We’re wearing out the planet as well as our water, energy and transit systems, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Dec. 3 report, “Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century.” The solutions NASEM suggests could not only save Earth and its denizens, but also boost the construction industry—with opportunities to transform aging infrastructure, erect energy efficient or healthy buildings, and build indoor farms.
Vertical farms can produce food with recycled water and nutrients, the report said. “Because such farms do not require agricultural land, they can be located close to urban centers,” it said. And that could spark further revitalization.