What Makes an “Organic” Fish? What Makes an “Organic” Deer?

http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php?title=what_makes_an_organic_fish&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

Top Australian Aquaponics Mon to USA

Post : Murray Hallam to Teach Aquaponics in Colorado!
URL : http://aquaponicgardening.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/murray-hallam-to-teach-aquaponics-in-colorado/
Posted : July 5, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Author : slywoman
Tags : aquaponic, aquaponics, australia, australian, backyard
aquaponics, denver botanic gardens, murray hallam, video
Categories : Aquaponic Inspirations, The Aquaponic Life, The Aquaponic Source

I adore Murray Hallam. His charming demeanor on his videos reminds me
of my father with an Australian accent. I also greatly respect the
work he has done in home aquaponics in Australia. He is one of two
men who have largely been responsible for the boom in the market down
there. We tend to agree about just about everything when it

comes to media based aquaponic gardening. I recently told him that I
think our only point of departure is that I’m a very big fan of
expanded clay pebbles (Hydroton
(http://theaquaponicsource.com/proddetail.php?prod=CWHHF001)) as a
growing media because it is lightweight and is very easy on my hands.
Murray feels that those concerns are mainly for women (those Aussies
are just tougher than we are). A very minor philosophical departure
indeed! His systems are well thought out and well made. His email
newsletters are informative and amusing. His videos
(http://theaquaponicsource.com/proddetail.php?prod=EVAPA003&cat=36)
are an outstanding blend of garden-geek dramatic theater and practical
how-to.

So you can imagine how excited I was when Murray approached me earlier
this year about not only becoming a reseller of his videos
(http://theaquaponicsource.com/proddetail.php?prod=EVAPA003&cat=36) in
the U.S. but also sponsoring one of two stops in the U.S. for his
first ever tour here. What an incredible opportunity to get to spend
time learning directly from the master himself!

My partner in the event is the Denver Botanic Gardens, and the
workshop will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sunday, September 19th at
the Denver Botanic Gardens. Space is very limited (we have a smaller
room than I originally hoped for) so I recommend signing up early.
Click here for more information.
(http://theaquaponicsource.com/events.php)

Also, if you are interested in gathering with some fellow aquapons in
Boulder the day before (Saturday) I’m considering hosting a tour of
several aquaponics setups around this area – just let me know by
commenting on this post so I can keep you in the planning loop.

Hope to see you all there!

Add a comment to this post:
http://aquaponicgardening.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/murray-hallam-to-teach-aquaponics-in-colorado/#respond

Thoroughly Researched Cost Benefit Analysis of Backyard Aquaponics

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/Travis/CostBenefitAnalysisofAquaponicSystems.pdf

Inspiring E-mails to Sweet Water

From Parris Adams:

Recently I learned about Sweet Water, and I just have to say I have great admiration for your efforts.

I live in Milwaukee, I drive past abandon buildings, houses, and lots every day. I have always seen them as oppurtunties to bring agriculture near people to reduce the need to transport goods. Embracing the ideas of green always puts a smile on my face.

Something I learned while browsing your site that you have a giant compost heap.
I live near a grocery store that throws out tons of produce every week. It’s quite sad when you consider the reasons behind it, but to think that you could take all this nutrient rich “trash” from grocery stores and resturants around the city and add it to a system that promotes the cycling of human waste. It amazes me, and that’s why I thank you. I hope to see this in cities and nations around the world to reduce our corbon foot print and to feed people. Thank YOU all!

Replicating Sweet Waters

We have been committed from the get to to inspiring people to
consider crafting Sweet Waters beyond Milwaukee.

How or when that will occur depends upon a myriad of developments, foremost
the success we have in “proof of concept” and the energy and resources partners
in new Sweet Waters bring to the project.

I suspect there are a number of people in your community who constitute the
human capital required for a Sweet Water in your building. Consider approaching some of the leaders of the “grow local” enterprises, academics and policy makers supportive of this cause, people from outside your might recruit to work with you. Talk your idea up at local farmers markets, forums, opinion columns, on and on.

If you can pull together a team of artisans, artists, cultivators, scientists, and mechanically gifted people…

We are setting up a Foundation aimed at offering some of the basic “software” required to launch and sustain new Sweet Waters. We will have workshops on site as well as on-line courses.

We will also be considering “joint ventures by contract” and consulting services sometime during 2011.

In the meantime, I suggest you google “aquaponics” and begin reading what the literature has to offer. Or, find a partner who will do so.

I am happy to be part of a correspondence with you and your team over the years.

Start an Aquaponics Meet Up Group <New>

http://aquaponics.meetup.com/all/
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Very Helpful Piece re Aquaponics School in Florida <New>

Very Helpful Piece re Aquaponics School in Florida

Dade City man hopes to help cure world hunger with aquaponics

By Leonora LaPeter Anton, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, March 7, 2010

DADE CITY

At a school in the woods, an IT consultant from London is trying to learn how to raise fish and vegetables together so he can teach it to hungry Nigerians.

An organic farmer from Melbourne Beach wants to master this green fish farming to bring it to a charter school in Palm Bay. And a pair of women from Brooksville are learning so they can start their own business.

At the center of all these divergent dreams is Hans Geissler, a former plumber and catamaran builder who believes that his self-contained system of gardening and fishing — called aquaponics — can help solve world hunger.

He founded the 10-acre Morning Star Fishermen school, where you can learn everything from building your own backyard aquaponics system to starting a commercial operation in a Third World country.

“Why do I do it?” says Geissler, 68, an expressive man with large hands and a German accent. “Because I believe in being green and growing our own food and not depending on everyone else.”

Click here for the rest and a video
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SweetWater Slideshow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8m0Z92oR1Y

Permaculturist Rob Frost’s Blog Report on Sweet Water

Very Nice Permaculturist Blog Report on Sweet Water

http://onestraw.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/4-season-farming-winter-vermicomposting/

Hello Charlie,

I know that you are busy, but I wanted to get in touch with you to let you know how things are moving along here. I spent several days in the field this past week looking at prospective sites to pilot the aquaponics system. In about 10 villages, I talked to farmers, women’s groups, youth groups and elders about the system to gauge their reaction, thoughts and interest. The response was nothing short of overwhelming. This is a drought-prone, rain-fed region that is increasingly faced with erratic rainfall due to climate change, so any adaptive measure that can help alleviate food dependence on the whims of increasingly capricious rains are sorely needed and would lend hope to and bolster the resilience of the people in this region.

With regard to the climatic changes as they relate to food security and human resilience, I should note that this project is part of a micro-farming component that falls under the purview of a larger initiative the Watershed Organization Trust is undertaking to promote climate change adaptation strategies among the communities they work with. [I’ve attached the draft concept paper for that project for you to peruse.]

The pilot project will establish productive multi-tiered aquaponics systems in 5 diverse settings. Two will be located at training centers and will be developed as training/learning models. The three remaining sites will be in different villages, with diverse oversight structures [a women’s self help group, a school youth group, and an individual farmer] external inputs and constraints [one has ready access to fairly advanced vermi-composting, one will use a pond, one will strictly be looking at this from a small business perspective, etc.].

