PROPOSAL

There is no denying that our world is in need of accessible green technology. As a society, we have made huge improvements in creating more efficient forms of transportation, energy and sustainability. However, there is still room for improvement since urban areas are often short on land and other resources that allow people to consistently contribute to green ways of living. Water is a relatively inexpensive, renewable and easily accessible resource that could be used more efficiently to contribute to sustainable ways of living.  As it stands, the aquaculture industry emits a great amount of waste pollution.  “Discharges from aquaculture into the aquatic environment contain nutrients, various organic and inorganic compounds such as ammonium, phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon and organic matter” (Endut). Since this waste dissolves into organic matter, aquatic waste does not have to be a nuisance, but rather can be utilized to improve green technology.



Aquaponics - a hybrid of aquaculture and hydroponics - saves water, while essentially allowing its users to grow a garden above a self-cleaning fish tank.



Instead of leaving waste in the tank or releasing byproducts that end up polluting the aquatic environment, an aquaponic system utilizes fish waste by converting it into fertilizer for plants. The aquaponic system is gaining traction abroad as well as in some U.S. communities as a means of bridging the gap between industry-driven modes of sustainability and ordinary practices that allow individuals to be more resourceful. A quick Google search will even yield instructional results on how individuals can create their own personal aquaponic gardens. Additionally, however, aquaponic systems have great potential in the realm of larger-scale farming.The benefits of this system are already being realized abroad. In Japan, aquaponics is not only a widely-used method of farming, but is also a source of decoration that combines the calming nature of fish tanks with the beauty of freshly grown flowers. The aquaponics system largely owes its versatility to the customizable nature of its technology.



​At its core, aquaponics is a symbiotic means of sustainable agriculture.​
 

This means that the aquaponic system contains two functioning parts that help one another maintain some form of vegetation or aquatic animal environment.  The lower part of the system involves the aquatic environment inhabited by freshwater fish. The fish produce waste that consists of ammonia, nitrate and nitrite, which can pollute the fish’s living environment if left to accumulate in the water. In an aquaponics system, these organic products are pumped into the top layer of the system, where they become organic fertilizers for vegetation.

The “pumping” of waste occurs through a closed loop system that already exists in fish tank water filters. This pump pulls the dirty water up through a small, closed loop pipe which then brings it to the top layer of the system. At the top layer, the fish waste is filtered through plant roots, which act as a natural sifting mechanism and retain the waste as fertilizer. No soil or additional fertilizers are necessary in this system. Clean water is then pumped back down through the pipe loop to the fish in the lower level. Each time the fish produce any kind of waste, the cycle repeats. Since this process is entirely self-sustained, aquaponic systems eliminate the need for “inorganic fertilizers, herbicides, or other biocides” (Simeonidou).  Even more miraculously, the cycle minimizes the amount of upkeep that the owner of the aquaponic system performs to maintain a healthy environment for the fish. This involves running a power source in order to stabilize the water temperature and circulate the water. In addition, the water quality should be tested and replenished according to fish husbandry standards and practices (Purdue University). Ultimately, this relationship allows both the animals and the plants to work together in equilibrium, even if an external climate is not conducive to agriculture.



Traditionally, these types of systems were used and continue to be used in commercial agricultural practices that vary in size and content. More recently, however, the crowd funding of smaller versions of aquaponics systems through Kickstarter has made this technology more available for household use while still maintaining the same symbiotic system, albeit on a smaller scale. This means that rather than producing a mass amount of food that requires a large quantity of fish (and fish waste), household aquaponics could be an interesting way for individuals or families to grow herbs or other small vegetation. Currently, the biggest University-based Aquaponics project is one between Johns Hopkins University, the Cylburn Arboretum, and the Center for a Liveable Future in Baltimore, MD.  In an unused, renovated greenhouse at Cylburn, the collaboration furnished “two 150-square-foot hydroponic grow beds and four 210-gallon fish tanks.”  The fish are tilapia, and the vegetables being grown include “lettuce, kale, celery [and] basil” (The Examiner).



The biggest non-University Aquaponics project - and the world’s largest aquaponics system in general - is currently housed in the UAE. The country imports 85% of its produce, which is both an economic and environmental concern.  Therefore, in two, 4,000-square meter greenhouses in Abu Dhabi’s Baniyas Centre, 50,000 tilapia are swimming around in a large variety of different aquaponics set-ups.  The Centre will focus on growing lettuce initially, and will eventually incorporate tomato, okra, and cucumber (sources: The National and ZeitNews).

Those who work in the burgeoning aquaponics field have endeavored to introduce it to the wider public. In a 2011 TEDTalk in Warwick, Charlie Price from Aquaponics UK spoke about aquaponics' role in urban community-based food production. Aquaponics UK reaches out and helps urban communities build and sustain aquaponic systems. Each building that Aquaponics UK renovates into an aquaponics system varies according to the space and resources available. The Farm Shop that Aquaponics UK worked on in London includes propagation rooms to grow more plants, a chicken coop on the roof, or jars of ginger beer produced from bacteria. According to Price, an aquaponic system can grow between 30 and 50 kilos of vegetables for every kilo of fish in the system.



Additionally, he made suggestions for several alternative methods and add-ons that could potentially improve the efficiency of this technology. For example, Price explained the advantage of adding worms into the system. The worms can be used to produce compost, fertilizer, and they become a source of food for the fish. Another method to enhance the production value of the aquaponics system is adding other aquatic creatures like the Giant Freshwater Prawn. These prawns feed on the large amounts of algae growing on the tank, and clean the tank as they consume the algae. Organizations like Aquaponics UK seem to be striving to expand aquaponics technology's flexibility and adapt it to environments that are usually considered unhealthy for plant life (Charlie Price, “Aquaponics - Getting More Out of Less”).

The aquaponics system that was recently funded on Kickstarter can further illustrate how household aquaponics would contribute to individual families as well as communities. Additionally, any shortcomings of the system could be identified on a smaller scale before being improved upon for application to a larger context. As described by Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez, founders of the Back To The Roots organization which produces the Home Aquaponics Garden, widespread use of the home aquaponics system would create a business chain that gives back, rather than simply producing a random object. However, there is a lack of awareness for this system, which translates into a lack of household aquaponics production and a smaller demand.

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These issues of awareness and production make existing household aquaponics systems relatively expensive to create, as well as purchase. However, if aquaponic systems grow in popularity, people will be able to enjoy sustainable means of agriculture for both individual and large-scale farming use. These systems could also be applied to educational uses and simple entertainment, demonstrating how technology does not need to involve a hard drive to be innovative and useful.