On the third floor of an old meat-packing plant is a humid
hothouse filled with rows of greens and sprouts, even exotic
white strawberries. Nearby, in large barrels swim dozens of
tilapia, fish native to tropical regions. "The Plant" is a
leading example for urban vertical farming using old warehouses,
where plants and fish are raised symbiotically, with a closed-
loop system that uses all waste toward the production of food.
Using "aquaponics", the water containing fish excrement is used
to feed and fertilize the plants, which then filters the water
back to the fish through a series of pipes. One-third of The
Plant will hold aquaponic growing systems and the other two-
thirds will incubate sustainable food businesses -- such as a
bakery, beer brewery and mushroom farm -- by offering low rent,
low energy costs, and a licensed shared kitchen. The Plant will
create 125 jobs in Chicago’s economically distressed Back of the
Yards neighborhood – but, remarkably, these jobs will require no
fossil fuel use. Instead, T