The aims of the project include: i) contribute to food and nutritional security; ii) demonstrate the ability for small farmers to produce nutritious food with limited water input independent from rain; iii) demonstrate potential for alternative livelihood creation.

Additionally, training will be provided on management of the system to the identified community members, school students and teachers, and women’s Self Help Groups [SHG]. The project will serve as a demonstration to test the practical applicability, scope, economics, ecology and politics of aquaponics as these relate to villagers and small farmers.

Based upon all of their knowledge and work, the WOTR administration is committed, in the post-pilot phase, to scaling up this project to perhaps 3 dozen sites and possibly more.

With regard to our past discussions, specifically, you had mentioned a number of things including the following:

“…the level of support and resources you would require from our end, there are lots of options ranging from part time type inputs, up to more involved inputs from a variety of people ranging from PhD students, myself and the growing team here at Aquaponics UK and the Institute as whole, it’s all really going to depend on availability of resources and the scope of our collective activities.” Based upon my description of the project, I’d be interested in knowing your thoughts about support and resources. Specifically, I’m wondering about the possibility of someone from your group coming here for a couple of weeks in, say, March to help oversee the initial development of the systems and would be interested in knowing your estimates about costs for that. Then, between the three organizations - WOTR, Aquaponics UK, Pathways To Empowerment - we could work to find the funding. I think that would be a very good idea, I would certainly be very keen indeed to come out in March or there abouts, failing that Becky or someone with equivalent expertise would definitely be able to come out, so that is a definite possibility…. In terms of costs, we would require flights to be paid for and a modest stipend to cover expenses, on that subject I am adamant that we provide value for money and don’t want be a drain on resources (quite the opposite) so at this early stage I would be happy to leave the stipend side of things to your discretion. Generally we change a subsidised consultancy rate of £148, which covers our university related overheads and salary, however this is the start of the project so we’re very happy to be flexible on this in order to get the ball rolling.

“…grant proposal applications…”

We will have a look at the document you attached and get back to you later today/tomorrow at the latest.

“…training curriculum we can be of lots of assistance there with expertise in participatory research techniques such as PRA, PCA, RRA, and household surveys, we have also in the past developed pictorial multilingual guides to aquaculture and IPM training, so the same could easily be replicated for aquaponics…” [What about Hindi or Marathi? If not, we can translate here.]

I will speak to some people, and get back to you on this no point in doing it if we dont have to, but my honest answer is that I’m not entirely sure..

You said your first step would be: “…allocating inventories and costings…using locally sourced price data…” We could use help with this. Perfect, certainly an initial trip out to the project sites would help establish what would be most suitable, but I will send you over some pics of the systems we’ve been developing here, (in a week or two once all completed)

Beyond all this, your thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated. I hope you are well and will look forward to hearing back from you soon!

Much thanks, as always,

Tom

Plans for Small Aquaculture System in Your Basement!

Cliff,

Godsil forwarded your email about small system aquaculture. As it happens, I have such a system in my basement. I have two 55 gallon barrels, one a tank the other a biofilter. In the culture tank there are 15 yellow perch which are now roughly 1/3 pound each. The plans for this system were obtained from Southern Regional Aquaculture Center. Just google “SRAC 4501″ and the plans should come up as a choice.

I am happy with the way the system works and would recommend it. I got the barrels from Craigs list in Milwaukee by putting an ad under free stuff. Let me know how things work out.

Jon Bales
www.urbanaquaculturecenter.com

Wisconsin Foodie CBS TV Show on Sweet Water Organics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSyx0noGpeM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHqyJdXY6Sk&feature=email

Outpost Natural Foods You Tube Clip on Sweet Water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBx_LWRd_Qg

Lots of Information About Large Scale Composting

First of all, you may want to contact your local Extension agent. The Extension service acts to link information from the state land-grant university to citizens. Each county has an Extension agent that acts as an employee of the university system. In your area, the University of Wsiconsin Extension office in Milwaukee can be contacted at: http://milwaukee.uwex.edu/

In addition, the University of Wisconsin Extension has a Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center. You can find them on the web at: www4.uwm.edu/shwec/. To search this site, click on publications, and search “composting” for publications and surveys. The SHWEC has a staff person in the Milwaukee area named Steve Brachman. You can access his contact information at: www4.uwm.edu/shwec/faculty/info.cfm?id=brachman.

In addition to these contacts, my colleagues referenced the following websites and contacts as places for helpful information on setting up an urban compost system.

http://www.sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/garbage/diningwaste.cfm
http://compost.css.cornell.edu/Factsheets/FS1.html
http://www.middlebury.edu/administration/enviro/initiatives/food/composting.htm
http://www.ohio.edu/sustainability/index.html
http://www.ohio.edu/sustainability/Compost.htm

Contacts for Composting

Office Manager for Cornell Dining
2117 North Balch Hall
607–255–5952
Fax: 607–255–2937
dhl34@cornell.edu

Baker University Center, Ohio University
One Park Place, Athens, OH 45701
Tel: 740.593.4020 | Fax: 740.593.0223
Email: baker.center@ohio.edu

Dining Services
1 Riverside Drive
Athens, Ohio 45701

Tel: 740.593.2970
Email: dining@ohio.edu

www.perdue.edu/UNS/paks/scipak.table.html
www.okshops.com/composter/
www.fortlewis.edu/acad-aff/art-sci/agri/perm_html
www.darien.lib.ct.us/environmental/compostlesson
www.colostate.edu/Depts/SoilCrop/extension/Soils/Docs/ManuerMgmt
www.horizon.nmsu.edu
www.cahe.wsu.edu/~wwmg/stewardship/compost/
www.bedminster.com/basic/processinfo
www.agctr.lsu.edu/wwac/compost/school.html
www.cmil.unex.Berkeley.edu/medial/sales/06science/scimain4.html
www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/
www.agrss.sherman.hawaii.edu
www.elpaso.tamu.edu

I hope this information is helpful and that we can be of service to you again in the future. For more information on sustainable agriculture, please contact NCAT through the ATTRA project at our toll-free number, 1–800–346–9140. Please note that all of our publications and additional resources are available on our Web site at www.attra.ncat.org.

Sincerely,

Susan Tallman

Agronomy and Crop Systems Specialist

NCAT/ATTRA

ATTRA is the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service

The ATTRA Project is operated by the National Center for Appropriate Technology under a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse products, companies, or individuals.
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Off-Line NotesAttach:file.ext

Young Yellow Perch Like Rocky Bottoms!

Ann Arbor, Mich. — When Lake Michigan yellow perch and alewife are looking for their first home, they apparently prefer floors made of rock rather than sand.

In the past, researchers have tended to sample for young fish in areas where there is lots of sand simply because these areas are more easily sampled. However, sampling on sand has yielded very few young yellow perch, and this was cause for concern.

