While visiting EPCOT today, we decided to ride the Living with the Land attraction in The Land Pavilion. Living with the Land is a slow-moving boat ride that is broken into two parts. In the first part of the ride, guests are shown various “living systems”, or environments and the unique opportunities and challenges each environment presents.

In the second half of the ride, guests are taken through a “living laboratory” where solutions are tested to meet the growing need for food production. The living laboratory greenhouses are a collaboration between EPCOT and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to explore “innovative projects”.

Toward the end of the ride is a greenhouse where guests can learn about “the future of agriculture”. This last room presents a vertical growing system that attempts to “use a fraction of the space required by traditional growing methods” while also saving water and increasing production.

One relatively new addition to the final greenhouse space is the ZipGarden hydroponics system from ZipGrow. The $1,400 ZipGarden is a complete and compact hydroponic system that aims to reduce the time and distance between leafy greens found on your plate and the garden they are grown in. ZipGrow says that the ZipGarden measures 26.5″ (W) x 18″(L) x 73″ (H), and that the ZipGarden can harvest the equivalent of a 10×10 foot garden in the convenience of your home, year-round, using much less water, with an electrical consumption equal to less than two 60 watt light bulbs.

Here’s a look at the ZipGarden in the Living with the Land attraction at EPCOT, followed by a video from ZipGrow explaining the product.

With no signage, it’s not likely that Disney has entered into a partnership with ZipGrow. Instead, they could simply be testing the system alongside some of their more industrial solutions to see how it fares. Disney World has not made any announcements in relation to the product.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!