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Mobile greenhouse travels the country teaching sustainability
Posted: 05.21.2012 at 1:28 PM
Kate Allt

Kate Allt is a news reporter with KTVO

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Compass Green's mobile greenhouse made a stop in Ottumwa.  / KTVO's Kate Allt
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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- A mobile greenhouse that has traveled across the country teaching students about sustainability made a stop in the Heartland Monday.

Students from Evans Middle School were able to see Compass Green's unique, fully-functional greenhouse on wheels. The greenhouse grows vegetables and grains and runs on waste vegetable oil.

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The truck stops at schools, camps and organizations around the United States to show that everyone and everywhere is capable of supporting sustainable agriculture.

"If we can do it in the back of a truck, you can pretty much do it anywhere,' said Justin Cutter, of Compass Green. "Not too many excuses and it can be really vibrant and delicious and actually just the simple act of growing more of your own diet yourself can have a huge effect on the environment at large."

Cutter said he is always surprised at the places and people they meet through the traveling greenhouse. Certain areas where you would expect people to be ignorant about sustainable living has surprising resources, like city rooftop gardens, and others that are known for green living have areas that need work.

"To be able to bring this project to them is really cool, so even in areas where there is a lot of awareness, we can still go and find the pockets that don't have access to that," he said.

As a whole, Cutter said Iowa has a great number of people who are aware of the benefits of sustainable agriculture. A Fairfield native and Maharishi graduate himself, he said most kids that come from farm families are knowledgeable on sustainability and are interested in the greenhouse.

For more information on Compass Green, visit their website.

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