“Yellow perch have been in a serious decline in Lake Michigan for about fifteen years”, says John Janssen, a Senior Scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “When fish populations get into trouble, it’s often the case that the trouble affects the youngest individuals. We need to know where these young fish live and how they get there.”

The young fish emerge from eggs and drift around for at least six weeks before settling down. They may have drifted a hundred miles, but they seem to wait until they are above rocky substrates before they actively choose to stay around. Indeed Janssen and Michelle Luebke have, at times, collected more young yellow perch in one sample over rocky substrate than the combined annual total for all the Lake Michigan biologists that sample sandy areas! Young yellow perch, 2–3 inches long, were about four times as abundant on rocky substrate compared to sandy substrate, and their diet was mainly small invertebrates that live among the rocks.

Original Publication Information
Results of this study, “Preference for rocky habitat by age-0 yellow perch and alewives,” are reported by John Janssen and Michelle Luebke in the latest issue (Volume 30, No 1, pp. 93–99) of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by the International Association for Great Lakes Research, 2004.

Contacts
For more information about the study, contact John Janssen, Great Lakes WATER Institute, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53204, jjanssen@uwm.edu, 414–382–1733.

For information about the Journal of Great Lakes Research, contact Marlene Evans, Editor, National Water Research Institute, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada; marlene.evans@ec.gc.ca; (306) 975–5310.
Click here for original
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International On Line Learning at Aquaponics Community Center of England

Hi everyone,

Just really to continue on from James Godsil’s email..

Aquaponics UK, in cooperation with the Institute if Aquaculture at the University of Stirling, Queen Mary College London and the University of York, we are looking at setting up an “Aquaponics community center”. A virtual online based resource providing distance learning materials, support and the provision of systems (linked by computer/webcam and icon driven data base) to schools and educational institutions across the world (provisional partners already established in USA, UK, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Kenya, Japan and China).

At the institute of aquaculture and more specifically the systems research group, we have been developing a PG/MSc distance learning course in Aquatic resource development and its now in its 3rd year.

http://www.aqua.stir.ac.uk/training/taught-postgraduate/aquatic-resources.php

Whilst the course in currently only available to students in Bangladesh, we are planning to expand this and to provide an aquaponic specific courses through the above mentioned partnerships.

We would be very interesting in collaborating with MIT and any other organisations to make this a reality. We really do need to pool resources, research and expertise to make this work.

We are currently working on a variety of projects from Kenya, Uganda, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Europe and extensively in the UK, we have expanding resources and are very keen to help coordinate the development of educational resources and research relating to aquaponics.

Please get in touch if you would like to contribute to the proposed ‘Aquaponics Community Center’.

We’re currently in the process of securing funding, so ideas and collaborations are valued.

Best wishes,

Charlie
Charlie Price - Project Manager
apuklogo small
charlie@aquaponics.org.uk
www.aquaponics.org.uk
mob: 07545 817206

India Nepal Aquaponics Project Partnership Possibilities With Aquaponics Community Center

Charlie - you and I have already had some correspondence about my upcoming work in India. This e-mail piques my interest because I think the Aquaponics Community Center concept brings up a very good opportunity for collaboration, research and effecting real change throughout the world. In India and Nepal, we hope, in the next few years, to be developing aquaponics systems in dozens and eventually hundreds of villages. The possibilities for impactful research [that which actually directly effects the livelihood and well-being of people in need] are bountiful. Among general, cross-disciplinary areas of potential research [off the top of my head] are studies on the rural economic/livelihoods impact of aquaponics development; micronutrient deficiency targeting among the most marginalized (pregnant women; children under five; the elderly; etc.); social/anthropological critiques of food insecurity; marketing and value-chain development in rural village communities involved in fisheries cooperatives; the effects of co-habitation between certain varieties of shrimp and various fish species in semi-arid climates, and on and on. Within the more narrow field of Aquaponics and Aquaculture proper, there would be an infinite field of potential research.
All of this is to say, I would like to contribute to and and be a part of any such endeavor. Our project would undoubtedly benefit from it.
You mention at the end of your memo that ‘ideas and collaboration’ are valued. We’d love to be a part of a ‘global learning laboratory’ for an Aquaponics Community Center. Providing field-work opportunities for researchers while benefitting directly from said research.
It’s a great idea and I look forward to seeing it move forward!

Tom

Tom Knoll
Founder/Director
Pathways To Empowerment
www.pathwaystoempowerment.org
tom@pathwaystoempowerment.org
mu81169@hotmail.com

MIT Grass Roots Articulations

Toward Contextually Appropriate Aquaculture Systems Development

I am told that MIT is pioneering on-line learning.
I would imagine other Universities are doing the same.

Would it not be a good thing to brainstorm the development
of on-line courses through MIT and other universities
eyes fixed on the prize of developing…

Contextually appropriate aquaculture systems

To provide fish based protein in, for starters,
Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, and the Congo.

Our waterways can be renewed.
Our charismatic species like bonobos, elephants, giraffes
Need not be slaughtered and made extinct.
We can improve our collaborations with nature’s fertility cycles
With imaginative focus on aquaculture’s possibilites.

Milwaukee Resources for Collaborations with On-Line University Programs Partout!

• Will Allen’s From the Ground Up Aquaculture Workshops,
• The Milwaukee Zoological Society’s Congo Biodiversity and Bonobo Survival Initiatives,
• Wisconsin’s New Milwaukee Based School of Fresh Water Sciences Ph.D. program

Please drop a line if this concept merits your attention.

Grateful,

James J. Godsil
Sweet Water Organics Fish Vegetable Farm

HI Tom,

Thanks for your email, sorry it took me so long getting back to you with an appropriate response (the BBC future of food programme cause a wave of enquires and it’s taken this long to emerge from them… but all good interest.

In answer to your questions first:

1. Ultimately it’s a question of three elements, aquaculture, filtration/solids removal, and hydroponics. However in media filled growbeds (gravel, clay pebbles etc) the filtration can be combined with the hydroponic growing element, whereas in larger systems the components tend to be compartmentalised into fish tanks, separate solids removal, and then hydroponics on floating rafts above deep water circulation (which is why solids need to be removed prior to this to ensure they don’t clog roots etc) IN terms on the training curriculum we can be of lots of assistance there with expertise in participatory research techniques such as PRA, PCA, RRA, and household surveys, we have also in the past developed pictorial multilingual guides to aquaculture and IPM training, so the same could easily be replicated for aquaponics. AS I said before I’m always here to help, and have a great deal of resources available to me, providing we have funds available (which I’ll get to later)

2. In terms of system inputs these can be categorised as time (for maintenance, feeding, planting and harvesting), energy either electrical or manual (for pumping water round the system), light (depending on region supplementary lighting probably wouldn’t be required) water (the system should be able to operate at very low water input rates, 1–5% per day) which can often be supplemented by rainwater seasonally. Costs ( this needs to be factored in, but I think that low tech is going to be the way, with manually constructed growbeds, raised above a sunken “pond”, then water either manually pumped using a bilge type pump (or a pedal powered one that I’m working on) then water gravity draining back into the pond. We could easily look to replacing the manual pump with an automated one run of mains/battery or solar depending on your site specific scenario. So costs for the system are going to need to be looked into and depends on how much local materials would cost. I think the main cost would be incurred in designing a range of different scaled systems, and allocating inventories and costings to each using locally sourced price data (would be my recommended first step)

3. In terms of the logistical difficulties, I prefer to see them as challenges J. They always exist but by their very specific nature they depend more of the specific site, its infrastructure, the communities involved, their social dynamics and hierarchies and a whole host of other issues. But all can be overcome with good planning, appropriate preliminary research (which I guess a lot of has already been done) and having well motivated and clued up staff. In short it’s all possible.

