that he tried it on himself. He had suffered from debilitating fibromyalgia for 10 years and lived with the disease for 25. In one month his symptoms all but disappeared. Within three years he developed a multimillion dollar business selling Penta Hydrate through more than 3000 health food stores nationwide. Bill creates his product using reverse osmosis water as a base and proprietary processes involving ultraviolet treatments. The result is water that is stable and more than 80 percent penta molecules. Bill’s company can be investigated at www.hydrateforlife.com. He has developed an extensive research lab and continues to improve on his understanding of what this water can do and how it can be used. Bill’s company is not the only one marketing high-energy waters. I drew heavily upon his information as it explains the chemistry involved.
PENTA
HYDRATE
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Japan’s Dr Emoto has also extensively researched water and processes that affect how it performs. Appendix B near the end of this document lists other possible sources as well. Appendix C is a white paper by an expert in the field, Yosef Bender. Plants that are super energized are impervious to pathogens just as humans are with a similarly empowered immune system. Energized water is a critical foundation upon which high quality food can be produced and thus a keystone technology to investigate during Phase I development. Working with a vermaculture and microbe expert is also highly desirable. In the human digestive tract a microbial balance is essential to health. In an analogous fashion a diverse food production biosphere requires microbes as pathogen removers. Healthy microbes in the water form another layer of defense thus ensuring ecosystem resilience and sustained food production. Lee Patterson is a retired farmer with expertise at energizing water. He lives in the Chicago area and is well known douser, vermaculture and microbe expert. He is very interested in working on the PHGS project. He has this to say about the subject of vermaculture and microbes: “Microbial life is a very big team player. The digestive tract of the earthworm is a mobile laboratory. It acts as the research and development center for what the soil needs based on the raw materials that are available. Their blending supports life. Earthworms have quite a family history promoting vitality! The ancient Chinese recognized and honored their lowly worm friends. Today, with high tech, we lose awareness that vermaculture and microbes are synonymous with life. These dedicated employees only promote life, never complain, work long hours, give excrement containing the required microbes, and always act as true team players. They are one of nature’s marvelous systems.”
based industry claims are more than reasonable and in fact, conservative. Such expectations are in keeping with the Findhorn experience where extraordinary results were documented. Findhorn only explored outdoor growing using Bio-dynamics and what we have characterized as Perelandra based techniques. PHGS at stellar levels brings far more to the table with commensurate gains. What will the resultant produce be like? It has been established by a number of pioneers, for instance, Dr. Norman Walker, Dr. Ann Wigmore, Dr. Gary Null and Colonel Bradford, that debilitating illness can be reversed. In every instance they were faced with a personal health crisis which they turned around by changing their diet to nutrient dense organic foods. Even hair loss was reversed and gray hair returned to its normal color. There were similar gains in energy levels, productivity and longevity. Dr. Deepak Chopra has documented in his books and Dr. Richard Schultz has experienced first hand how the body regenerates when it is fed healthy foods. Dr. Chopra has studied cultures where people live well beyond 100 years because of healthy lifestyles and diets. Based on his studies, premature aging could be characterized as being less than fully vital before the age of 100. Americans live in the best fed nation in the world. The majority of us are chronically overweight. There is considerable medical data indicating that aging is really a consequence of malnutrition. Aging is thus a sign of malnutrition. Being overweight could also be a sign of malnutrition. It doesn’t matter how much food you eat if it does not contain what your body needs. Americans are literally stuffing themselves while starving to death. Those listed in the preceding paragraph reversed the debilitating effects of aging by eating nutrient dense healthy foods. Healthy food that was readily available decades ago no longer exits in quantity on this planet because of the degradation of the soils from farming practices and widespread pollution. The phase I PHGS will produce Super Energized Nutrient Dense (SEND) foods that are organic. The taste and quality of healthy food is palatably different from the cardboard competition. That alone sells it. Once its healthy benefits are also realized people will crave what PHGS produces. You want to help someone, just SEND food! Another indicator of how healthy foods produced this way was Penny Kelly’s results. The brix levels in produce are indications of how well the plant was nourished. What Penny discovered was that high brix level organic produce tastes better and has a shelf life measured in months and even years rather than days or at most weeks. PHGS will be filled with the best quality food immersed in an energized environment never before experienced within any of our lifetimes. Water energizers also energize the air while producing water with an energy field that can be measured 15 feet away. The QXCI gives off frequencies that induce harmony within the designated area of influence thus encapsulating the entire greenhouse in a feeling of harmony. The synergistic result of being in PHGS biospace will be a feeling of energized peace similar to that experienced on mountain tops or in old growth forests. It will be a super energized healthy environment harmonized at all levels. Just entering such a space will feel wonderful and be therapeutic, let alone eating the highly sought after product. The tour industry could easily become a significant source of revenue. There are also education grants available for tours of unique industries. That revenue could be used to turn the facility into a world class teaching environment.
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One final possibility needs to be noted, mankind’s experience regarding plant growth has naturally been based on observation. The industrial revolution and the more recent proliferation of the chemical industry have resulted in a degrading of our global ecosphere. Our wheat does not have the vitality of the wheat grown in Ancient Egypt which sprouted after it lay dormant for thousands of years. Humans began increasing in size as our diet provided the nutrition for greater growth. In cultures where nutrition is lacking the population is smaller in stature. If nutrition is really deficient then many functions become stunted including brain capacity. Full expression of our genetic code is contingent upon properly sustained growth. It is very possible that what we see expressed today in the plant kingdom is not fully reflective of each plant’s potential. It is also possible that not just size may increase, but new energetic structures may emerge when a plant is grown in a fully supportive high energy environment. The results give us benefits beyond calculations of yield capacity. The plants can exhibit new forms of expression and in consuming them, we may be similarly empowered.
INVESTIGATIVE APPROACH
All of the advanced technologies and techniques discussed here have been included for research purposes in the Phase I proposal. Normal approaches to research would dictate extensive protocols, controls, complex greenhouse design creating many separated zones, and many time consuming experiments given the number of parameters being evaluated. It would take years if not decades to do justice to such rigor. Our purpose is to advance the art of food production, not the production of scientific research. Although short duration comparison studies will be conducted if they are found necessary, the vast majority of the scientific method is not required because immediate feedback is obtained using Perelandra techniques. When two approaches yield comparable responses the one chosen will be based on economic factors. Thus an optimal mix is rapidly arrived at within the short duration of the Phase I effort. Consequently the Phase II effort will be in a timely position to incorporate the lessons learned during Phase I. The Phase II greenhouse will also be capable of supporting continuing research as new questions are raised. That is because it will be built to accommodate the production of a variety of foods and thus have many independent zones. That flexibility accommodates future research requirements thus continually evolving understanding and resulting growing techniques. Greenhouses could be optimized to grow exclusively avocadoes, lemons, oranges, bananas and so on every day of the year. There are many medicinal plants that currently are in short supply. Any biosphere from the Amazon to Tibet can be simulated. Both the Phase I and Phase II greenhouses can support research and development that optimizes growing techniques and expands the variety of greenhouse compatible crops that can be grown profitably. Thus PHGS makes it feasible to grow health industry champions such as Goji Berries or Noni fruit which yield high value drinks, or Wild Oregano which yields high value oil. Investigating the plants used by many indigenous cultures will undoubtedly yield a substantial list of rare specimens worth pursuing because of their nutritional and health benefits. Patenting needs to be avoided and is not necessary. Native Americans have withheld much of their knowledge as the legal system has been used as a weapon to take it away from them. Intellectual properties such as these need to be documented in order to make them part of the public domain
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thus precluding patenting. Then the real value will be found in cost effective production of plants with desirable properties which the public has formerly been denied access to because of scarcity and mistrust. Native Americans and other cultures with rich medicinal heritages will then have a safe outlet for treasured knowledge. Chris, Penny and I, plus others we know, have numerous connections into Western and Eastern Indigenous cultures making it feasible to explore richly rewarding possibilities. This becomes another potential industry for Native Americans and the reservations they occupy as well as other cultures globally that struggle for a subsistence living.
