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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Crater Lake National Park fire grows to 120 acres; second fire spotted ... Medford Purple Parrot robber still at large ... Mother of alleged shooter says she lived in fear ... Crater Lake National Park fire grows to 120 acres; second fire spotted ... Medford Purple Parrot robber still at large ... Mother of alleged shooter says she lived in fear ... These Google Food employees are using high-tech, dirt-free shipping containers to grow organic herbs Comment By Julie Bort MailTribune.com By Julie Bort Posted Jul. 17, 2016 at 4:03 PM By Julie Bort Posted Jul. 17, 2016 at 4:03 PM » Social News Business Insider/Julie Bort Google's Mountain View Googleplex headquarters is famous for feeding its nearly 20,000 employees free breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Feeding a small city of employees is a huge undertaking. There's an entire "Google Food" team that staffs more than 185 cafes globally and serves over 108,000 meals each day, with about 30 cafes at the Mountain View Googleplex headquarters alone. The idea is to nourish employees with food that energize them, not carby low-nutrition foods that bring on afternoon lethargy. And, because this is Google, the Food Team doesn't just buy and cook the food. They also run programs to grow food in sustainable, high-tech ways. Which means that Google has on its payroll all kinds of people involved with the cutting edge of organic gardening and food. One such program is called "Farm to Table." Google has a lot of gardens, but this program looks for ways to educate people about the food industry. One highlight of that program is a shipping container at the Googleplex called the Leafy Green Machine. Take a look: Meet Christa Essig, global program manager of Google's Farm to Table program (pictured right) and Ben Kutchur, a sustainable horticulture specialist at Google and organic gardener. Before Google, Essig worked at the CDD, crafted food policy for public health organizations, and has a background in nutrition. Kutcher was a student and organic gardener. Business Insider/Julie Bort Despite Essig's impressive credentials, it still took five interviews before she landed the job at Google. It's a big job. "The Farm to Table program at Google is about engaging Googlers and our partners about where food comes from, how it's grown and why that matters," she says. The goal is to have people learn about "growing food, or technology and food, or innovations in food." They are standing in front of one of those technologies, the "Leafy Green Machine," a hydroponic garden in a shipping container made by Freight Farms. Business Insider/Julie Bort Freight Farms is based in Boston. The idea for food education and technology programs at Google came from several people.�Michiel Bakker, who heads the Global Food team, was one of them. He came to Google in 2012 from the hospitality industry. Google Google's executive chef Scott Giambastiani was also responsible for the idea... YouTube/Google Green ...along with executive chef and operations program manager Quentin Topping, who is also known for supporting local, highly sustainable seafood practices and an annual seafood fair at Google. YouTube/Google Green The Leafy Green Machine is quietly parked behind this sand volleyball pit at the Googleplex. There are lots of organic gardens at the Googleplex, but this demonstrates an organic garden that can be placed in a city, in cold climates, or even in places where the soil has been contaminated, Ben Kutchur says. Business Insider/Julie Bort The Leafy Green Machine uses a refurbished refrigerated shipping container and pink LED lights to grow food. Business Insider/Julie Bort The plants grow sideways. Business Insider/Julie Bort The plants are stacked in rows of vertical hydroponic shelves, meaning they grow without soil. The water is piped in above them. To access the plants, the shelves are removable. In this way, one shipping container can grow hundreds of plants, as Kutchur, demonstrates. Business Insider/Julie Bort Google uses the Leafy Green Machine to grow herbs like sage, thyme, and many varieties of basil. It takes about 3 weeks to go from seed to harvest. One shipping container provides enough herbs to supply the Googleplex for a week's worth of meals. Business Insider/Julie Bort In addition to programs that show Googlers how food is grown, employees can also take free cooking classes. This classroom is located at the back of one of Google's cafes. Business Insider/Julie Bort Cooking classes are one of the most popular perks among employees, Google tells us. The class the day we visited was full. Business Insider/Julie Bort If you don't want to cook your own lunch in a class, the free food menu is very appealing. There's always chicken, fish, beef, and vegetarian options. There's almost always some Asian-inspired entrees and salads as well. Two lunch options on this day are grilled flank steak salad with jalape�o ranch dressing, and blueberry, mint and almond salad. Business Insider/Julie Bort We ordered the grilled chicken and salsa salad and the blueberry, mint and almond salad. They were so yummy we ate most of our lunch before remembering to take the picture. Business Insider/Julie Bort See Also: A Google ad about a couple's fictional breakup was so convincing the company had to make an auto-reply to assure people she gave him another shot These are the 5 coolest workout gadgets on the market Google hid an Easter Egg in plain sight By Julie Bort MailTribune.com By Julie Bort Posted Jul. 17, 2016 at 4:03 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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