Melon
A bespoke, hydroponic grow-kit generator, that promotes self-sufficiency in urban environments and small spaces.
Client:
Mayor of London Low Carbon Entrepreneur Prize 2016.
Brief:
Lower carbon emissions in London.
The Problem
London currently imports 80% of it’s fruit & veg from abroad, with the top 4 supermarkets accounting for 75% of sales. This process costs energy in transport, distribution, storage, processing and packaging.
Many Londoners claim, the reason they're unable to grow their own food from home, is due to a lack of space.
Solution
People enter the dimensions of their available space (any nook, cranny, window sill, wall, shelf .etc). Then Melon generates a bespoke, hydroponic farm - appropriate for one's space, which we 3D print using recycled, food-safe plastic.
Finally, the bespoke frame, water pump, coconut-core capsules for soil and an assortment of lettuce seeds to begin growing - is sent to the budding grower.
Platform
We saw that there was an absence of support for urban-farmers in the UK and felt Melon could help remedy this situation. Melon.london would host both a geo-mapped network of urban-farmers and grow-spaces, logging 'who's growing what and where' to encourage community trade and keep local economies strong, allowing growers to learn and progress to build baskets of various food within their communities.
Advertising
To hunt our audience, we went full-GUERRILLA. Broke some rules, hopped some fences dressed as ninjas, took some GoPro's and planted our 'seed' of an idea into various peoples' allotments.