Photo courtesy of the University of Evansville
The University of Evansville in Indiana is launching We Grow Aces!, a new initiative that brings together education, sustainability, and community engagement to provide access to extraordinary experiential learning, while addressing food insecurity and workforce development.
The program, funded through the Eli Lilly Endowment's Indiana Youth Programs on Campus grant, will make possible the purchase of a Pure Produce Container, a vertical garden system jointly developed by anu and eko Solutions, housed in an up-cycled shipping container capable of producing 3,920 plants per 40-day cycle, or several tons of vegetables annually.
UE will then provide accompanying programming that will equip students — from middle school through college — with practical skills in nutrition, agriculture and sustainability. By working alongside local schools, community organizations and industry leaders, We Grow Aces! will prepare students for future careers while helping to meet critical needs in the region.
Through this initiative, students will engage in hands-on learning opportunities that introduce them to advanced agricultural practices, including vertical farming with Rotary Aeroponics, significantly boosting yields while minimizing power consumption. Through UE's award-winning ChangeLab program, it will also connect these resources to the Evansville Promise Neighborhood, including EPN partners Glenwood Leadership Academy and Urban Seeds, allowing expanded access to healthy food and education.
"This initiative is about more than just growing food — it's about growing opportunities," said Scott Massey, co-founder and CEO of anu. "Introducing innovative agricultural solutions provides students with the tools and knowledge they need to drive meaningful change in their communities embracing food as medicine — critically needed as diet-related disease is our nation's greatest threat."
Pure Produce Container Farms are the result of a strategic partnership between eko Solutions and anu, combining innovative indoor agriculture technology with sustainable, up-cycled infrastructure. Together, they've created a commercial-scale farming solution that uses the anu advanced rotary aeroponics technology housed within eko Solutions' 20-foot, customized, up-cycled shipping containers.
This collaboration leverages eko Solutions' expertise in manufacturing and construction, along with the leadership of anu in plant science and controlled environment agriculture. The result is a zero-waste, year-round farming solution that delivers fresh produce while overcoming the challenges of traditional agriculture.
The We Grow Aces! initiative originated in the voices and vision of Hoosier students in UE's ChangeLab and Springboard programs. One student is UE student Neva Verbik, a biology major from Avon, Indiana, who brought this idea to campus through her High School Changemaker Challenge idea. After enrolling at UE, she's worked on it for multiple semesters in her Transformative Action ChangeLab, partnering with Massey to develop an innovative pivot to her original rooftop garden idea.
As We Grow Aces! takes shape, the university is seeking input and collaboration from faculty, staff and community members who want to contribute to its success. Those interested in getting involved can contact DivisionTalentCommunity@evansville.edu to learn more about mentorship, partnership opportunities and other ways to support the initiative.
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