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Printer-Friendly ModeNew greenhouse plan win-win for SVSU and tri-cities
March 10, 2008 —
PUT TO GOOD USE -
The team behind the SVSU greenhouse plans to import large quantities of food waste from SVSU's dining areas and transform it into organic fertilizer, which could be used by the greenhouse itself to help grow fruits and vegetables or simply be sold to the public in its solid or liquid forms.
The process by which this fertilizer is made is known as vermiculture. Essentially, waste from the dining halls is fed to specific species of worm, which eat food scraps and other compost-suitable materials. The resulting worm waste is an organic form of fertilizer, desirable because it's cheaper than artificial fertilizer, which requires natural gas to make.
It's a good example of where Michigan's economy needs to go, and where it's already going. Agri-business and renewable energy are blossoming industries in Michigan and across the country and are only going to get bigger. Located in a relatively rural area, SVSU should use its geographical location, economic power, and local connections to help kickstart the renewable energy industry in mid-Michigan.
The University is already a prominent economic and intellectual feature of the tri-cities area. But if it were to dedicate its brainpower and financial resources to the greenhouse specifically and to the renewable energy industry in general, it could help bring jobs to an area where they are desperately needed.
Assuming the project takes off, laborers will be needed to tend to the worms and plantlife and to the infrastructure of the greenhouse(s). Knowledge-workers (students, faculty and alumni) will be needed to monitor, record, and analyze the data that the facilities produce. Business types are needed to keep financial records and make recommendations. Administrators will oversee operations and make decisions as they see fit. In other words, it will look like a lot of other modern businesses in the United States. Businesses that Michigan and the tri-cities area could really use.
A release we received from Dining Services details the greenhouse team's plans, and some of their needs. They estimate that to construct a preliminary vermiculture system using waste from SVSU's dining operations, they'll need about $12,328. To us, that seems like a bargain of an investment, since it has significant potential to eventually generate revenue.
Most university operations don't seek to make a profit, and in fairness, they shouldn't be expected to. But when the opportunity arises to enrich student learning, contribute economically to the community, conduct serious research and make money, SVSU shouldn't pass it up.
It's not that making money is a given, since in order to generate a profit the greenhouse team must ensure that the organic fertilizer is cheaper than the artificial stuff. That could be difficult, since the makers of artificial fertilizers have complicated supply chains and distribution networks already in place, in addition to well-funded marketing and advertising firms.
But we think that eventually, a project that began as an outgrowth of student and faculty research can do that, with enough support and recognition. Entrepreneurship is not supposed to be easy.
We recommend that SVSU act quickly to pursue this opportunity.