Pend Oreille Innovation Center

Pend Oreille Innovation Center (POIC), nurtured by International Nutritional Sustainability Partners (INSP), facilitates resources to help build community resiliency and address the area’s economic sustainability and growth. This Datacenter Greenhouse is the first foray into industrial symbiosis by repurposing power usage of a private industry partner in a food desert. Bringing together accredited academic programs alongside state-level departments, private businesses, a nationwide microcredentialing platform, and amazing volunteers, the Datacenter Greenhouse embodies the principle of ‘pay once, use it twice.’ With the additional focus on spawning/promoting local businesses through the project, we will have a triple impact on food production, education, and the economy. Ultimately, this model will be replicable in any struggling community.