• About
  • Mortgage Basics
  • $40K Challenge
  • Aunt Doris
  • Grandfather Says
  • Privacy
  • Archives

Len Penzo dot Com

The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people.

How Greenhouses Are Changing the Way We Eat

By Sabado Domingo

Whether you believe it is just due to natural cycles or not, the ever-changing climate will continue to transform our world. In some locations, crops may become harder to grow. The good news is, there are many people hedging their bets by turning to greenhouses and indoor gardening to grow food for the world to eat. In fact, we may need to change to a more vegetable-based diet in the near future.

Change is Coming

Some experts are recommending cultures with high meat consumption diets change over to something called a “flexitarian” diet composed of more organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, unsaturated fats, and meat, dairy, and sugar but in lower quantities. Many of the vegetable-based crops can be grown indoors or in greenhouses where the temperatures can be more easily controlled.

Not surprisingly, products such as cannabis can be grown indoors along with vegetables. The legalization of these crops is spreading and more people are able to get growing permits in more states. When an indoor growing environment is completed, a person can grow both cannabis products and vegetables and fruits for personal consumption or sale.

Why Vegetables and Fruits?

Why will people be growing and eating more fruits and vegetables? These edibles are easier to grow in greenhouses and indoor gardening set-ups than animals. Plants take up less space and don’t produce manure and urine to get rid of. Plants also have a shorter planting-to-harvest time than raising an animal like a cow or a pig. Plants cause less pollution and take up fewer resources to grow.

How Can The Switch From Outdoor Growing To Indoor Growing Happen?

But, how will crop growing and eating changes happen? This huge change must be subsidized by governments and financed by wealthy people who want to invest in the future of food production. The change is already beginning to happen. Universities are experimenting with greenhouse materials and with growing food indoors with hydroponics. Vegetables and fruits are being grown in abandoned warehouses and other buildings that would otherwise be abandoned.

There are already some ingenious indoor food production efforts in cities such as New York. Shipping containers are set up with climate control tech. This is now called urban farming. Many herbs that were shipped from overseas in the past are now grown in American cities in climate-controlled indoor environments. Though the costs are high right now, they will go down as the urban garden concept grows.

The start-up urban gardener must cover costs for lighting, ventilation, air conditioning, irrigation, and finally harvesting and transport to the retail outlet for consumers. Once there are more urban farms, vertical farming, and indoor gardening ventures succeeding, people will be able to purchase vegetables and fruits gown nearer to them and without the expenses or shipping from overseas. This type of gardening will take hold all over the world, making it possible for people to grow food in more places in spite of rising temperatures or lack of rain.

In addition to commercial indoor gardening ventures, homeowners and even renters can grow some of their own food in indoor garden projects. There could be more greens for healthy salads, lovely tomatoes, and additional vegetables and fruits that will be adapted for indoor growing. This could reduce food insecurity and improve the individual person’s diet in the future. Indoor herb gardens and small salad gardens are already becoming more common in American kitchens.

Photo Credit: A.S. Morton

July 14, 2020

Comments

  1. 1

    Kenny says

    The global warming narrative is a fraud!

  2. 2

    Karen E Kinnane says

    Global warming (not man made, natural global warming) has been a boon for us. With longer summer weather we had fresh tomatoes, lettuce and zucchinis into early October last year and when a killing frost was finally predicted the larger green tomatoes were picked, put on a pantry shelf and gradually ripened so we had home grown (pesticide free) tomatoes until early November. If this is global warming whatever the cause I’m all for it. Our heat bills were less because it wasn’t so cold so long, we had no snow to plow or shovel. Didn’t seem to be any down side to warmer weather in Northern NJ!

    • 3

      Len Penzo says

      ^^^ This. I’ve always wondered why people are worried about warming when it results in more arable land, not less, and extended growing seasons in colder areas of the world where farming is a challenge, if not downright impossible.

The Question of the Week:

Did you buy any fireworks to celebrate Independence Day this year?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Recent Posts

  • 11 Dollar Store Bargains You’d Be Crazy to Buy Anywhere Else
  • What to Look for When Purchasing a Medical Alert System
  • What Everyone Should Know Before Depositing Their Money In a Bank
  • Black Coffee: Born on the 4th of July
  • How To Start Investing In Cryptocurrencies
  • Grandfather Says: The Travails of Working with Stone
  • 5 Expert Tips for Saving Money with a Credit Card
  • How to Implement Strategic Planning Processes
  • Is It Better to Borrow From Your 401k or Take an Early Withdrawal?
  • When It Doesn’t Pay to Buy Big-Ticket Items on Sale

Disclaimer

This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and the content herein should not be mistaken for professional financial advice. In fact, making investment decisions based on information published here, or any other website for that matter, is more than unwise; it is folly. This website accepts advertising in the form of monetary and other compensation; as such, topics of discussion are occasionally influenced by these advertisers. Sometimes, an article may also include affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, this blog earns a commission if you click through and make a purchase (for example, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases). Remember, you and you alone are responsible for the decisions you make in life, so please contact an independent financial professional for advice regarding your unique personal situation.

Sign up for the weekly Len Penzo dot Com newsletter
Len Penzo dot Com Delivered Weekly
Join more than 40,000 readers and fans who enjoy personal finance and macroeconomics with an offbeat twist!
Invalid email address
Thanks for subscribing!

Popular Now:

  1. 1. The 6 Most Valuable Grocery Store Products
  2. 2. Series I Savings Bonds Are Now Paying 9.62%; Here Are Their Pros & Cons
  3. 3. 25 Examples of Shrinkflation That No Longer Fool Consumers
  4. 4. 7 Big Reasons Why a Roth IRA Isn’t the Best Way to Save for Retirement
  5. 5. 3 Ways That Great Sleep Helps You Get Richer
  6. 6. What’s the Fastest Way to Pay Down Your Mortgage Early?
  7. 7. How to Save Money on Dental Care So You Won’t Go Broke at the Dentist
  8. 8. Historical Gold & Silver Benchmarks for Wages and Commodity Prices
  9. 9. Tip Inflation: We’ve Got Nobody to Blame But Ourselves
  10. 10. 4 Good Reasons Why Some Quarters Are Painted Red

All-Time Most Popular:

  1. 1. 19 Things Your Suburban Millionaire Neighbor Won’t Tell You
  2. 2. Dear Friend: Here Are 41 Reasons Why I’m NOT Lending You the Money
  3. 3. Why Your Expensive Luxury Car Doesn’t Impress Smart People
  4. 4. If You Can’t Live on $40,000 Annually It’s Your Own Fault
  5. 5. 21 Reasons Why Corner Lots Are for Suckers
  6. 6. 4 Smart Reasons Why College Isn’t for Everyone
  7. 7. 18 Fast Facts About Social Security Numbers
  8. 8. My Ketchup Taste Test: Upset! Guess Which Brand Topped Heinz
  9. 9. Why I Prefer a Spreadsheet to Track Expenses and Manage My Finances
  10. 10. Here’s a Simple Trick for Getting Credit Card Interest Charges Waived

Copyright © 2022 Len Penzo dot Com · All Rights Reserved · Designed by Nuts and Bolts Media

© Len Penzo dot Com 2008–2022