4. In terms of funding, we’re not in a position to be able to directly fund any works ourselves, as we’re in a very similar situation as yourselves, with regards to projects such as these, whilst we have access to a huge array of resources, including grant writers, we need to be able to cover time and overheads on larger more involved projects. So what I am really trying to say is that we would be happy to help with the grant application side of things, and would undoubtedly strengthen the case if we can demonstrate these potential partnerships with both the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling and also Aquaponics UK and our network. So I guess the consensus is that we have the expertise, the willing and an extremely valid and viable application, we just need to work together to get funding and bring this to fruition.

We have a person at the moment looking into EC FP7 calls, for work like this, and have a research group meeting planned at the end of the week to look for tie ins, I’ll keep you posted.

I hope this clarifies things a little better from my end, we’re very keen to get involved.

Kind regards

Charlie

This Wednesday Sept. 16 Sweet Water Gathering Cancelled

Sweet Water Will Be Deeply Focused on Birthing 15,000 Tiny Tilapia to Our Systems

Sweet Water will be like a birthing room, and workers must be completely focused on this dramatic, delicate moment.

Afghanistan Aquaculture Project

Here is some correspondence initiated by Marine Sgt Matthew Holzmann, stationed in Afghanistan, hoping to introduce aquaponics for self reliance and community building.

Pump Problem

I’m in Afghanistan now, as part of Operation Khanjar, which has been making the news quite a bit lately. I would like to bring Will’s vision to the people of Nawa. However, I have trouble getting materials. If Will can devise ‘re-use’ methods for me to implement with limited materials, then I will gladly get the ball rolling here.

My biggest problem is getting a pump to move water from tank to bed. Many of the folks here have generators, so power shouldn’t be much of a problem. However, they ALL use 220 power, with plugs that we don’t see in the US. They use the same plug here that the Brits use, and the rest of the Arab nations use. So, if you can get me the information to get started, then I can do whatever I can to get a system going here.

We will be working out of an old school, and should be able to get a smallish system working there. If Will plans on coming to Afghanistan, have him try to get a trip to see 1st BN, 5th MAR, under 2nd MEB, working with the NATO ISAF group out of Camp Leatherneck/Camp Bastion. Again, we are working out of Nawa. The locals would most likely be using some variety of catfish for their aquaculture component. Feel free to pass my email on to Will; I’d love to be a part of his vision.

Best wishes,

Sgt Matthew Holzmann, Data Supervisor
1st BN, 5th MAR, H&S Co, Comm Plt, Data
DSN: 318.359.5100
EMAIL: matthew.holzmann@afg.usmc.mil

Pump “Solutions” Suggested

Howard Lewis

“Affordable?” Holy Cow! Technology doesn’t come cheap. Is the Pentagon footing the bill or the subsistence farmers who are already hard-pressed to survive?

The second issue is maintenance and repair. When my father-in-law designed airport terminals in Ethiopia, he specified thatched roofs. Thatch was the perfect technology; affordable, maintainable, and replaceable at the end of their life-cycle. When we designed a school campus in India we used building systems and materials that could be produced by the students, who were able to build and expand their own school buildings then take their knowledge and skills back to their villages after graduation.

Think cheap, local, replicate-able, simple. How about hand pumps or foot pumps?

Mention these things to Sgt. Holzman. Also suggest he contact Mother Earth News. Its readers (Hippies in the Woods) have likely figured out how to move water in a thousand innovative ways.

Ho

Charlie Price

Dear Matthew

As you can see from below your email reached far and wide. I work at The Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University and run a not for profit organisation called Aquaponics UK.

Anyway to cut a long story short I too have been inflicted with the Aquaponics bug and am working with a wide range of projects both in the UK and internationally to establish aquaponics systems both for education, rehabilitation and food production. Around a year ago we were actually in talks with some delegates from Afghanistan set up through the British Council who expressed an interest in aquaculture and aquaponics and their suitability due to water scarcity and high potential productivity. (I will chase things up and keep you informed)

In short, I think what your trying to do is fantastic and exactly the kind of initiatives that we need to support. I am extremely keen to help with in any way I can. I have played with various low tech aquaponics systems with a view to their adoption into the developing world as both temporary and semi permanent solutions to food production and enhanced nutrition, but I do agree that pumping is an issue for situations such as yours where services are not readily available and even generators have often untenable.

One method that I would suggest and one that I am exploring with a “scrap-yard engineering wizard” friend of mine is the use of a bicycle to pump sufficient water into a header tank to then operate either flood and drain cycles or through grow beds / nft. This would then mean a predetermined amount of cycling time to provide 12 or 24 hour flow rates (and multiples of two fish tanks on the low and higher levels (I can give you more details if interested)

We’ve recently been given some product development and research and development money from a commercial sponsor “Hydrogarden” and I’m sure this is exactly the kind of project they would be interested in supporting, so if you like, I can get someone to looking into the solar pump situation for you. Plus we’re working with some quite high profile projects in the UK, Eden, CAT, ABLE as well as commercial growers and individual schools and as a result receiving some wide reaching interest from Princess Anne to a recent BBC documentary to be aired shortly. So hopefully we can provide some support in terms of technical expertise but also help to generate publicity for what your trying to do, if required.

It would be good to know more about what sort of aquaponics configuration you had in mind and what species of fish and plants etc. Perhaps when you get time you could give me some more details and we can take it from there..

Best wishes and keep up the good work, if you want any free samples to play about with and experiment over there please let me know and I’ll get them sourced and sent out.

Best wishes

Charlie

Charlie Price - Project Manager
Aquaponics UK
University of Stirling
www.aquaponics.org.uk
Mob: 07545 817206

Hi Matthew,

Thanks again for your email, I think our shared enthusiasm is going to drive this forwards, like you said let’s keep up momentum.

I’ve provisionally contacted Hydrogarden and got the MD’s go ahead, also just to say regarding the eventual goal of a learning lab for the school, we’ve developed some really nice interactive display systems and are at the moment looking at incorporating wormeries and insect towers to demonstrate a whole ecosystem… so there is loads we can help/give and assist with there.

I was very close to going into the military/RAF myself as at 16 was awarded an RAF flying scholarship…but then whilst travelling in Africa and Asia before and during my first degree I realised who I was and what I wanted to do, then 10 years of university and three degrees later I’m getting to the stage where I can actually give something back. So I am extremely keen to help make this work and be of any and every help that I can.

