by Paula Kully –
What do agriculture, landscaping and trucking having in common? Here on Vancouver Island, it’s the use of technology and innovation to start-up or grow business.
Greater Victoria is rapidly gaining notoriety as a hotbed for high tech innovation and manufacturing. The Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council (VIATEC) estimates 867 tech companies in Greater Victoria generating $3.15 billion in sales and a $4-billion economic impact. Of these, 67 are located on the Saanich Peninsula, generating $350 to $400 million in sales and employing 2,200 people.
Bright Greens Canada is one such example, owned and operated by Tamara and Bruce Knott who have invested in Freight Farms’ advanced hydroponics unit to produce fresh, pesticide-free lettuce, greens, culinary herbs and micro greens year-round. Tamara is enthusiastic and welcoming about her “farm,” which is packed into a bright green, repurposed 40-foot shipping container that ultimately yields what would traditionally require 1.5 acres of land while using 90% less water.
The container, which has been dubbed “Leafy Green Machine” (LGM), is equipped with high-tech features that include a system which collects humidity from the indoor air and purifies it through reverse osmosis for reuse. LED growing lights produce very little heat and only red and blue spectrum light which is required for plant growth. The computerized “brain” monitors and directs watering, temperature and nutrients, and even notifies Tamara via her phone or desktop of anything out of the ordinary.
Approximately 4,000 plants are grown on 256 vertical towers. From seed to sale takes eight to 11 weeks, with yields of 120 to 125 pounds of greens per week. The resulting product is garden-fresh, clean, crisp and flavourful beyond compare.
Having lived in a northern community, Tamara was inspired by the challenge of accessing fresh greens when climate or space are restrictive. Unhampered by climate or space, the LGM can bring fresh food to communities where the growing season is short or to urban areas where space is limited.
With winter upon us, there is no better time to pick up your weekly greens at the farm on West Saanich Road.
Not far up the road, Garden City Tree and Landscaping Ltd. has recently relocated to its new home in the Interurban area. The five-acre site is a beehive of activity and what could be described as organized chaos to the untrained eye.
The company’s co-owner, Colin Eaton, ventured into landscaping 16 years ago after leaving a desk job behind. He began with one lawn mower and the desire to make a healthy life change. Four years ago, he partnered with Chris Stansfield and the company has grown steadily ever since. But it is the new site that has enabled the partners to fully realize the expansion of their no-waste, green business practices and ensure Garden City remains competitive.
In the past, Garden City spent time, money and resources picking up supplies at the start of the day and disposing of waste collected at day’s end. The new location allows organic green waste to be brought to the yard where it is repurposed through advanced screening technology. Rock, gravel, sand and other materials are stockpiled and then sorted into various sizes for reuse in landscape projects. Likewise, yard and garden waste is mulched and processed into nutrient-rich soil for use in flowerbeds and gardens. This process allows the company to create and control what goes into their finished product while reducing or eliminating any waste going into the landfill. In addition, the company’s state-of-the-art software system tracks and monitors consumables and products while allowing employees to report back in real time on handheld devices.
The positive environmental impact is also measured in savings of time and travel as Garden City is now self contained and sustainable. Eaton estimates employees have reduced daily travel time by 1.5 hours. These savings translate into growth for Garden City, which currently employs 20 people year round, and a reduction in the company’s carbon footprint.
Rounding off our trio is Sidney-based Empire Hydrogen that recently celebrated the opening of a new production line for their patented “Empire Fuel Enhancement System.”
Sven Tjelta, CEO and Chairman, was inspired to develop the fuel enhancement system in response to the oil and gas crisis of 2008, when he considered the impact on the trucking industry where up to 50% of costs are fuel and maintenance related. He started Empire Hydrogen in 2009 and after six years of research and development, the system is ready for
the road.
The self-contained unit requires no modifications to any gas or diesel internal combustion engine and can be fully installed for $7,000 to $10,000. In many cases, the resulting savings see the unit paying for itself within the first year. It works by injecting a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen into the engine’s air intake, causing fuel to burn cleaner and more completely. The benefits are threefold: lower fuel costs of approximately 20%; improved combustion efficiency meaning more power and less wear on the engine; and reduction of carbon emissions which is better for the environment when you consider that everything we purchase is, at some point, transported by truck.
Empire currently has 50 units in circulation and the new production line is already sold out. Fully operational, it could produce 500 units at a time and create an additional 10 to 15 jobs. Their present focus is on transport truck, marine industries and stationary generators while working to secure seed capital for further expansion.
The future for Empire Hydrogen is promising, as they embark on testing the system on a 737 Jet and locomotive engine through the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). As well, the company’s recent expansion of an office in Norway in February of 2015 has garnered global interest from Australia and New Zealand.
Innovation in business practice, thinking and technology are leading to many interesting developments within the economy of the Saanich Peninsula; kudos to those who have seen the opportunity and are not afraid to take it!
Bright Greens Canada: www.brightgreens.ca.
Garden City Tree and Landscaping: www.victoriagardencity.ca.
Empire Hydrogen: www.empire-hydrogen.com.
Photos by www.nuttycake.com.