PROFIT POTENTIAL
The analysis on pages 15 and 16 of this document was done by Bill Wilson. It focused on a single well known crop, tomatoes, and is based on a very conservative estimate of PHGS potential derived from the lowest end of industry performance. Although an excellent first attempt, bear in mind that anybody can achieve results of three to four pounds per square foot. The petrochemical industry reports that using their products consistently yields eight to twelve pounds per square foot. As previously noted, year-round production based on the hydro-organics industry figure of 25 pounds per square foot for half year production yields 50 pounds per square foot annual production. A more reflective analysis of PHGS would be to look at three levels of performance based on industry data. The low end would be a conservative baseline derived from the petrochemical industries low end of eight pounds per square foot multiplied by our conservative estimate of five times their productivity. The result is 40 pounds per square foot, well in keeping with the 50 pounds per square foot figure generated by doubling the hydro-organic industry half year production figure. Our high end productivity figure is determined by multiplying the petrochemical industries high end twelve pounds per square foot times our high end eight times productivity figure yielding 96 pounds per square foot. Initial productivity is likely to be in the middle thus yielding a compromise figure that is the mathematical median. The high end estimate would be attained after a few years of operation. The cost of production and sales price estimates are based on the ranges Bill Wilson found in his investigation of published industry figures. These calculations are for the 4,000 square foot Phase I PHGS greenhouse producing a single well characterized crop, tomatoes.
Industry Standard Median Success Stellar Success Pounds per sq. foot 40 68 96 1 Years production 160,000 pounds 272,000 pounds 392,000 pounds Cost/pound to produce $1.00 $0.85 $0.70 Sales price/pound $1.25 $1.88 $2.50 1 Years profit $40,000 $280,160 $705,600 3 Years profit $120,000 $840,000 $2,116,800
The resulting profits are based on a couple of assumptions. The first one is that increases in production quantity should result in decreases in the cost per pound thus moving it from the high end of published industry figures to the low end. The technologies being employed in PHGS are not inherently more expensive than conventional practices once the equipment has been purchased and personal become familiar with the new operation. In fact, operational efficiency is enhanced as problems are avoided by monitoring the operation in ways not previously available. Thus all efforts are aimed at enhancing productivity rather than rectifying mistakes.
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The second assumption is that the quality of the produce should rapidly give it a value added reputation resulting in sales price moving from the low end of published industry standards to the high end. As there is no product out there with quality even close to what will be produced even the currently documented high end price could be considered conservative. Full production begins six months into the Phase I effort after which PHGS should be a money making enterprise. There should also be a good handle on labor costs. Local farmers use labor that is seldom motivated to perform well as they are paid based on how long they work. No permanent relationship is established as they are transient. PHGS requires only a few workers who are primarily permanent employees. Thus relationships are built with commensurate gains in pride and productivity. Allowing workers to share in the harvest will give them an additional incentive to maximize both the quality and the quantity of production. Hispanics have traditionally been the source of workers for harvesting. There is a sufficient Hispanic population more than willing to relocate to wherever permanent employment of this nature is offered. Chris speaks functional Spanish and has often worked quite successfully with Hispanics finding them both cooperative and adaptive to his non-traditional methods.
MARKETING PLAN FOR LILY HILL FARM Lily Hill Farm already has an established marketing precedent. They previously acted as a CSA outlet for the region and only shut down when they were unable to meet demand. There is already sufficient infrastructure at LHF to stage a marketing operation selling directly to the public and an excellent reputation with their former customers. In addition, the only two local restaurants that have been approached so far have expressed interest in their produce. Nearby Kalamazoo has a population of 60,000 and five universities. It has an advanced cultural perspective required and represents a large, untapped market ripe for PHGS produce. Word of mouth may be sufficient to reestablish Lily Hill Farm as a going commercial enterprise. If not, then a modest foray into nearby markets should easily consume whatever PHGS can produce. MARKETING PLAN FOR STELLE Buyers big enough to absorb the entire PHGS output are ones like the Feed Milwaukee Project or Goodness Greeness, www.goodnessgreeness.com, the largest organic distributor in the Midwest. Both would be very interested in a steady year-round supply of the highest quality produce they have ever seen. The downside is that sales price would be wholesale thus reducing our profit while being vulnerably dependant upon a single customer. Farmers in the Stelle region indicate that labor and trucking are their primary expenses. The unaddressed cost in this analysis is the distribution system which for a small operation could be prohibitively expensive. There is an interim solution that is free. There are many Community Development Corporation’s (CDC) in the Chicago region. Some drop off customers as far South as the area around Stelle. An agreement with them will provide free transport for taking produce back to Chicago. They also provide direct marketing experience as they would be in contact with potential buyers. This is a marketing system with end buyer distribution.