I’ll email you again when back from Norway, but so long as you or any of your counterparts are keen, we’re here to help and support.

Best wishes

Charlie

Travis W. Hughey

Hey Matt,

Sounds like a challenging area to work in. I love it!! Wish I could be there. I have been hoping someone would take this technology to Afghanistan for quite some time now but had noone to talk to about it. I have a couple of comments and some questions for you.

One of the easiest aquaponic systems out there is a system that operates off a hand pump and the owner has to go out every hour or so and flood the growbeds manually, allow the water to sit there for 15 minutes or so and open a drain that would allow the growbed to slowly drain back into the fish pond. While not automated it can work and if there is nothing else to do a kid could keep the system going. A basic pitcher pump would work out just fine for it. Growbeds and fish tanks could be made from almost any liner (I use discarded billboard signs) as well as cement which is appropriate for most areas. Plumbing would be minimal and could be cast into the cement to reduce theft issues. I am concerned if it is too technological looking even the Taliban may see it as some connection to the west and immediately destroy it.

Are solar conditions right for solar power there? What about wind? Also, what would you estimate a reasonable cost for a complete turnkey system that could be set in place and literally be running in a few hours? I have an idea for something like this here and could easily put something together to test. I would need to know cost parameters though to help with design. The barrel-ponics concept can be made to run on very low power requirements. For instance I have a system that occupies a 8ft. by 12ft space, can grow 100 tilapia easily, has 60 sq. ft. of growbed space and only consumes 40 watts of power to operate. It requires some plumbing, framework to be made from wood or steel, 8 plastic barrels (200 liter) and of course gravel and fish. Kits for this system could be built here and shipped there with assembly time in a couple days with a crew of people working. I think once one is made the locals will take the construction of others in hand and figure out a way to get things done with materials at hand. I have seen it before and locals can be very creative when they want to be. Let me know your thoughts.

Blessin’s,

Trav.

Charlie Price E-Mail to Matt: 7/22/09;8/01/09/ 8/15/09

July 22, 2009

Dear Matthew

As you can see from below your email reached far and wide. I work at The Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University and run a not for profit organisation called Aquaponics UK.

Anyway to cut a long story short I too have been inflicted with the Aquaponics bug and am working with a wide range of projects both in the UK and internationally to establish aquaponics systems both for education, rehabilitation and food production. Around a year ago we were actually in talks with some delegates from Afghanistan set up through the British Council who expressed an interest in aquaculture and aquaponics and their suitability due to water scarcity and high potential productivity. (I will chase things up and keep you informed)

In short, I think what your trying to do is fantastic and exactly the kind of initiatives that we need to support. I am extremely keen to help with in any way I can. I have played with various low tech aquaponics systems with a view to their adoption into the developing world as both temporary and semi permanent solutions to food production and enhanced nutrition, but I do agree that pumping is an issue for situations such as yours where services are not readily available and even generators have often untenable.

One method that I would suggest and one that I am exploring with a “scrap-yard engineering wizard” friend of mine is the use of a bicycle to pump sufficient water into a header tank to then operate either flood and drain cycles or through grow beds / nft. This would then mean a predetermined amount of cycling time to provide 12 or 24 hour flow rates (and multiples of two fish tanks on the low and higher levels (I can give you more details if interested)

We’ve recently been given some product development and research and development money from a commercial sponsor “Hydrogarden” and I’m sure this is exactly the kind of project they would be interested in supporting, so if you like, I can get someone to looking into the solar pump situation for you. Plus we’re working with some quite high profile projects in the UK, Eden, CAT, ABLE as well as commercial growers and individual schools and as a result receiving some wide reaching interest from Princess Anne to a recent BBC documentary to be aired shortly. So hopefully we can provide some support in terms of technical expertise but also help to generate publicity for what your trying to do, if required.

It would be good to know more about what sort of aquaponics configuration you had in mind and what species of fish and plants etc. Perhaps when you get time you could give me some more details and we can take it from there..

Best wishes and keep up the good work, if you want any free samples to play about with and experiment over there please let me know and I’ll get them sourced and sent out.

Best wishes

Charlie

Charlie Price - Project Manager
Aquaponics UK
University of Stirling
www.aquaponics.org.uk
Mob: 07545 817206

August 1, 2009

HI there Matthew, sorry for the delay in getting back to you, but I have good news… I think I have a solar system for you…

I have been speaking to German manufacturer of solar panels and pumps, and I have had the provisional offer of help and support from them, with a view to Aquaponics UK developing a standalone system for applications such as yours.

So with your help, I can supply the kit and hopefully together we can trial this system together.

My thoughts were to have a 35w panel, charging a 41A battery pack and then running one or two 17w pumps giving up a pumping head of up to 3m but ideally with a flow rate of 1000–1500ltrs/hr at a head of 0.6–1m. I can supply all of this free of charge, but also tanks if I know what your thinking size wise?

So I hope this email finds your well, Please let me know your thoughts on size then I can put together some other kit (test kits, media, supplementary nutes etc etc) and see below spec for the three solar components.

Kind regards,

Charlie

August 15, 2009

Hi there Matthew

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner I had a huge drama with my laptop (left it on my roof and drove for 130miles before realising!!)

Anyway all is well now….

Right so I have finally manage to get some kit sorted, (see attached document) can you just confirm your address and then best way to send it.

I have also sorted this PV panel system (well asides from the boss signing) and that will follow on shortly after (PV panel, battery pack, and two solar pumps)

I also have to say that obviously aquaponics is much more that the equipment I’m sending and in some sense, feel slightly embarassed about sending “high tech” equipment for an application that can also be resolved with some simple elegant engineering. So please view the donation of this equipment merely to help give you the tools to move things along (and as a show of support). My main priority is to try and help work with you to scale the systems and also to develop low tech solutions that are perhaps more appropriate in the long term, but we need to start somewhere right..?

Great news about the USAID people coming to see you, hope they too realise the potential that some relatively simple solutions can make to localised high value food production. I have been speaking to the PV panel manufactures in Germany and they are right behind the idea, so if we could get some development money for people to get the systems we could develop some simple standalone systems together and really start to get things out there.

It fits perfectly into the Aquaponics UK ethos where we operate on a not for profit basis, feeding profits generated from supplying equipment back into helping people develop Aquaponically…

Other good news is that the BBC documentary I was interviewed for, is coming to air in a couple of weeks, so that will help generate awareness of aquaponics and show them the greenhouses.

Everything is good this end, lots of interesting projects, we’re designing a 10t/yr tilapia and 600m2 salad system at the moment which is fun, but made even better by the fact the power supply is coming from water wheel generators (in a Mill that dates back to 1010AD and was owned by Macbeth in the 1200’s !!) and also that the project is going to provide employment opportunities for young school leavers, but also function as a visitor/learning center.

Also a 130 strong food coop in London with a disused carpark and some land, and numerous other interesting possibilities (and that’s just since we last spoke)

Anyway, I digress, well if you can have a look through the list and see if what’s proposed is suitable and appropriate, and also let me know about delivery logistics, size restrictions?, etc etc.

