Erica Loloff

Schools in Trinidad, Colorado, will be able to learn and grow within the next year thanks to a donation of 264 hydroponic vertical grow towers from local businesswoman Erica Loloff.

The early March donation was worth roughly $50,000.

“It feels great,” Loloff said. “I was ready to do something positive with them [the grow towers] and hopefully this will set them [the students] on a career path.”

She donated another 21 towers to Northwest College.

Loloff originally purchased the grow towers after finding a YouTube video by a Montana resident detailing how to assemble and use hydroponic grow towers. Hydroponics is the process of growing crops with nutrients and water rather than soil. The practice uses less space and water than traditional agricultural methods and no soil; it can often produce higher rates of growth and higher yields as well, according to an article by the University of Minnesota Extension. 

Loloff began researching the specific towers she saw in the video and learned they were I-Stack Towers made by Thai Advanced Agrotech. Naturally, Loloff wanted to see what she might be investing in, so she traveled to the northern and southern regions of Thailand to see the towers function. After witnessing fields of I-Stacks in action, she purchased nearly 300 towers that had to be shipped from Thailand to Los Angeles and finally to Denver.  Loloff originally purchased the towers with the plan of starting a hydroponic farm, which later fell through.

But eventually, through the Generations Schools Network, Loloff heard about a school district in Trinidad, Colorado, where students have difficulty gaining access to fresh food. Loloff’s sister, Wendy Cooper, has been CEO of Generations School Network for 12 years, leading the education nonprofit.

“We come alongside schools and districts,” Cooper explained. “Largely we serve underserved areas rural or urban and help them [the students] prepare for a college career.”

Cooper knew that Zeb Williamson, a science teacher in Trinidad, could use the grow towers for his classes. According to Cooper, the new greenspace will teach the students about horticulture and provide job training. 

“I think a donation of this scale can really change the trajectory not only of a student’s life but a district’s, and the level of education they are able to offer,” Cooper said. 

Currently the grow towers are still being assembled but Cooper hopes that the project will be running district-wide within the next year.

“I just hope it’s something prolific for the schools that will be used for years to come,” Loloff said.