JACKSON, Wyo. — Vertical Harvest co-founder, Nona Yehia, will be featured in CNN’s “Champions for Change,” (launched this week) as part of a special week-long event across CNN. The series culminates in a one-hour special hosted by John Berman and Alisyn Camerota on Saturday, September 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
The show will spotlight 10 transformative individuals—each with their own causes, obstacles, and triumphs—who share their first-person narratives.
Born from the creative minds of a group of women in Jackson Hole, Vertical Harvest became the first vertical greenhouse in the United States. In the last four years, the unique three-story garden attached to the exterior wall of the municipal parking garage has perfected the urban farm model, and will bring a second location onboard to Westbrook, Maine in 2021.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by a national network and in the company of such an inspiring group of individuals making a difference across the country. We’ve spent the last four years in Jackson Hole perfecting our business model of “growing well,” Yehia said. “Our mission at Vertical Harvest is to serve both our local culinary community and nourish our neighbors with quality, locally grown produce, and provide meaningful employment to an underserved population with disabilities. Starting in 2021, we’ll be bringing this model to other urban areas in hopes to continue making an impact in people’s lives across the U.S.”
Vertical farming is a growing industry that uses environmentally sound practices to produce nutrient-dense food grown locally year-round, and yields more crops per-square-foot than traditional farming.
Vertical Harvest pairs innovative growing technologies of vertical farming with jobs for the underemployed population in what has been proven in Jackson to be a successful model for uplifting local economies, providing fresh nutritious produce to schools, hospitals, restaurants, markets, and consumers, and embodies a commitment to civic participation, health, and the environment.
