Amazon Biosphere
Artist’s rendering of the biospheres under construction in Amazon’s new Seattle campus. Amazon has a separate greenhouse in Redmond where the UW will share space. (Amazon/NBBJ)

Amazon has made a habit out of letting outsiders leverage infrastructure originally built for its own use. After all, that’s the idea behind Amazon Web Services and the company’s online marketplace for third-party sellers. Now the company is extending the practice to its greenhouse, with a charitable twist.

Yes, Amazon has its own greenhouse. It’s a former Molbak’s Garden + Home facility in Redmond, Wash., where the company’s horticulturist, Ron Gagliardo, is preparing for the opening next year of the company’s biospheres, part of the new Amazon campus on the northern edge of downtown Seattle.

The Seattle Times reports this morning that Amazon is offering the University of Washington free use of a portion of the Redmond greenhouse for two years, to house a large part of the UW’s collection of rare plants. The existing greenhouse on the Seattle campus is going away as the university builds a new Life Sciences Building, which will include a new greenhouse.

Amazon says the donation of greenhouse space represents an in-kind contribution of more than $200,000.

It’s the latest example of Amazon’s new outreach in its hometown — a noticeable change from years past, when the company was often criticized for a lack of local philanthropy and involvement. The company recently donated to the Mary’s Place homeless nonprofit the use of a former motel on one of its future real estate development sites, which will serve as an emergency family shelter.

Meanwhile, construction is proceeding on the biodomes that will ultimately house Amazon’s own plant collection. Workers recently began installing the glass panels on the exterior of the giant structures.

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