DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Destiny, Fla., America’s first eco-sustainable city, has created Florida’s first sustainable energy farm.
Destiny’s Energy Farm will be a learning center where 21st century farming technologies and practices are showcased and designed to produce energy crops like sweet sorghum, algae, jatropha and other crops for alternative fuels.
All green
Destiny, a 41,300-acre, proposed self-contained green community, will be designed to ensure environmental, social and economic stability for its residents.
In the planning stages, Destiny is currently working with the state of Florida and Osceola County to secure entitlement.
However, while the city continues with this process, a small portion of the land is already home to a farm-to-fuel initiative called the Destiny Sustainable Energy Farm.
“Destiny’s Energy Farm will be a proving ground for technologies and practices of the future and is a testament to our commitment to create a truly eco-sustainable community in the state,” said Anthony V. Pugliese, III, Destiny founder.
“It’s just the beginning of building a city that operates with minimal impact on the environment and serves as a scientific hub where the latest green technology innovations will emerge.”
Working together
The Energy Farm is a result of a cooperative effort between several private/public individuals and companies.
Those groups include the University of Florida; GreenTechnologies, LLC; Everglades Farm Equipment; American Drilling Services, Inc.; Global Renewable Energy; Southern Farms; Energy Structures & Systems, Inc.; and Bio Greens Oil USA, LLC.
Destiny, a 41,300-acre, proposed self-contained green community, will be designed to ensure environmental, social and economic stability for residents.
Crops
Currently, 20 acres of sweet sorghum — a plant that requires less water and fertilizer and can thrive in less than ideal soil conditions — have been planted.
In addition, other experimental plots will be planted to test different varieties of the sweet sorghum, soil conditions and treatments for growth response patterns and yield of crops.
Samples are gathered and taken to the University of Florida to measure yield-per-acre and determine the potential ethanol production. These studies will determine the cost of producing fuel from these types of energy crops. The first harvest will come later this year.
Goal
The goal of the Destiny Sustainable Energy Farm is to research crop species to maximize alternative fuel production for the City of Destiny, as well as to explore new agricultural food production for the community.
Destiny is proposed to be home to businesses focused on developing clean technologies that will enable consumers worldwide the ability to live a truly sustainable lifestyle.
With involvement from a “Green Valley” of investors and visionaries, the city will create green-collar jobs, renewable energy sources and alternative fuels that drive economic development to support the city’s leading universities, hospitals, entertainment complexes and agricultural and aquaculture farms, among other businesses.
About the town
Destiny, America’s first eco-sustainable city, is the vision of Florida’s creative real estate developer, Anthony V. Pugliese, III.
He and his partner, Subway Restaurants’ Founder Fred DeLuca, purchased the Destiny property in 2005. They also own Green Sky Industries, one of the Northeast’s most successful vertical recycling operations headquartered in New Jersey.
At 41,300 acres, Destiny will be located in central Florida, just south of Disney World in Osceola County.
For more information, visit www.destinyflorida.com.
