Las Vegas 30 Storey Garden

Las Vegas, the city known for gambling, drinking, lights and wild times will be turning over a new leaf, a green one at that.

The $200 million project, expected to open in 2010, will the the first vertical farm in the world, and without a doubt, the tallest. The developers hope it will not only serve as another tourist attraction, but that it will grow enough crops to feed 72,000 people for a year. It will grow around 100 different kinds of crops including fruits and vegetables, with ideal growing conditions created in individual tower sectors.

“The World currently uses about 80% of the available farm land and 60% of the earth’s population lives near or in an urban environment so the logical choice for farming is to go up for land where the environment can be controlled and where distribution is local,” NextEnergy News explained.

“Las Vegas is seen as the perfect location for this project by Nevada State officials who would like to demonstrate their sustainability and environmental awareness instead of projecting an image of waste and excess.”

$200 million may sound like a lot, but the builders anticipate it will bring in just as much cash as a new casino at a projected annual revenue of $40 million and only $6 million in operating expenses.