Box Truck Converted into MOBILE GREENHOUSE

Justin Cutter got into farming because it tasted so much better. “Like, the carrots that we get at the grocery store are basically just kind of orange liquidy things with no flavor, but a carrot pulled out of the ground is bursting with flavor.” He asked the question whether that was the case with all produce, and in the time he’s spent farming, he’s found that the answer to this question is a resounding ‘yes!’.

He ended up diving head first into sustainable agriculture and became super passionate about it. He started travelling around the United States teaching about it to at risk youth across the country. While he loved his job, he wanted a way to not only be a positive example, but also provide a tangible experience for the kids that he was teaching.

A friend of his ended up buying an old potato chip delivery truck which she ended up converting into a mobile art gallery. It was only meant to be a temporary project, which eventually ended leaving the truck parked and unused. Seeing all the windows that had been installed in the box of the truck, Justin saw that there could be potential in using the space as a mobile greenhouse. From there, Compass Green was born.

In 2011, they started a Kickstarter campaign which was able to raise $27,000. This allowed them to purchase the rig off his friend and finish the transformation into what it is today. After a month of hard work, it was finally ready to hit the road.

The truck, which has since been named ‘Angie,’ is a GM CW 4500 Box Truck with an Isuzu Engine that Justin has converted to run off waste vegetable oil. According to Justin, basically any Diesel engine that was made before 2006 can be run of vegetable oil. The trick is making sure it’s thoroughly filtered. Justin has several in line filters in his setup that remove particulate in the oil before going through the engine, making the process as simple as hooking up a hose at any willing restaurant.

It’s also super important to make sure that the oil is the right temperature. Since vegetable oil has a different consistency than diesel when cold, it can wreak havoc on engines if run through while cold, that is why it’s absolutely crucial that the engine is started on diesel for the first portion of driving before switching over to the vegetable oil for the bulk of the drive, and eventually switched back to diesel before arriving at the destination. This ensures that the pesky vegetable oil isn’t in any engine components when it cools. To achieve this, Justin’s rig has a hose of coolant running from his radiator to the holding tank for the oil, which uses the engine’s waste heat to warm it up to the right temperature, as well as a valve to switch between fuels while driving.

The type of sustainable agriculture that Justin teaches is called Biointensive Sustainable Agriculture. “You aren't planting in rows because rows waste space. They're not natural. If it was the best way to grow you'd see forests just have naturally evolved into rows. Instead you want plants to reach out and touch each other and create a microclimate and canopy protecting the soil.”

For watering, Justin is implementing the use of clay vessels called Ollas which originated in mexico. Since they are porous, Justin is able to fill them with water and let them slowly disperse water to the surrounding plants which naturally wrap it. These roots end up sucking out the moisture through the clay walls at their required rate, eliminating the concern of overwatering some plants while underwatering others. This allows them to water themselves for between four to eleven days.

These practices, along with planting complementary plants in close proximity, demonstrate a fantastic example of ways we could better utilize our resources in a way that’s great for the planet. “I really want to make use of every bit of growing space that I have available because I want to get the most food sustainably as possible out of my garden because every bit of food that I get out of here is some food that I don't need to buy.”

“One step that I would recommend to people that they could make today is to talk to friends and look up where their local farmers market is and then go there to get some of their food.” There are already a bunch of local farmers that are doing their best to provide produce in a sustainable manner. While it might cost more than buying all your groceries at a bigger store, the actual produce will not only be that much more flavorful, but by buying local, you are voting with your dollar to make the planet a better place. 

Justin also recommends finding one herb or plant that you eat and try growing it at home. “There's something special about growing food because you're having this communion with the earth. The plant is absorbing nutrients from the soil. That plant is turning the Sun into energy that you can then eat and get that energy in your body... when you do start doing it you start to realize the connection that you're having.”

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