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An excellent form of advertising would be to enter prize winning produce in local, regional and state fairs. PHGS could win easily by maximizing size and nutritional value along with flavor. A greenhouse with a showroom wall covered with first place ribbons should be an attention grabber for tours and incentive for customers; American’s love to purchase from a winner. The best way of maximizing profit is to sell directly to the public. The ideal location for selling produce is a high quality farm stand within easy walking distance of PHGS and integrated into the operation. Why package produce and put it on a truck for shipment when the same labor could stock a marketplace? The marketplace building could be a second pole barn or the power plant pole barn lengthened so that tours of that facility can be integrated with sales of produce under a single roof. It only costs a thousand dollars more to expand graveled parking to accommodate customers along with employees. Based on its importance, the cost of building an integrated marketplace and advertising to initiate sales has been added to this proposal. The precedent has been set by quality operations like Fair Oak Farms off of I-65 at the Indiana State Highway 14 exit. They are in the middle of nowhere with the closest town 30 miles away. They have a large parking lot filled with customer’s cars. Based on the school bus traffic they probably got started with $175,000 SARE Grants which develop tours for school children. SARE grants are available every two years. There are also comparable grants for senior citizens to buy their vegetables at reduced rates. All of this builds exposure. Fair Oak Farms is a good example for Stelle to emulate. For Stelle, priming the pump begins with a modest advertising campaign in nearby communities including parts of Chicago. High quality signs at key intersections need to be erected to guide people to Stelle. While it is still under development some of the first three months of PHGS production can be given away as samples to those willing to drive to Stelle. This educates people’s palate about high quality food, gets them used to idea of driving to Stelle, exposes them to the greenhouse operation thus encouraging tours, and ultimately generates excitement about the Grand Opening. Some of the produce can also be sold at reduced cost to local CSA’s to introduce them to it and create the incentive for picking up combined orders at Stelle. The proceeds for those sales would pay for additional employment hours for the Marketing Manager. That could make it a full time position for the two or three months prior to the launch of commercial sales onsite. POTENTIALS IN COMMON TO LILY HILL FARM AND STELLE The University connection is a further means for generating interest as the documented results validate PHGS’s productivity. Another way of generating interest and ultimately customers is to videotape everything from erecting the greenhouse to harvesting mature fruit. The ability to do this is included in the computer budget for PHGS. Getting the word out becomes a full circle effort involving all of the groups interested in its success from S3 documenting it to Nancy Bentley’s Food Circles including her “Seeds of Health” mini PodCasts. More about Nancy’s work can be found at: www.TrulyCultured.com, www.theFoodCircles.com, and www.FullCirclesCommunity.com. She will produce ecourses which can also be made into flyers for educational advertising given out to many groups and at PHGS to customers. This information becomes the basis for a newsletter
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revolving around nutrition and sustainability. All of this information can be made available on a PHGS web site the development of which can also be funded by the sales of produce during development. It is the job of the Market Manager to ensure the best use of produce sales for marketing purposes prior to going commercial. As a communities aimed at sustainability, both Lily Hill Farm and Stelle are in the health and education business. PHGS is a demonstration system intended as an education vehicle. Customers are opportunities not just for sales but for a clearer understanding of what sustainability is about. Sales come from educating them about what high brix level nutrient dense, energized, award winning organic produce is and why buying it is desirable. Seeing a greenhouse filled with food that can be purchased year-round will be impressive, particularly when what is offered is a full spectrum of freshly picked produce in the middle of the winter. Another eye opener will be seeing Indore composting being accomplished with community participation and an odorless high quality product that anyone can make in their own back yard. The entire operation is an eye opener filled with gems of understanding. It is a new consciousness based on the foundation need for food! Explaining what high quality food does for you mentally and physically will be more than educational, it will be a healing life saver for many. The best source of employees to work the PHGS greenhouse and its market is local residents. They have the knowledge the public needs exposure to. Thus the entire operation becomes an economic spark plug for the community. It also becomes the focal point for other business opportunities such as sales of ethanol and diesel derived from plant based sources. The customer stream created is a strong basis for sales by every business based out of Stelle and certain an incentive for new business development at Lily Hill Farm. Produce that is not saleable, either because of damage or because it didn’t sell in a timely fashion, can be processed by microbial culturing into nutrient dense high value stable products that the community becomes culturally identified with. This is the same sort of regional differentiation found all over Europe where each town has artisinal specialty foods that it is known for such as sauerkrauts, sausages, wines, cheeses and breads. Highly marketable products like this empower communities to develop specialty shops, café’s, bed and breakfast’s and other food and ambiance based enterprises. This increases the local economic multiplier as the money circulates in the community thus stimulating its’ economy. Thus PHGS becomes the basis upon which an entire community becomes both nutritionally and economically self sustaining. It is therefore highly desirable to accomplish PHGS in a manner consistent with local sustainability thus making it a model that other communities can emulate. On that basis selling the produce locally may be the only method philosophically consistent with building long term sustainability. Every project in the Stellar Projects Limited Liability Corporation, (SPLLC, covered more thoroughly in Appendix D) needs to promote PHGS as it is the keystone for community success and the basis of many different industries to develop. If you assume that the average occupant of a vehicle purchases 20 pounds of produce then that becomes the basis for estimating PHGS sales traffic volume. To determine daily traffic you divide the estimated average purchase of 20 pounds into the Industry Standard yearly production level of 40 times 4,000 pounds and then divide by twelve, the number of months in a year. The
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result is an estimate in the first month of operation of 667 cars. Dividing that by 30 days in a month yields an average of 22 cars per day. Once the Stellar Production level of 392,000 pounds a year is achieved there will be 1,633 vehicles a month or 54 cars a day. Working with CSA’s and CDC’s could reduce that traffic by increasing the average purchase per vehicle. Tours could also reduce it as large groups would be arriving on buses. Lily Hill Farm is close enough to a major artery to handle this traffic. This is much more traffic than Stelle has contended with until now. These are, however, reasonable numbers of customers to expect given the major metropolitan areas close to both Stelle and Lily Hill Farm. That figure will also grow as more businesses are built piggybacking on PHGS success. Ultimately there will be the need for more PHGS’s to accommodate the demand. All of this potential growth needs to be planned for up front or the result will be something less than the model community Stelle is supposed to portray or the lazy country style found at Lily Hill Farm. Therefore, a great deal of thought needs to be put into community planning. Where PHGS is located determines how efficiently other businesses can integrate with it and take advantage of the resulting traffic. It would be highly undesirable to destroy Stelle’s security and serenity by routing traffic on residential streets. It would also be highly undesirable to build without sufficient vacant space to accommodate other businesses benefiting from the traffic. Lily Hill Farm has a lot of vacant land to work with and an adjacent 80 acre farm coming up for sale, as does Stelle. Adjacent chunks of land this large can provide for growth in both locations. Success with PHGS means more traffic, ultimately a lot more traffic, that has to be gracefully accommodated so that the wonderful qualities of a peaceful rural community are not destroyed by its becoming successful. Planning of this nature is in the purview of SPLLC. It is the vehicle by which projects like PHGS can easily be nested along with the other projects it empowers. Building more PHGS production to truck to outlying regions becomes a future goal. Production of that nature does not have to be integrated as closely with the community thus making it easier to plan, locate and accomplish. In 2007 a description of a Greenhouse village was developed that encapsulates part of the potential being discussed here, http://www.zonneterp.nl/english/index_uk.html. In the United States the average distance farm produce is trucked is 3,300 miles. By locating the greenhouse in the community the Netherlands’ Greenhouse village model cuts that distance to less than 2 miles, the maximum distance heat can be transferred. That is one thousandth the fuel intensive US standard. In the Netherlands 10% of the national consumption of natural gas is the greenhouse industry. Greenhouse village turns the horticultural sector from a natural gas consumer into sustainable energy provider. Greenhouse village integrates rural with urban, farming with community. With this approach 1 hectare of greenhouse can heat up to 100 houses using predominately a solar/geothermal approach. The greenhouse also supplies tap water, treats wastewater and produces electricity. The whole complex is cost effective and self-sufficient in energy and water while recycling nutrients and carbon. As a decentralized supplier it provides robustness at a time when globally the dominate approach of centralized national distribution of commodities has proven vulnerable to disruption. Greenhouse village was nominated for the prestigious French Altran Award. France, Turkey and China have joined the Netherlands in expressing interest in building communities based on the concept. The Greenhouse village concept would be even more productive if it incorporated PHGS concepts.
