Vashon-Maury Food Bank Over-choyed! 🥬🥬🥬🥬

Vashon Bioenergy Farm (VBF) has kicked off 2022 with an exciting update to our continued journey with the island community! After another successful harvest of bok choy from our rooftop greenhouse, we are excited to welcome the spring equinox and longer days in the upcoming growing season. In accordance with our mission towards #zeroemissions #zerowaste and #zerohunger, this harvest was donated to Vashon-Maury Community Food Bank and was produced in our community scale system that takes local food processing waste and turns it into both ProBiotic Food (PBF) for soil & plants and Organic Renewable Natural Gas (ORNG) for vehicles. That’s not news though, because we have been doing this for years! 

The real news is that we have launched a new program to reach more of our local agricultural sector in order to help them support a healthier Vashon community. Our new subscription campaign for our liquid PBF from VBF is geared towards making product procurement and use as easy as possible while simultaneously:

1. boosting crop yield,
2. driving down emissions, and
3. forming a resilient AND carbon-negative circular Vashon.

Our PBF helps plants organically resist disease and pests when it’s applied at its recommended 4:1 water to PBF ratio. Additionally, PBF is registered with WSDA and is approved for use by certified organic agriculture growers. Super cool, right?!

Picking up where the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model leaves off, Community Supported Biocycling (CSB) closes the loop with a relationship of mutual support and commitment to sustainability between Vashon Bioenergy Farm, local food banks and subscribers. For over 25 years, the CSA model has become a great way for folks to buy local, seasonal food directly from farmers. Similarly, VBF is offering CSB subscriptions of farm-food starting with island growers. With the CSB service model, subscribers select their plan and receive their share of island-made, WSDA registered and approved liquid PBF. Tanks and refills are brought to subscribers by Paco and his carbon-negative truck fueled by island organics!

Plus, by "biocycling" organics, users can store carbon in soils and plants in a way that reduces emissions by approximately 21lbs CO2e per gallon of liquid PBF used. Neat, huh?

At the end of the day, the program is really simple, as it should be! With community support, our team can continue to feed farms and food banks. We listen to farmers’ individual needs and find the plan that works for them. After that, they can focus on supporting the Vashon community while we support them. Mutual support - what a concept, right?

Below is a quote from Duncan at the food bank and here are some pictures from yesterday’s great harvest!

“The bok choy is gorgeous! Thanks very much - our recipients will be overjoyed!  (Over-choyed?)"

-Duncan Goulding, Operations Manager at Vashon Food Bank