Rene Michalak is one step closer to turning his garage into a food-growing and renewable energy-generating hub.
Michalak turned to crowdfunding to raise $15,000 for the creation of a professional business plan and engineering drawings for his Micro-Energy Generating Garage Assembly (MEGGA-watt) project. Known more simply as a Food Garage, the project is to feature an environment where fish are raised, microgreens and wheat grass are grown, and more energy is generated than used.
Thanks to a late flood of contributions, the online campaign reached its goal on the last day of the 50-day fundraising window. If the goal had not been reached, all donors would have had their contributions refunded.
Overall, 58 contributors from around the world raised $15,023 for the initiative. It was the largest number of contributors any campaign on the permaculture-specific platform www.wethetrees.com had brought in.
“There is a community out there for this, there is support out there for it, but it’s just getting connected to those people and those communities,” said Michalak.
Concept drawings for the project are up on the www.foodgarage.ca website. They show aquaponic and aeroponic systems to support indoor food growth, solar panels, and a geodesic dome greenhouse complete with a wood-fired hot tub next door.
Michalak said the drawings and the business plan soon to be drafted will be freely accessible through open sourcing on the Food Garage website. Once plans are finalized, he will be searching for private investment to enable the putting together of the operation, with a goal to have the project fully built by winter.
He said he envisions utilizing an “old-style community barn raising-type approach” with volunteers once construction is ready to get underway at his family’s former Oxford Street home.
To learn more about the project, visit www.foodgarage.ca.
mfish@www.reddeeradvocate.com