![]() These and other measures resulted in a 2013 Green Business of the Year Award from Newton Needham Chamber of Commerce.įor its next-step commitment to the GO GREEN Needham campaign, Volante Farms will take measures to further improve its recycling operation. Food that is not edible is composted on-site or picked up by Save That Stuff, a Boston-based waste resource management company. The farm also donates to the Needham Community Council and the Brookline Food Co-op. The food rescue group Lovin’ Spoonfuls picks up donations three times a week. (Look carefully the next time you’re there and see the housing for the insulating curtains that are pulled down over the freezers and coolers at night.)Īddressing food waste and getting edible food to those in need are high priorities. The new farmstand building features a new boiler, motion detector lights, and energy efficient coolers and condensers. An energy-efficient boiler, radiant heating in the concrete floor, and energy curtains on the roof bring additional cost and energy savings. In addition to the rainwater collection system, the greenhouse is designed to conserve water and save money by using a special “flood bench” watering method in two of the bays of plants. As always, we began the process by finding out what sustainable practices their operation has already adopted. Volante Farms is among the first Needham businesses to participate in GO GREEN Needham, a program to encourage local businesses and organizations to take next steps towards sustainability. A mere one inch of rain can fill the tank, providing a week’s worth of water needed for the greenhouse and nursery plants. Their state-of-the-art greenhouse has a rainwater collection system on the roof that redirects rain to a 10,000-gallon collection tank behind the building. The summer rains that refresh our gardens and lawns do double duty at Volante Farms. Volante Farms is well known for its nursery plants, local produce and grocery items, deli lunches, and impressive array of fresh apples in the fall, but - as they say on TV - “Wait, there’s more.”
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