Clearing the slums

BBC recently reported that the Kenyan government is moving residents out of Kibera into local government housing. I remember seeing the buildings there in August (uninhabited), and asked a few people about why they were unused. Responses were centered around mistrust of the government and inequity in the moving process. The article is pretty helpful for understanding. Check it out!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8258417.stm

World Food Program's blog feature on VertiGrow: Part II

The second part to the World Food Program blog feature on VertiGrow has been published! Read about Ellie's experience in Kibera this past summer here:


Stay tuned for more updates from VertiGrow this semester as we dive into Phase II of product design and development.

~Tina

New editorial from NY Times on Vertical Farming

One of our advisers was kind enough to point out this editorial while we were on the plane home from France! It reinforces all the points we've been trying to emphasize with the project, but frames it in a more global perspective. Vertical farming is going to be an important technology for all of us, not just those living in slums or shanty towns. Check it out!

Click here to read the article.

1. First VertiGrow pilot group! You can see the first VertiGrow model on the left. It's changed a bit since then :)
2. Look at all that roof space!

Progress in Paris!

Ellie and I were at Le Laboratoire until after midnight last night and we got a lot done! We began to lay out our business plan and we got a substantial amount of work done on our first provisional patent for vertical gardening technology! In addition, we filed as an LLC which means that we'll be an official company very soon! We're incredibly excited about the progress that we're making.

Yesterday, Ellie and I were able to see on of Patrick Blanc's Vertical Gardens. It was really amazing and incredibly inspiring. Check out his work here: http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/

More updates later!

VertiGrow in Paris!

Ellie and I are currently in Paris with the Summer 2009 Idea Translation Lab workshop at Le Laboratoire (www.lelaboratoire.org). We just gave our presentation on VertiGrow to a group of fellow students, graphic designers, and product designers. This afternoon we're meeting with the graphic designers to to figure out our visual materials for the November 8th Idea Translation Lab launch at Harvard!

Also be sure to check out our new website: www.vertigrow.org !

The Evolution of VertiGrow

...a video montage to catch you up on our work this week!

~enjoy~