I hope this email finds you well.

Any further thoughts on system size and design, and what available bits and bobs and available for tanks/troughs. I added some bases like chelated iron, phosphate, and calcium, as I guessed you’d find these useful once you got things going, also a trident multi meter, a bit techy, but useful.

Plus 200 organic plugs to get you going, but I am sure there is local resources like coir which once washed would be great.

Umm, what else, some pumps, (400–1200ltrs/hr, 4000ltrs/hr and 5800ltrs/hr) all 240v but I guessed adaptable in the right hands, there nothing incredibly special but Italian made and reliable (for the Italians!). I also put in a couple of 60w compressors, air hose and diffusers, again to play with, but I think in smaller systems/biomasses you could get most aeration through pump and water flow. Oh and the other thing was autopots, they are great little things, they basically allow water to be feed into a tray/saucer and filled up to 20mm, then the valve closes (no power needed) and stays closed till the tray/saucer is empty, then it fills again, these linked to a reservoir (with fish or with nutrients). Anyway I think they can b quite handy and so included 5 as I’m sure you can find a good use for them maybe as an addition to a system- feed from sump to pots with tomatoes/peppers etc.

Ok, we’ll speak soon

Best wishes

Charlie

September 8th

Dear Godsil,
A big, warm hello from your friends and colleagues out here in Oakland, CA. We have been watching your great work with SweetWater and Growing Power with excitement and pride from afar, and you and your organizations have given us much inspiration! Planting Justice is in its first year of existence (awaiting to hear back from the IRS on our 501c3 application), but already we are making a big impact in our community. We are training local youth in permaculture design and urban farming, holding free community work parties and educational workshops at our various urban garden sites around Oakland, teaching a gardening/permaculture class at San Quentin state prison where we are installing a 1600 sq. foot veggie garden with a class of 30 inmates giving them job-training skills they can use upon their release, and working to create local jobs for disenfranchised urban residents in these areas.

The main reason for this email is because we are need of some help for an exciting and empowering aquaculture project at a low-income high school in Oakland. In collaboration with the Cesar Chavez Institute and their Step to College program, we are in the very beginning stages of planning a recirculating aquaculture system that will help participating students fund their college tuition. The Step to College program takes 30 students every four years that no other teachers want in their classrooms, and through an empowering peer-mentorship program, helps prepare them for college. In the last round, 29 out of 30 students gained acceptance at four-year universities! Although they do a wonderful job at preparing these students mentally, intellectually, and emotionally for college, the extremely high costs of college remain a huge burden.

This is where the aquaculture project comes in! We hope to include these students in the planning, implementation, and maintenance of a recirculating aquaculture system that will provide fresh vegetables to their schoolmates and produce fresh sustainably produced fish for sale to local restaurants, with the proceeds going to fund their college education. We have a number of talented permaculture designers among our core group, but none of us has experience in setting up or maintaining these systems. We are just now starting to write up some grants to fund this project, and would like to include in our grant request some money to pay someone from Growing Power or Sweet Water as a consultant to help on this project and even come out to Oakland for a multi-day workshop to lead the students in the installation of the system?

We do not really have any idea how much the materials for this system would cost. It does not need to necessarily be “state of the art” or very large, maybe the size of just one of Growing Power’s tanks? Just big enough to generate enough funds for these students. We would like it to be somewhat replicable for other urban residents, and thus we’d like to spend as little as possible on materials (maybe even using some salvaged/recycled materials where appropriate?). Is $20,000 to $30,000 a reasonable sum to apply for in grant money for such a project?

We cannot thank you enough for any help you can give! Thank you Godsil!!!!
In solidarity and in alliance for a just, sustainable world,
Gavin Raders and Planting Justice

ps. feel free to check out our website at www.plantingjustice.org for more information on our work.
all the best!

September 13th

Gavin,

There’s a lot that you can do with very little money. I’m proof of that, as I have several thousand dollars worth of donations heading my way from a couple countries. I’m in Afghanistan, as an active duty Marine. In my spare time, I’ve been planning/pimping for an aquaponics project for the schoolhouse here in Nawa, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. We will be using Hesco (wire material that holds dirt/rocks for our quick fortications) and repurposed tanks for our system. If I’m in a war torn country with relatively little time, then you can definitely get some good work done in Oakland.

For ideas of wire-based tanks, check out:
http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2640&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=1200

I also HIGHLY recommend checking Craigslist regularly for recycled materials that are being given away. For example, I was able to get 100′s of feet of varied diameter plumbing and irrigation material from a greenhouse that was closing down. The new owner allowed me an entire afternoon when I let him know that I was developing systems for local elementary schools. I was able to use some to learn and develop, and the rest I gave away to a middle school.

I’ll keep you posted on my system here in Nawa, and I wish you the best of luck in O-town. Keep your spirits up and keep your faith.

Be well and best wishes,
Sgt Holzmann, 1st BN, 5th MAR
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Resources for Start Up Wisconsin Fish Farmers

The Urban Aquaculture Center, would like to create an urban fish farm to grow yellow perch, a high value fish, As a non-profit, our interest is mainly demonstration and education. There are advisers, such as Fresh-Culture.com (check the web site) who offer turn key setups if one can afford them. We have gained some knowledge regarding growing perch from the Great Lakes WATER Institute(see web site). The Wisconsin Aquaculture Association is a membership organization worthwhile to young and old fish farmers. Also Wisconsin DATCP(Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection) has an information packet for new fish farmers. Aquaculture publications are available at NCRAC, SRAC, and the other regional aquaculture commissions. Another useful resource is aquanic.org.

This will be a mixed model enterprise,

 with for-profit and non-profit pieces,

with public and personal interests in mind…
A 36 year time frame envisioned,
Good place for “vision workers”

 with a sense of irony and humor.

If you would like to work on a committee,
send an e-mail to SweetWaterAGS@milwaukeerenaissance.com.

In the Sweet Water AGS vision, Board Members,
Committee Members, and Project Workers will be paid,
once the fruits of our labor, God willing,
yield harvests,
of currency and product.

Sweet Water AGS Current Projects

Sweet Water Agrarian Guild School(AGS)Launched

Sweet Water AGS Current Projects

1. Wednesday 5 to 7 gatherings at Sweet Water Organics

2. Compost, vermicompost, and hoop house or green house construction for micro greens behind Sweet Water and affiliated artists Green Room in cooperation with Victory Garden Initiative

3. Support for Aquaculture Developments in India(Paths to Empowerment), Denver, and Detroit

4. Development of Aquaponics Tours for Students and Elders

5. Support for Sweet Water Winter Farmers Market

6. Support to Worm Farm Institute’s Road Side Food and Culture Stands in Urban Food Deserts

7. Support for Marriage of Artists, Artisans, Engineers, Mechanics with Swet Water Agrarians

8. Sparking a Hoop House at Each and Every Fire House Project

Sweet Water Soap Box Orator Try Outs

Soap Box Moments at Sweet Water Every Wednesday 5 to 5:15 p.m.

