Yang, a professor in the Department of Natural Resources<\/a>, first had the idea to develop GREENBOX five years ago after observing the unmet need to grow food locally in urban environments.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThere\u2019s a need to produce food locally in urban areas where people need it the most,\u201d Yang says.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Current GREENBOX models are about the size of a standard commercial pallet \u2013 48 inches by 40 inches. Yang says that the height can be variable, depending on the crops, reaching upwards of 84 inches high.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The insulated boxes contain programmable LED lights that Yang and his team can adjust to fit the light needs of a specific crop and a hydroponic growing system. Hydroponic systems grow plants without soil, using water-based mineral nutrient solutions instead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Yang\u2019s team can control the temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels in the GREENBOX and monitor the plants\u2019 progress remotely using the video systems with which each GREENBOX unit is equipped.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cIt\u2019s a true plant factory,\u201d Yang says.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Yang and his students conducted a feasibility study where they demonstrated that they could successfully grow 48 heads of lettuce (24 heads each in two units) in 30 days, through every season in Storrs, Connecticut. They published their results in Agricultural Sciences<\/a> in 2021.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Yang emphasizes that this feasibility study was a proof-of-concept and GREENBOX\u2019s technology can easily be scaled up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cIt creates a lot of flexibility for food production so it can meet the needs of different seasons and different varieties with very limited space,\u201d Yang says.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n GREENBOX offers many advantages over traditional greenhouses. Because they are designed to be set up in unused urban structures, GREENBOX units greatly reduce transportation costs, both in terms of money and carbon emissions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Further, GREENBOX does not face many of the challenges traditional farming does, such as weather-related disruptions to the growing season or pests. The latter also means there is no need to apply pesticides to GREENBOX crops.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n GREENBOX also uses less energy and water than traditional greenhouses, which Yang outlined in another publication for the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"Lettuce](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_9104-002-rotated.jpg\")
\r\n![\"Smiling](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_9515-002-rotated.jpg\")
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