A young entrepreneur, farmer, and environmental educator, Adam Schwartz came to Yestermorrow seeking hands-on learning in design/build with a strong focus on sustainability. Interested in working at the intersections of ecological design, green building, and sustainable agriculture, Adam chose Yestermorrow’s Certificate in Sustainable Building & Design as the path to pursue his vision for contributing to the growing vibrant food economy.

As farm manager at ECO City Farms, a 1.5 acre educational urban farm in the Capital Beltway in Maryland, Adam put a sea shipping container to new use by designing and building the FoodShed, an on-farm commercial kitchen for value-added production and a teaching kitchen for local food production.

The project demonstrates a low cost solution for urban farmers, enabling value-added and farm-to-school food entrepreneurial ventures for local urban and small farmers throughout the region. The licensed and certified kitchen, constructed of predominantly reused materials, features a solar hot water system and an integrated greywater filtration system. Funded by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Commission, the FoodShed’s open-source design can be shared with other small farmers.