The Saint Patrick Brigid Day Soap Box Moments at Timbuktu

http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/StPatsAtTimbuktu/HomePage

These past 7 years has inspired Sweet Water to offer the same
On a trial weekly basis, every Wednesday evening from 5 to 5:15.

Soap Box Orators Given 2 Minute Moments

We hope to find student interns to make youtube videos
Of the top Sweet Water Soap Box Orators

If you wish to sign up, send an e-mail to
godsil.james@gmail.com.

Volunteering at Sweet Water

Would you be up for some on-line or in-person conversations about developing…

• a volunteer program
• a student intern program
• event nights, e.g. weddings, family re-unions, company celebrations, etc.
• art gallery nights
• the world’s first CSA fish farm
• the winter farmers’ market
• fish/plant/worm/compost sales experiments
• general information/communication work
• projects you and yours conceive
• and more!

Or, would you rather focus on Sweet Water Hands-on tasks, like…

• watering the worms and compost pile
• layering compost, spreading wood chips, moving things
• planting plants, micro-greens, horticulture stuff
• gathering objects Sweet Water needs, e.g. chairs
• various things that make Sweet Water beautiful, efficient, and pure,

e.g. fixing 5 broken hoses, clean-up and grounds policing

If you keep track of your hours in a systematic way to help us
develop an information base to help replicate Sweet Waters,
I would be honored to eventually offer you one fish I
for each hour so volunteered, as well as worms and
compost. Or, I would offer you my peddler’s prowess
for your personal and/or public projects. Your volunteer work
could also translate into a place on the Board or Committees
of the Sweet Water Guild Schools, which anticipate paying
Board and committee members once, God willing, the revenues
arrive.

Bring Your Students and Elders to Milwaukee For Sweet Water Tour!

We will help you find accomodations and other places to visit!

Sweet Water Student Tours, $80 Minimum, Up to 40 Students

Most Fall and Winter dates are open!

We could handle as many as 40 students at the rate of $2 per student,
But must have a minimum of $80 hour to 90 minutes tour,
which could include some hands on experience.

Please know that all of our knowledge base is provisional.
We are growing information as well are aspiring to grow fish and vegetables.

We have access to many brilliant and passionate urban agrarians
Who might wish to help us offer your students some very good learning moments!

We would prefer to have some on-line brainstorming to make the tour the very best,
With your students, faculty, administration, and school family community!

Grateful,

Godsil

P.S. We would help you fund raise your students fees. The students could help too!

Comfoods Workers Rock!

The comfood workers rock!

Join comfoods tufts listserv,
Bright lights,
Great and modest beings,
Happy to help!

Lynchburg VA Grows

Our organization has been developing some aquaculture projects here in Central VA for a little over a year now. We are also in the midst of a capital campaign (partnering with a local university) to convert one of our 9 greenhouses into aquaculture and educational spaces.

I have copied our staff person, Micha Duda, who is in charge of this program on this e-mail as well.

Best,

Michael

Michael G. Van Ness, Esq.
Executive Director
Lynchburg Grows
(434) 546 – 1793 (mobile)
www.LynchburgGrows.org

Toronto’s Food Share

Hi Godsil, we’ll be embarking on an aquaponics construction later this fall at FoodShare. My colleague Shah is taking the lead on the project. I’ve included his email here in case you want to follow up or stay in touch. Are you building one yourself?

- Meredith

Meredith Hayes
Field to Table Schools and Youth Program Manager
416–363–6441 ext 240
meredith@foodshare.net
www.foodshare.net

Monterey Bay Aquarium

I am always looking into aquaculture projects – it’s my job here to evaluate all types of aquaculture in terms of sustainability at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (I have a background in Agriculture and Environmental policy at Tufts and Dietetics at Tulane school of Public Health).

British Columbia’s Swift Aquaculture

Swift Aquaculture in Agassiz, British Columbia is one that I know of that seems most similar to your project at this stage.

Virginia’s Blue Ridge and Rochester, WA Sweet Springs

Blue Ridge in Virginia and Sweet Springs in Rochester, Washington State may also be of interest

Alice Waters

I think Alice Waters is on the board for a larger scale marine aquaculture operation – I can’t remember which right now but it may be Clean Seas.

Paul Molyneaux On The End of the Wild Ocean

FYI on ocean based aquaculture, check out Paul Molyneaux’s book Swimming in Circles: Aquaculture and the End of the Wild Ocean
and other resources: www.doryman.com

Dan Kaufman of Virginia Tech

Joe Rodrigues of Hartford Agriculture Technology Program

Urban Harvest of Oklahoma City

Urban Harvest in Oklahoma City has been experimenting with Aquaponics for a few years now. One small model is based on Growing Power – the other more along the lines of the University of the Virgin Islands model.

Bruce Edwards
Urban Harvest Director

Dan Kaufman of Virginia Tech

Joe Rodrigues of Hartford Agriculture Technology Program

Bill Duesing of Cultivating an Organic Connecticut

Cell phone brainstorm with the Younges,

Become a Sweet Water Fish Monger

I am astonished and deeply grateful every day I walk into that vast old and lovely building,constructed along passive solar lines, and witness life—the sweet tilapia,
strong perch, the basil and lady bugs, proliferating snails and worms, billions of beneficial bacteria I’ll never get to see…supported by
machines—whirring fans, heating and air giving machines, electric lights, the mighty bobcat!

Pray for Sweet Water, which, if it works as intended, could make quite a difference
for groping and struggling humanity. People from the world entiere are connecting with us, hoping for replications: a marine in Afghanistan, an American Budhist in India, an Asian Indian queenly woman from London, folks from Detroit, Denver, partout!

The Sweet Water drama has interestingly found me tongue tied, at least as far as my folk poetry goes. Here are the only tries I’ve found in this summer’s black brain I clutch throughout the day: (I hope they might inspire you to buy or sell some of our fish!)

The Compost Pile of Sweet Water

Grow the compost piles:
Wood chips, leaves,
Fruit, vegetables.

Manage the water,
Top off with carbon only,
Witness redemption cycles.

Rinse the 50- gallon “Brutes,”
Immediately, or bugs!
Water for the growing heap.

Cell phone rainstorm with the Younges,
Tidy things up a bit.
Alterra run for eggshell power.

Mind In Eco System

The baby tilapia fly above the waters,
Hungry.

The worms entwine inside the softening bananas,
Hungry, ready to mate!

The basil and mint reach up from fish nourished soil,
Hungry.

Lady bugs hang around the big blue sand filter,
Hungry, ready to mate!

The lights radiate, the fans whir,
The pumps filter, the heater warms.

Trucks deliver radiant carbon and nitrogen harvests,
Machines and humans most often obliging.

And we watch, examine, tinker, explore,
Experiment, learn, fail, re-try…learn.

Hungry.
Grateful.

People With Aquaculture Experience From Comfoods Folks

Godsil,

I highly recommend you get in touch with Dan Kaufman, an extension specialist with Virginia Tech who has a done a great deal of applied research on fish marketing.