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ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNTIES CREATED
The computer running the QXCI software only has to operate periodically on the greenhouse for a fraction of the time in each day. That same harmonizing energy can be extended beyond the greenhouse during other sessions thus providing the same benefits to other areas within the community. The QXCI is capable of generating a large bubble in which plant growth is doubled while returning that biosphere to organic levels of health. Its radius of maximum effectiveness is 200 meters but it can operate as far out as 1000 meters thus positively affecting many plants, trees, grassy areas and gardens. Faster growing trees and grass is desirable as it generates more feed for goats or compost for crops. Leaves and grass clippings are desirable to use as the backbone of the Indore method of composting thus feeding the heart of organic gardening. All of the pets in the community and animals raised for food production would similarly benefit. Thus dairy and meat production could be filled with health imparting energies benefiting the entire community. A second inexpensive portable PC can also be purchased to run the same software in order to address health issues for members of the community and others in surrounding areas who express interest. Sessions of that nature normally take about an hour and half and cost $125 thus creating a new revenue stream to pay for the purchase of a QXCI and nurture the local economy. Yet a third portable computer could be purchased to run the same software and broadcast super-learning frequencies to accelerate performance in the community’s schools. One machine can handle many different classes tailoring its output to each ones needs at the student enrollment level. Used QXCI machines are available. They typically come with video tapes covering the introductory week long course of instruction. Thus more than one operator can be trained. Periodically ones priced around $14,000 come onto the market. Registering for the rights to all QXCI software upgrades costs only $1,000 thus making it easy to stay current with the latest developments. Brand new portable PC’s capable of running QXCI software cost less than $2,000. With a few thousand dollars worth of attachments the QXCI can energize the water in the greenhouse and perform other functions not even discussed so far. Based on the cost of a used machine it would total less than $25,000 to procure everything that a community needs for the benefits discussed so far. The Phase I PHGS proposal includes line items which if aggregated would fund this approach within the current cost profile. For instance, adding together the QXCI, water energizing, vermiculture and microbe consulting fees as detailed on the next page. The QXCI will handle most if not all of these requirements. After purchasing all of the QXCI equipment detailed here there would still be $7,000 left over for outside expert consulting and purchasing water purification equipment. Anything not addressed could easily be taken care of using a small fraction of the management reserve included in this cost proposal. The Phase I PHGS will be documented on the Internet so others can build a similar greenhouse. However, there are many advanced techniques employed here in a complex system that requires operating in ways contrary to established standards. A school will be needed to mentor operators in the techniques Chris employs. This becomes a new industry along with Phase II greenhouse sales. The Phase II greenhouse has no competition and answers the need of sustainability for communities globally. Its sales potential is huge.
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Both the Phase I and Phase II greenhouses support research into quantum sustainability issues for accelerated research and development with fast track implementation. As PHGS proliferates other communities will want to become involved in research of this nature. The resulting research and development consortium becomes another major industry with global impact. PHGS would be used to optimize conditions for growing avocadoes, lemons, oranges, bananas, etc., all of which are major markets. The greatest profit potential for either Lily Hill Farm or Stelle is in selling ideas and packaging those ideas for implementation by other communities. PHGS based enterprises have an enormous potential as a keystone industry. They can become the heart of every community focused on sustainability that is located near a major market as Stelle is being in close proximity to Chicago. Likewise Lily Hill Farm is within striking distance of the entire East coast of Lake Michigan which is an area already well fixated on organic food.
COMPENSATION CONSIDERATIONS
The compensation granted Chris in this proposal only addresses the construction phase and in that arena is modest. His long term compensation for sharing his expertise would be the validation of the concept and an opportunity to develop a business based on Phase II systems. Chris is committed to a successful outcome and is willing to tie his compensation to achieving that goal. Chris has agreed to be available for consulting beyond the first year covered by this contract during which Phase I is completed and Phase II is planned. A Phase II contract would be finalized after that project plan is completed. Chris could also receive consulting fees for mentoring greenhouse operators both at the resident school and on location for major customers.
RISK ANALYSIS
There is no significant risk of failure for production based on the technologies being employed here as they are too well proven individually and well understood by the principles involved. It is their synergy that needs to be explored and documented as a viable enterprise. A life insurance policy on Chris would be in order as he is irreplaceable during the duration of both the Phase I and Phase II PHGS projects. Research and development after that could continue without Chris as he will have mentored subject matter experts capable of running PHGS cooperatively with Mother Nature. There is obviously still a place for a subject matter expert of Chris’s caliber, however, increasingly there will be available many who will come forward with ideas of merit to explore in the fertile bowels of PHGS nurturing. The PHGS Project would be nested in the Stellar Projects LLC thus eliminating liability considerations should the venture fail for some unforeseeable reason such as a catastrophic natural calamity. Only relatively inexpensive accident and liability insurance to cover people on the premise and the capital investment needs to be included as would be the case for any business. The most significant risk is having sales collocated with production. Although efficient, it is only profitable if customers come to you and demand rises with production. Marketing is the key. There certainly are many precedents for regional markets drawing a large customer base from nearby metropolitan areas. Getting one established in Stelle is critical to PHGS’s economic success. It is thus essential that every form of free advertising be pursued such as press releases aimed at groups oriented towards organic produce and magazines such as Conscious Choice. Success at advertising means that the biggest risk is being unable to meet customer demands. We would have to build more PHGSs. Every business should have such problems.
