Construction is now complete on our first community Grow Dome, part of the 'Grow Dome Project,' one of our most promising social enterprise partnerships.
The project aims to rejuvenate unused or underutilised spaces by transforming them into valuable community assets. Every Grow Dome harnesses the potential to create employment and training opportunities whilst providing an inviting environment for people of all ages to acquire new skills and engage with their local community.
Through the Compass Foundation, Compass Ireland has contributed an initial €30,000 to kickstart the project in Fettercairn and has committed to purchasing 100% of the fresh produce to help sustain essential employment opportunities.
In addition, every Friday evening, surplus food is delivered from our Copper Pan Kitchen to residents, offering extra support to those in need.
How Do Grow Domes Work?
Grow Domes utilise harvested rainwater and an off-grid hydroponic technique to produce up to 60 kg of microgreens every 10 days. Microgreens are essentially baby vegetables grown between 1 and 3 inches tall. They are classed as a superfood with intense aromatic flavours and concentrated nutritional content.
Despite their diminutive stature, microgreens are packed with nutrients far exceeding those found in standard vegetables.
Fun Fact: A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that red cabbage microgreens contain over 40 times more vitamin E than mature red cabbage and broccoli microgreens were found to have ten times as many antioxidant compounds as mature broccoli!
A single dome can create and sustain up to two full-time jobs and host various training opportunities and workshops for community workplace initiatives, benefiting organisations such as Tús and Bridge throughout the year.
The team can now progress to planting the first crop of micro herbs, which will eventually find their way into units based within the Greater Dublin area!
We will keep you updated on the progress and look forward to introducing you to the local residents involved in this transformative venture.
