Closed Loop

This post is about a little local travel that I did a week ago. Local meaning in my very own town. New York is a place where you can really get stuck in your daily rut, so a trip off the beaten path, even if it's only a short walk, can feel like a real accomplishment! While I was at the gym one day, on the elliptical machine, I saw a piece on TV about the Science Barge. This is a barge, built and operated by NY Sun Works, that is a completely self sustaining floating greenhouse that will be roaming around the NYC water ways all summer.


It seemed like it would be a cool thing to see, so I made my way down there (for details about where it's at and when it's open click here). The only thing connecting it to the land are big nylon ropes, all electricity is generated on board from solar panels and a bio-diesel generator (for shady days) and all water is either collected rainwater or filtered from the Hudson river by a process of reverse osmosis. The staff are very informative and charming in their dorky dedication to the project. It was a beautiful sunny day when I visited so all the colors were saturated and vibrant. Inside the greenhouse they showcase a variety of growing systems that minimize water use and maximize space. They are growing herbs, lettuces, cucumbers and the like. The verti-garden of herbs (vertical garden towers) were my favorite.



There is definitely a focus on educating kids, but the information is just as interesting for grown-ups and anyone who is interested in sustainability and dreaming for the future of our cities. The barge itself has obviously been re-incarnated into this new eco-friendly state, the office building on the barge is made from a refitted shipping container and painted electric green. They are also showcasing some other types of recycled materials in the decking and picnic tables on board The wind turbines on top of it are really just for exhibition since there isn't really enough wind to generate serious amounts of electricity, they make a cool noise though when they do get going.