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COST ANALYSIS In the cost analysis section each different category is broken down into a Baseline Total and a Stellar Total. In order to address marketing that segment is also included in the Baseline Total. That would be a half time job for the last two months. The objective would be to set up marketplace operations and put into place advertising so that at the end of the first six months everything would be in place to begin sales. In the Return on Investment section the Baseline System is analyzed first followed by an analysis of the Stellar System. OPERATIONS LABOR, EDUCATION & ADVERTISING Lily Hill Farm: 1. Operations Manager – Chris Marron ($1000/wk x 26 weeks) $26,000
(Chris’s primary compensation would be a percentage of the resultant business) 2. Greenhouse Manager apprenticing to learn the operation ($800/wk x 26 weeks) $20,800 3. Greenhouse Assistant ($500/wk x 26 weeks) $13,000 LHF BASELINE TOTAL $59,800 Stelle: 4. Operations Manager – Chris Marron ($500/wk x 26 weeks) $26,000
(Chris’s primary compensation would be a percentage of the resultant business) 5. Greenhouse Manager apprenticing to learn the operation ($800/wk x 26 weeks) $20,800 6. Greenhouse Assistant ($500/wk x 26 weeks) $13,000 7. Marketplace Manager (half time the last two months at $400/wk x 8 weeks) $3,200 8. Advertising Campaign including signs pointing to Stelle $5,378 STELLE BASELINE TOTAL $63,000 9. IT equipment and support for ongoing research and system documentation $6,000 10. Perelandra course at $2k/person with two people attending. $2,000 11. Perelandra trained greenhouse operator (3 days/week for 26 weeks) $15,600 12. System optimization consulting with Penny Kelly (weekly sessions for 26 weeks) $9,750 13. QXCI Consulting (Weekly sessions for first month, then 3 times/wk for 22 wks) $6,500 14. Super energized water technologies equipment & consulting ($500/wk for 26 weeks) $13,000 15. Vermaculture and microbe consulting ($500 wk for 26 weeks) $13,000 STELLAR TOTAL $65,850 STELLE GRAND TOTAL $115,850 LHF GRAND TOTAL $112,650
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SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
This proposal also assumes that the energy production building is being built after the greenhouse has been erected. That assumption is based on the availability of a local power grid so a simple temporary post can be installed to support a drop and 200 amp service. It would be used for both construction and initial greenhouse operation. If local power is priced low for agriculture usage it might even be cost effective and acceptable as the only source of power during the months when the weather cannot threaten the plants. If there is no local power grid then building the Energy Production Building (EPB) and bringing it on line becomes a high priority. In the interim more expensive generator based power would have to be used until the EPB came online. This new emphasis would either delay building the greenhouse and starting the plants, or incur additional costs with generator rental until the EPB provides service.
There would have to be a backup heating system to protect the crop in the event of a power failure, problems with the bubble system, or some other critical failure such as a burned-out pump motor. For backup heat we could use something as simple as a wood stove or a 2300 watt (16,000 Btu) electric construction heater which costs about $180. That would maintain above-freezing temperatures with the bubbles in place at very minimal cost on very cold nights.
The size of the pole barn has been doubled in order to provide market space for sales of produce. The super insulated cooling room where produce would be stored would be integrated into the marketing operation and the office space would serve the greenhouse, associated tours and marketing requirements as would the toilet space.
40’ x 80’ ENERGY PRODUCTION, MARKETING & SUPPORT BUILDING 1. Earthmoving equipment $1,000 2. Pole Barn procurement and erection including insulation $40,000 3. Additional Doors and windows $3,000 4. Electrical (200 amp primary distributing to 100 amp greenhouse) $10,000 5. Plumbing (toilet, and shower for cleanup prior to greenhouse entry) $5,000 6. A/C refrigeration off of the solar thermal system $4,000 7. Super insulated cooling room to store harvest $2,000 8. Office in Pole barn from which to conduct operations $4,000 9. Graveled parking lot and roadway as required for workers and customers $2,000 10. Construction of produce stands $4,000 11. Cash register and accounting equipment to track sales $4,000 12. Boiler for hydronic heat backup system. $10,000 BASELINE TOTAL $89,000 13. CoGeneration Powerplant, fuel tank, transfer switch and heat exchanger $25,000 STELLAR TOTAL $25,000 GRAND TOTAL $114,000 The CoGeneration Powerplant and associated equipment is considered optional only if Phase I construction and operation occurs in a region where inexpensive agricultural electrical rates are available and the risk of power loss and heating loss are minimal. Eventually this expense is necessary if insuring sustained operation is essential.
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GREENHOUSE AT LILY HILL FARM 1. Earthmoving equipment rental, pickup and delivery. $1,000 2. Greenhouse ($4/sq.ft x 3,920 sq foot or a 36’x110’ greenhouse) $15,840 3. Sunnyjohn subterranean Heating/Cooling distribution system $4,000 4. Concrete troughs for Solarroof bubble collection plus spring tension system $3,000 5. Lattice of 4’ wide interior and infrastructure connecting exterior sidewalks. $3,000 6. Two woven greenhouse film covers & attachment materials. $1,000 7. Bubble generator equipment, pump and water additive $4,000 8. 200 amp service panel & electrical distribution in aluminum conduit. $10,000 9. Solar Thermal Panels for heating/Cooling system. $2,000 10. Misting System $2,000 11. Plumbing for hydroponics, back up heaters, hydronics, and so on. $4,000 12. Industrial plastic tanks for nutrient and storage of hot and cold water. $2,000 13. Vent fans, louver servos and control mechanisms. $4,000 14. LED lighting $20,000 15. Lighting movement system $2,000 16. CO2
generation and environmental controls $3,000 17. 80 4’x8’ wood grow beds supported on cider blocks at $100/bed $8,000 18. Plastic liners for grow beds. $1,000 19. 24 cubic yards Perlite growing medium, two truck loads driven from Colorado $3,000 20. 24 cubic yards crushed pumice, two truck loads driven from Albuquerque. $3,000 21. 24 cubic yards at $30/cubic yards of potting soil as starter for compost. $700 22. 10 cubic yards of vermiculite at about $30 per 4 cu feet $2,000 23. 3 different types of hydroponics solution at $500 each per 40 gallon drum. $1,500 24. Organic Seeds. $1,600 25. Four high volume Oscillating fans to physically stress the plants. $1,000 26. Miscellaneous materials such as sand, lumber for small bins, gravel, sacks, etc. $1,000 27. Electric bill for 26 weeks operation $2,000 28. Insurance for 26 weeks operation $2,000 29. Taxes for 26 weeks operation $1,000 BASELINE TOTAL $108,640
OPTIONAL: 30. Waterproof Sound System for audio augmentation using Sonic Bloom techniques $2,000 31. Computer system for automated control. $3,500 32. Weather and environment sensors with computer interface. $5,000 33. Hoffman enclosed Computer/Electrical system control interface. $10,000 STELLAR TOTAL $20,050
GRAND TOTAL $128,690 The total for the last three line items is $18,500. They are cost effective as they eliminate the necessity for humans to monitor the greenhouse 24 hours a day for seven days a week thus improving workforce efficiency. Automation like this can also be packaged as a product to sell with future PHGS sales. This is also part of the risk analysis as systems like this monitoring the greenhouse ensure optimal operation thus increasing efficiency while reducing the risk factor.
