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Inside the zero-waste home of the future
Updated
3:46 AM EDT, Tue October 26, 2021
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Welcome to the Greenhouse, a small oasis in the center of Melbourne's bustling Federation Square. The structure is built solely from organic materials and has a soil roof, making it ripe for food production.
Dean Bradley Photography
It's the brainchild of zero waste advocate Joost Bakker. Run on renewable energy, the three-story building is the realization of a complete waste-free, closed-loop system.
Dean Bradley Photography
There are beehives on the roof terrace and a vegetable garden that's filled with more than 200 species of plants. It also has its own aquaponics system, a biodigester that converts waste to power and a living wall of mushrooms that is sustained by hot steam from the shower.
Dean Bradley Photography
The Greenhouse has also been a home to two full-time residents, Jo Barrett and Matt Stone, who were chefs at the small in-house restaurant, which featured a multi-course menu using only what's grown on site.
Dean Bradley Photography
The restaurant has now closed to make way for public tours, but on Fridays guests will be invited to cook from the house.
Dean Bradley Photography
Honeybees buzz around the site, pollinating plants and making sought-after honey -- a key ingredient for the signature vegan crème caramel, which also uses homegrown tiger nuts as a dairy alternative.
Dean Bradley Photography
No animals are raised for eating other than freshwater trout, mussels, crustaceans and crickets. There are also two chickens that are used for their eggs.
Dean Bradley Photography
The Greenhouse has a permit to stay in Melbourne's Federation Square until the end of April 2022, at which point the whole house will be dismantled and relocated outside of the city, to become a home for Bakker's mother.