JACKSON, Wyo., May 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The winners of Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring brave new designs for cities and buildings, clean technology, innovative corporate initiatives, and other creative works that are supporting the growth of positive social innovation, tackling social inequality, climate change, and public health crises.
Vertical Harvest - architects and operators of the first vertical hydroponic greenhouse in North America - received four Honorable Mention awards for Best World Changing Idea North America, Corporate Social Responsibility, General Excellence, and Social Justice.
On newsstands May 10, the 6th annual awards in Fast Company's Summer 2022 issue honor those that are pursuing innovation for the good of society and the planet.
Nona Yehia, CEO of Vertical Harvest, said, "We are incredibly proud to be recognized by Fast Company for the second year in a row, this time for our Grow Well Ecosystem which is focused on our unique approach to customized employment for people with disabilities and how we activate the community to support more economic inclusion." Yehia continued, "At Vertical Harvest in 2022, we begin to scale nationally, both with Farms and our community-centered Grow Well approach. We are out to prove that you can build a purpose-built brand where the social and community impact is integral to the business model, and we appreciate having an esteemed media brand like Fast Company recognize what we're doing as a model for positive change across cities and lives."
Vertical farming is the fastest growing industry in agriculture, presenting an opportunity to grow large quantities of affordable, nutritious food on small, urban footprints. Vertical Harvest Farms is leading with the operational knowledge developed in their flagship farm in Jackson Hole, WY, to be a successful model for uplifting local economies by providing fresh, nutritious produce to schools, hospitals, restaurants, and consumers, and embodies a commitment to civic participation, health and the environment. Vertical Harvest has a plan to expand to new cities throughout the U.S., pairing the innovative growing technologies of vertical farming with jobs for underemployed populations and co-locating the new farms with affordable housing as a blueprint for a national model of change.
"We are consistently inspired by the novelty and creativity that people are applying to solve some of our society's most pressing problems, from shelter to the climate crisis. Fast Company relishes its role in amplifying important, innovative work to address big challenges," says David Lidsky, interim editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "Our journalists have identified some of the most ingenious initiatives to launch since the start of 2021, which we hope will both have a meaningful impact and lead others to join in being part of the solution."
For more information please follow @verticalharvestfarms on Instagram, Facebook, and visit www.verticalharvestfarms.com.
About Vertical Harvest
Vertical Harvest is a hydroponic, vertical farming company dedicated to sustainable farms, food and futures. In addition to our passion for local, healthy food grown sustainably, Vertical Harvest also operates on an inclusive employment model. Our farms are designed for accessibility and staffed via hiring practices developed for people with disabilities, and our mission is to energize local food economies by using food as a medium for meaningful change. As we bring food production back to the city, we are partnering with civic leaders and local developers to co-locate our farms with affordable housing, bolster local green energy efforts, keep dollars in-community longer and reestablish people's connection to their farmers and the fresh, flavorful, food we grow.
About the World Changing Ideas Awards
World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company's major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
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