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GREENHOUSE AT STELLE: 1. Earthmoving equipment rental, pickup and delivery. $1,000 2. Greenhouse ($4/sq.ft x 3,920 sq foot or a 36’x110’ greenhouse) $15,840 3. Sunnyjohn subterranean Heating/Cooling distribution system $4,000 4. Concrete troughs for Solar roof bubble collection plus spring tension system $3,000 5. Lattice of 4’ wide interior and infrastructure connecting exterior sidewalks. $2,000 6. Two woven greenhouse film covers & attachment materials. $1,000 7. Bubble generator equipment, pump and water additive $4,000 8. 200 amp service panel & electrical distribution in aluminum conduit. $10,000 9. Solar Thermal Panels for heating/Cooling system. $2,000 10. Misting System $2,000 11. Plumbing for hydroponics, back up heaters, hydronics, and so on. $4,000 12. Industrial plastic tanks for nutrient and storage of hot and cold water. $2,000 13. Vent fans, louver servos and control mechanisms. $4,000 14. LED lighting $20,000 15. Lighting movement system $2,000 16. CO2
generation and environmental controls $3,000 17. 80 4’x8’ wood grow beds supported on cider blocks at $100/bed $8,000 18. Plastic liners for grow beds. $1,000 19. 24 cubic yards Perlite growing medium, two truck loads driven from Colorado $3,000 20. 24 cubic yards crushed pumice, two truck loads driven from Albuquerque. $3,000 21. 24 cubic yards at $30/cubic yards of potting soil as starter for compost. $700 22. 10 cubic yards of vermiculite at about $30 per 4 cu feet $2,000 23. 3 different types of hydroponics solution at $500 each per 40 gallon drum. $1,500 24. Organic Seeds. $1,600 25. Four high volume Oscillating fans to physically stress the plants. $1,000 26. Miscellaneous materials such as sand, lumber for small bins, gravel, sacks, etc. $1,000 27. Electric bill for 26 weeks operation $2,000 28. Water bill for 26 weeks operation $1,000 29. Insurance for 26 weeks operation $2,000 30. Taxes for 26 weeks operation $1,000 BASELINE TOTAL $109,640 OPTIONAL: 1. Waterproof Sound System for audio augmentation using Sonic Bloom techniques $2,000 2. Computer system for automated control. $3,500 3. Weather and environment sensors with computer interface. $5,000 4. Hoffman enclosed Computer/Electrical system control interface. $10,000 STELLAR TOTAL $20,050 GRAND TOTAL $129,690 The total for the last three line items is $18,500. They are cost effective as they eliminate the necessity for humans to monitor the greenhouse 24 hours a day for seven days a week thus improving workforce efficiency. Automation like this can also be packaged as a product to sell with future PHGS sales. This is also part of the risk analysis as systems like this monitoring the greenhouse ensure optimal operation thus increasing efficiency while reducing the risk factor.
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COST OVERVIEW FOR BASELINE PROPOSAL AT LILY HILL FARM OPERATIONS LABOR, EDUCATION & ADVERTISING $59,800 ENERGY PRODUCTION, MARKTPLACE & OPERATIONS SUPPORT BLDG $89,000 GREENHOUSE $108,640 SUBTOTAL $257,440
10% MANAGEMENT RESERVE $25,744
GRAND TOTAL $283,184 COST OVERVIEW FOR BASELINE PROPOSAL AT STELLE OPERATIONS LABOR, EDUCATION & ADVERTISING $63,000 ENERGY PRODUCTION, MARKTPLACE & OPERATIONS SUPPORT BLDG $89,000 GREENHOUSE $109,640 SUBTOTAL $261,640
10% MANAGEMENT RESERVE $26,164
GRAND TOTAL $287,804 RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR BASELINE PROPOSALS
The ROI is based on the grand total listed above and the profit potential analysis found on page 25. It gives us the following payback range in years starting the clock when production begins: Lily Hill Farm Industry Standard Median Success Stellar Success Years to payback 3.1 0.45 0.18 Stelle Industry Standard Median Success Stellar Success Years to payback 4.0 0.57 0.23 Even the ultra conservative approach based on industry standards achieves payback in four years at Stelle and slightly more than three years at Lily Hill Farm. That is probably an acceptable figure given that the community gains a sustainable source of high quality food along with a magnet business. Moderate success yields what is likely to be a more accurate figure with payback in approximately half a year at both locations. However, there is a more sophisticated way to look at this.
The first six months of operation will generate no profit as that is the time during which PHGS will be built, experiments will be conducted, and product distribution and marketing setup. Expected outlays during that time have been charted on the next page and the total highlighted in yellow.
After six months the assumption is that production will have stabilized at the Industry Standard baseline and will ramp up in a linear fashion so that after a year Median Success will be achieved, and likewise this will improve so that after two years of production Stellar Success levels will be achieved. Likewise, the cost per pound of production will decrease linearly until after a year Median Success is achieved and after two years Stellar Success is reached. Similarly, as marketing improves
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the price charged for the product should rise from the low end of Industry Standard achieving Median Success in one year and Stellar Success after two years. Although the market value of produce tends to fluctuate the assumption is that those variations even out over the year thus making a linear analysis a reasonable approach. Based on these assumptions a spreadsheet covering two and a half years has been developed as seen on the next page. With this approach the break even point is 18 months into production. That point has also been highlighted in yellow. It should be noted that in only six additional months around $280,000 additional profit is generated. Even if profit stabilizes at this point and remains stable during the third year of production, PHGS will earn 12 times $54,184 which calculates out as $650,210 for that year. That is more than $930,000 above the cost to build PHGS returned in three and a half years from the beginning of construction.
To put this data into context, in the first month of production profit is $3,333 divided by the 4,000 square feet in the greenhouse, or $0.83 per square foot of greenhouse. That is the equivalent of growing a single tomato weighing 0.83 pounds which is sold at $1.25 a pound for a price of $1.04. In the first month of operation production and sales cost would be $1.00 times 13,333 yielding a total of $13,333. At 18 months there is $35,795 of profit in 4,000 square feet or $8.95 of profit per square foot. That is the equivalent of purchasing 4.18 pounds of high quality tomatoes which are sold for $2.14 per pound. Production cost would have risen while efficiency improved yielding $0.79 times 26,556 pounds which totals $41,523, slightly more than three times the figure seen in the first month of operation. These are reasonable expectations for a system in full production with continuing incremental improvements in both production and cost.
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COST OVERVIEW FOR STELLAR PROPOSAL WITH BASELINE PROPOSAL INCLUDED OPERATIONS LABOR, EDUCATION & ADVERTISING $133,228 ENERGY PRODUCTION, MARKTPLACE & OPERATIONS SUPPORT BLDG. $115,000 GREENHOUSE $127,140 SUBTOTAL $375,368
10% MANAGEMENT RESERVE $37,537
GRAND TOTAL $412,904 This scenario reflects the advantages of having personnel who are more highly trained and more effective equipment for them to use for feedback and productivity augmentation. Thus the price of the produce from the beginning is near the high end of the industry, the cost per pound for production goes down more rapidly, and the amount produced begins at the median level and by the end of the year has achieved the Stellar level. Consequently, the spreadsheet on the next page indicates that the pay back period occurs during the 11th month with more than $600,000 of profit generated the following year. That figure is based on stable production which is conservative to say the least. For instance, both production levels and the value of the produce are likely to continue rising. Not factored in here are the new industries created such as PHGS tours, education programs, research grants, consulting and the setup for Phase II development of a customized PHGS with global marketing potential. In short, as an economic enterprise PHGS has the prospect of generating both large revenues and the global exposure that Findhorn enjoys. It is keystone advancement for communities focused on sustainability. It would put on the map whatever community had the vision to build it.
Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System 41
Greenhouse Linear Improvement ROI Analysis using Stellar Technologies
PHASE II OPTIMIZED DEMONSTRATION SYSTEM FOR COMMERCIAL SALES
A key design criteria is a structure which gracefully accommodates the optimized PHGS requirements with ten times the life expectancy. It would be engineered to sustain operations even under extreme conditions. Included would be custom built computer control systems, packing equipment, and every other required function and system incorporated internally in order to create a self contained turnkey greenhouse. It would be earth bermed to maximize insulation and built with structural steel and concrete for long term durability.
Support systems would be subterranean including the potential for underground production should surface conditions preclude sunlight based growth. A proven tilt-up-wall construction technique can be seen at this web site: www.hollowtop.com/cls_html/tiltup.htm. The result is cost effective with an ascetically pleasing exterior. That improves its acceptability for location close to housing. Being earth bermed it could be incorporated into a park like setting as the North exposure would appear more like a small hill with a structure built into it. That side could be landscaped and even have trees as long as they were positioned to preclude shadowing the greenhouse. As operations are totally self contained only an access road would be required to move product to its customers.
The cost of constructing the greenhouse would be approximately ten times that of a conventional greenhouse structure. That expense would be recouped in a few short years based on the reduction in cost of operations. An optimized design like this could potentially yield a substantial drop in the cost of operations in comparison to the Phase I PHGS. Its major benefit is viable operation when all other approaches become untenable.
The initial layout indicates that the floor of the greenhouse would be terraced starting 18 feet from the South wall. Terracing for vertical growing could, for example, be in six foot runs with six foot rises up to a North wall 42 feet high as dictated by truss angle. The space underneath the rising floor would house exposed plumbing, pumps, aquaponics, mushroom growing, composing, water and nutrient storage, office space and an insulated nursery. The North wall could also be adjacent to additional subterranean structures built to accommodate underground production should that become necessary. Aluminum trusses would slope down from the North wall to the South stem wall at an angle determined by latitude. If that angle is 45 degrees the resulting truss would be 48-50 feet long. That is the longest that is commercially available and readily transportable. The floor on cross-section would be 40 to 50 feet from the South stem wall to the high North wall. The 45 degree slope is just an example as it would be varied to maximize solar capture based on location. The length of the greenhouse would be determined by the customer thus sizing it to desired production levels.
All of the walls would be earth bermed to minimize heat transfer. The entire structure would be sunk into the ground eight or ten feet with the only access on an end wall where a concrete ramp would bridge between external grade and internal floor levels. Additional small emergency exits would be provided as required by code.
The Phase II proposal cannot be fully developed until Phase I has yielded enough answers to know what will be required. Its design is complex enough that an architectural engineer is required to produce it. Damiaan Kletter has those credentials and has already begun work on the Phase II plans. He is experienced at building subterranean structures. As Phase I progresses and the Phase II design unfolds a proposal will be developed to cover that logical next step.
Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System 43
APPENDIX B SOURCES OF SUPPLY & SITES TO INVESTIGATE
Here's a site for lighting layout, if you want to grow tomatoes in Canadian January light conditions (thanks Marc) http://www.hydrofarm.com/light_layout/Default.htm
BACKUP HEATING: Here's a site for sizing the backup heating system http://www.firstrays.com/heater_calculator.htm . The bubble greenhouse will use about 15% of this when operating at optimum growing temperatures, and usually zero energy when just maintaining above freezing temperatures.
ENERGIZED WATER: Vibrant Vital Water, 97 Windy Hill Rd B7, Eagle Nest, NM 87718, Ph: 505-377-0540 www.vibrantvitalwater.com Email: [email protected] Randy has a system which has been developed for greenhouse use. He uses it in his own greenhouse. He lives at 8,500 feet. He has a number of water products and four patents. His greenhouse water system is a gravity fed glass tube shaped in a golden mean spiral. It has a throughput of 12-15 cfm. The best result is achieved with DC pumps costing about $1,500 apiece. His system also has other features which he was not willing to discuss until a non-disclosure agreement has been signed and communication is face-to-face. To work with Randy we either fly to New Mexico or meet him somewhere else when he is on a business trip. If hired as a consultant he is willing to visit our site. Full energization of a water based fluid requires cycling it through his system four times. The result is water that is also super oxygenated with the ancillary benefit of ionizing the air in the greenhouse thus energizing it as well. Randy has research equipment for measuring oxygen content, NMR phase angle, Ph, dynes (surface tension of the water with a characteristic drop from 73 to 45 dynes and a similar decrease in viscosity) and the ionization of the air. He is very interested in doing a comparison study between greenhouses using conventional and energized water. He believes that they would have to be separate buildings as the energization zone associated with the water radiates out approximately
Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System 44
15 feet thus making it difficult to separate effectively inside a single greenhouse. Separation would also be necessary because of the way his system affects the atmosphere. Randy is willing to lend his research equipment in order to document the resultants. He is also willing to work with a University allied with us for the purposes of documentation.
Yosef Bender is a second source of supply. He is more conveniently located in the Chicago region. On 9-19-2007 Chris visited his laboratory, saw his equipment and was able to sample the product. Yosef also has a design that would work in a greenhouse and a product with phenomenal energy levels. He is willing to act as a consultant on the PHGS project. Appendix C at the end of this document is a white paper by Yosef regarding energized water.
VIBRATIONAL BASED GROWTH Sonic Bloom: http://www.relfe.com/sonic_bloom.html
MISCELLANEOUS: 2 layers EVA greenhouse plastic, (Growers Requisite) $500/layer
Here's sites for some of many poly-lock devices http://www.usgr.com/greenhouse-coverings/polylock.html or http://www.hydro-gardens.com/polylock.htm
this one is for fun: http://www.crystalinks.com/hollowearth.html
Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System 45
APPENDIX C Primer Regarding Enhanced Water Technologies Usage in Agricultural Applications
By Yosef Bender
New groundbreaking research in area of biophysics, advancing the model of biological ionization, focusing on the electrical and magnetic characteristics in cellular growth and development, has been one of the key advancements in the field of agriculture. As we know the current biochemical model has spawned the last several decades of agricultural disaster in fertilizers and other destructive practices. This is because it completely ignores the bioenergetic nature of plant life. Pioneers such as Dr. Callum Coats and Dr. Carry Reams have shown the importance of understanding the electrical characteristics within plant growth and development, water being the primary medium from which the electron sharing, oxygen reduction, and nutrient transport takes place. It is the medium in which all life processes take place. Water is undeniably the single most viable asset to plant growth. How that water is organized within biological systems is the foundation to understanding ways to advance the growth process and to create healthy and viable sustainable agriculture.
There are several technologies that allow us to make water more biologically friendly: 1. By applying certain charged energy states across the aqueous medium we are able to break down
larger molecular clusters into smaller biological friendly water molecules. Thus, in effect making the water wetter which enhances the capillary transport mechanism in plant stems.
2. By applying resonant fields, both linear and nonlinear, information domains, which can be added to water medium and accelerate catalytic functions within many biological systems, also allow greater absorption of certain mineral ions.
3. By controlling the oxygen reduction potential and the hydrogen re-distributing ions and cations, hydroxyl ratios and hydron ratios, water can be customized to the specific needs of plants which have a wide variety of different ionization requirements.
