Places near me Random place
All the United States Illinois Chicago The Plant
Gastro Obscura

The Plant

Former meatpacking facility turned vertical farm and sustainable business complex.

Chicago, Illinois

Added By
Leslie McIntyre
Artist's rendering of The Plant   The Plant
Hydroponic crops grown by Greens and Gills, a tenant at The Plant   Greens and Gills
The Plant's outdoor farm takes shape in the facility's parking lot   The Plant
The Plant: A Sustainable Business Model   The Plant
Tilapia are the fish of choice in The Plant's aquapontic farms   The Plant
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In Chicago, a former meatpacking plant is going green. The emerging business complex, known simply as The Plant, hopes to set a remarkable example for sustainable food production and business practices.

The  93,500 square foot building is home to a variety of sustainable food businesses, including a brewery, bakery, kombucha brewery, a cheese distributor, and a coffee roaster, among others. Waste from one business often provides fuel for another; for instance, the CO2 emissions from the brewery are harnessed to feed the plants in the aquaponic farms. 

The Plant is a sustainable, self-sufficient business complex that promotes economic growth in the surrounding Back of the Yards neighborhood and serves as a model for green technologies. Tours of the complex are offered Saturdays at 2 p.m. or by appointment.

Related Tags

Shops Horticulture Farms Food Plants

Community Contributors

Added By

Leslie McIntyre

Published

May 19, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chicago

Chicago

Illinois

Places 155
Stories 54

Related Stories and Lists

Related Places

  • The view when you dine within the greenhouse.

    Reykholt, Iceland

    Friðheimar

    Inside this Icelandic greenhouse, geothermal energy keeps tomatoes warm and growing.

  • The Science Barge docks in Manhattan

    Yonkers, New York

    The Science Barge

    Self-sufficient greenhouse floating on the Hudson River.

  • Various plants grow within the underwater farm.

    Noli, Italy

    Nemo's Garden

    The world's first underwater farm is home to more than 700 plants.

  • The forced rhubarb grows in complete darkness, aside from the occasional glow of a candle.

    Rothwell, England

    Rhubarb Triangle

    A stretch of land where the sour-sweet vegetable is cloaked in darkness and grows so fast you can hear it crack, squeak, and pop.

  • New tea plants in the greenhouse.

    Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina

    Charleston Tea Garden

    The only working large-scale tea plantation in the United States.

  • Casa Popeno's main garden

    Antigua, Guatemala

    Casa Popenoe

    This restored colonial house was once home to the botanist responsible for bringing avocados to the U.S.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

See Fewer Ads

Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads

Become a Member