4. Through vortex implosion, the gas liquid interface boundary of water can be expanded creating meta-stable pro-oxidant bonds which simulate the beneficial characteristics of rainwater, which has been proven in many research studies to be superior to a ground water supply.
5. By what is perhaps the most exciting possibility, namely the application of free electrons and bio-trons to the water medium which increases the electrochemical action, absorption and uptake of nutrients thus enhancing growth cycles.
Structured water research in agricultural applications is in its pioneering stages. Companies that advance this research create an enormous competitive advantage and will ultimately prove themselves to be leaders in the new emerging agricultural society. Those that dare to break away from the humanistic biochemical and genetically modified madness, which is destroying agriculture as we know it, will become the heroes of our children.
Biological ionization research focuses within the soil matrix to provide the electrical and dielectric characteristics necessary for enhanced biological development in plant life. Working with a soilless approach means that plants are totally dependent upon the ionization characteristics of the aqueous medium. Enhanced water technologies that finely tune resonant fields, chargers, ratios, and supporting mineral ions, will prove to be critical assets for viable results.
www.StellarProjects.com
APPENDIX D: Stellar Projects Limited Liability Company Fostering Personal, Community and Planetary Sustainability
An Illinois Series LLC Where the Success of Every Individual Project and Property Can Be Enhanced
Food Production, Processing, Marketing and Distribution
Alternative Energy
Research and Development Center
Real Estate Development, Management & Cohousing
Perpetual Harvest
Greenhouse System
Aqua- culture
Perma- culture
The
Food Circle
Perma culture
Permaculture
Ethanol Produc-
tion Plant
Truly
Cultured Lacto-
Ferment- ations
Solar & Wind
Projects
Emergency
Shelters
Water
Purification
Energy
Systems
Property 1*
Property 2
Property 3
*We have a proposed project for purchasing
103 Sun Street as a base of operations.
Learning, Retreat and Training Center
Stellar Communications Marketing and Distribution
Stellar Communications Web, Internet and Intranet
Stellar Communications Multi-Media Productions
Building Design &
Construction
Program
Development
Univercity
for Conscious Sustainable
Living
Ultimate Destiny Press
Full Circles Community
Systems Publications
Other Book and Digital
Publications
Ultimate Destiny
Stellar
Internet Marketing Resources
S3
Solari Circles
Ultimate Destiny DVD’s &
CD’s
Imagination Celebration
DVD’s
Clients who Need Multi-
Media Production
Example of A Sub Series Within the “Master” Series LLC
Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse Systems
Region or Site 1 Region or Site 2 Region or Site 3 Unit
1 Unit
2 Unit
3
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
www.StellarProjects.com
Stellar Projects Limited Liability Company (SPLLC) Stellar Projects LLC was incorporated as an Illinois Series Limited Liability Company on October 12th, 2007 to serve as the foundation for the development of local sustainable community models. This structure, based at Stelle, Illinois, is set up so that every individual project and property created can be segregated while being nested together in a single efficient structure. Only one annual report and filing fee covering everything is required thus minimizing both paperwork and cost. SPLLC is structured with seven categories representing the spectrum of community function. Currently the multiple projects and subprojects with different foci, objectives and location are: 1. Food Production, Processing, Marketing and Distribution – Phases I and II of the Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System
(PHGS) project, Aquaculture, Permaculture, local Food Circles, community marketing and trading bridgemarts, are all addressed in this category. A sub series in this category would be, for example, development of other PHGSs, Food Circles and regional networks in other locations after the demonstration model at Stelle is developed.
2. Alternative Energy – Projects addressing Solar energy, the Ethanol Production Plant, and other low input production, processing and distribution systems, are currently listed with many more potential candidates. This includes modules and systems for educating and implementing energy and resource-efficient lifestyles.
3. Learning, Retreat and Training Center – Included up front is the construction of a building to house programs of this nature. The Center represents the community education and training function. Projects in this category would flow from all of the other categories as knowledge developed, for instance, from UniverCity for Conscious Sustainable Living, PHGS or Alternative Energy systems, generate intellectual content useful to other sustainable communities and new thought enterprises.
4. Research and Development Center – Categories currently being considered are Emergency Shelters, Water Purification, Energy Systems, Mobile and Energy-efficient Food Processing Units, Global Communications Systems such as S3; developing PHGS-compatible processing and distribution techniques for nutrient-dense, high market value crops, food and fiber; integrated development of technologically and ecologically-balanced infrastructures for new circle communities, exploring salons, telecircles and other new forms of culture, and new value-added digital and other complementary currencies. These projects would encourage and coordinate the participation of Universities and other stakeholders with the objective of developing key understanding and technologies focused on sustainability, self-reliance, well-being and empowerment.
5. Real Estate Development and Management – Key properties essential to support both local and focal satellite projects would be acquired and managed. An example is the house at 103 Sun Street in Stelle. It is currently for sale and ideal as an interim lease location, a SPLLC base of operations until a permanent corporate operations building can be secured. Land for future development would be another sub-category. The larger goal is to develop plans for graceful, energy-efficient industrial and urban growth for Stelle and other SPLLC locations. Thus urban planning becomes part of this category’s mandate.
6. Stellar Communications -- A comprehensive category encompassing internal and external communications and outreach for all aspects of the project. a. Publishing, Marketing and Distribution of books, digital publications and other new media. Examples are the Ultimate Destiny Press, Full Circles Community Systems books, publications, and information products; applicable affiliate and strategic partner’s information materials aimed at biodiversity, sustainability, and wholistic lifestyles.
www.StellarProjects.com
b. Stellar Web, Internet and Intranet Development – Examples are Stellar Internet Marketing Resources, Learning, Retreat and Training Center online education, S3, Full Circles Community Network, Ultimate Destiny and other efforts aimed at disseminating key information for global exposure, collaboration, community development and outreach via the Internet. c. Stellar Multi-Media Productions including audio/visual production services and products such as: Full Circles Community Building Kits, Ultimate Destiny DVD’s & CD’s, Imagination Celebration DVD’s, PHGS construction and operation DVD’s, Turnkey “How-to” enterprise package kits, Recorded, archived and downloadable presentations, workshops, conferences, information captured in other digital formats for members, affiliates and other clients who need multi-media production.
7. Community Development – Complementing the physical community infrastructure of SPLLC is coordination of the equally important information, communications, economic, social and administrative hub functions of this developing sustainable community model. An overarching aim of this category is to integrate and coordinate the viable alternatives, already well-researched by a number of SPLLC members, for smooth community organization and operation as well as packaging, marketing, delivery and training involved in global duplication of this vitally needed sustainable community model. Examples include: adapting complementary community currencies, refinement of regional portal hubs, database integration, and customization for global outreach. For More Information: Contact: Stellar Projects LLC Phone: 815-256-2273 E-mail: [email protected] website: www.stellarprojectsllc.com To reach Center for Sustainable Community or Chris: [email protected]