See this link for his contact info and bio - http://www.cfast.vt.edu/personnel/kauffman.shtml

Regards,

Adam Diamond

Adam Diamond, Ph.D

Agricultural Marketing Specialist

Farmers Market and Direct Marketing Research Branch

Marketing Services Division

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service

1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 2949-South Washington, DC 20250

Phone: 202–720–8426

Fax: 202–690–0031

E-mail: adam.diamond@usda.gov

It was wonderful to hear Will at the NOFA Summer conference earlier this month.

jrodrigues@blmfld.org Joe Rodrigues at Agriculture Technology program at Bloomfield HS near Hartford, CT has been raising fish and greens together for a few years.

See http://www.joerodrigues.org/Rodrigues/Articles.html for more information. Joe is very innovative among the ag tech teachers and programs in CT in having students grow food to eat, and connecting with the high school cafeteria.

Best regards,
Bill Duesing
Executive Director
CT NOFA
Cultivating an Organic Connecticut
bduesing@mac.com
203 888–5146
203 888–9280, fax
www.ctnofa.org
www.organiclandcare.net

My organization www.ised.us works with fish farmers internationally and we have a number of papers and appropriate technology plans on our website (under international programs) that are certainly useful for domestic producers.

Become a $5 Sweet Water Investor

Our investors will receive $5 worth of perch or tilapia(2010),
a tour ticket, 5 gallons of Sweet Water radiant compost, and/or 15 minutes of consulting time, at this moment. Other offerings in future announcements.

Sweet Water News for Clients, Partners, and Investors

Sweet Water Fall Compost Sale for Spring Crop

Buy your honey some radiant Sweet Water soil for Valentine’s Day!

Sweet Water compost has been growing since April 2009,
Consisting of thousands of pounds of Roast and Sven’s coffee grounds,
Great Lakes Distillery “Spent Grain” or “Brewer’s Mash,”
Sendek’s fruit and veggie waste, Alterra egg shells,
The Bay View Pick and Save…

Radiant nitrogen harvest!

Mixed with…

Radiant carbon harvest!

Mostly from Asplundh tree trimmers,
Bay View’s Francis Griffen, and Hawks Nursery…

$1 per 5 gallon pail’s worth
Call 414 232 1336 or e-mail godsil.james@gmail.com

Suggested Reading for Sweet Water Partners and Investors

We are offering Sweet Water agent status to good food movement workers,
Work opportunities paid not in cash but in Sweet Water products,
Including perch, tilapia, micro-greens, wheat grass, worms, compost,
winter farmers’ market space, training, tours, events, workshops, and
installations.

Such agents would best profit from their Sweet Water transactions
By following information offered at this site:

http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/SweetWaterFishFarming/HomePage

Grateful,

Sweet Water Olde

And Firefighters Teach Our Children

And they teach our children,
Now about fires,
Next, about light, air, water,
Soil, seeds, and…

Lovely food!

Why not each firehouse
In each city
Equipped with a…

Hoop house!

Ripe Red Cherry Tomatoes for Valiant Fire Fighters

What if a widening circle of grateful citizens
Began showing up at Fire Houses on September mornings
With baskets of fresh garden picked tomatoes?

What a pleasant surprise for our valiant fire fighters!

A Four Season Hoop House for Each and Every Fire House!

Our fire fighters are poised to help us grow local!

In each firehouse are one or two valiant firefighters
Who are also avid food gardeners.

All they need is help constructing hoop houses at the firehouses,
Some compost and worm castings, and…
“Oh my God, did you taste the spinach from the neighborhood fire house garden?”

I hope for some help with this so it is realized
Well before my 100th birthday party.

What say?

Why not?

Fall In the Air

Thomas Knoll to Charlie Price

llo Charlie,

I want to thank you so much for offering your support. Needless to say, the expertise, passion and commitment that you and your organization have to offer are admirable and particularly suited to this project. I, unfortunately, am unable to modify my itinerary. I have meetings in London while I’m there and then have meetings immediately scheduled in New Delhi when I arrive. However, if it would be possible for you to come to London, that would be great. I would definitely shift my schedule to meet with you - but I don’t want to put you out. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, we could have a phone conversation and any of your colleagues who you think would be appropriate could be included. In this respect, I also want you to feel free to circulate these correspondences with similar colleagues. However, we move forward, Charlie, we must move forward and I’m very glad to have you in the mix.
Some specific items in the short term:

• First of all, I kind of need to know all of the components of the system itself. I’ve learned a bit over the past year, but I really need to have a more thorough understanding, since I will have to be overseeing the development of both the initial system and a training curriculum on the system. I should add that ‘overseeing’ in this context could mean that I directly implement things (obviously, with a lot of help from experts like yourself), or that I get experts (like you and your colleagues) to implement things.
• For the purposes of project design and any proposals for this initiative, I need to know what kind of inputs are required for the system - water, energy, light, etc. - as well as costs of the system.
• Beyond these things, I’m sure you have some insights about the logistical difficulties of setting up an aquaponics system.
• Finally - we need money. I am currently writing grant proposals. I have direct access to the grant writers at both Growing Power and WOTR, but the grant process, as you probably know is a rather lengthy and iffy process, so there are some other things we are trying as far as raising funds. Specifically, individual donors or ‘special’ direct grants by organizations/foundations can help to expedite matters. Will Allen is committed to heading the training once the system is being established, but he needs to be funded. We need the basic funds for the initial system. This isn’t that much. Then we need funding for Will’s transportation, in-country costs and his pay.

I don’t know what kind of connections you or the Institute have with regard to all of this, but the overall cost for these things isn’t more than $20,000.

So…

Take a look at all of this and see what you think. Above all, we should talk - ideally in person, but by phone if necessary.

On a final note, behind all of this work for me, Charlie, is my experience with regular people in villages and slums. This initiative could vastly improve the lives of thousands, perhaps ultimately millions, of people in need. So, for the mere fact that you responded and have offered to help in whatever way, I want to, again, thank you, and I really look forward to talking with you soon.

Sincerely,

Tom

Tom Knoll
Founder/ Director
Pathways To Empowerment
www.pathwaystoempowerment.org

David Swanson’s Braise Culinary School First Sweet Water Basil Customer

I am proud and happy to announce Sweet Water’s First customer,
Bay View’s David Swanson of the Braise Culinary School, who will be
Collecting today some of the basil crop our 5,000 perch have helped nourish!

Here is a nice Bay View “Compasss” story about David’s great work:

http://bayviewcompass.com/archives/164

Restaurant supported agriculture

August 29, 2008

Bay View resident David Swanson’s Braise Culinary School received $25,502 from a state grant to launch the first business of its kind in the country.

The Braise RSA, short for Restaurant Supported Agriculture, will unite farmers’ local ingredients with local restaurants.

“Being a chef with over 20 years’ experience in dealing with local food, I know the challenges it can present,” said Swanson. “The Braise RSA minimizes the challenges for restaurants while allowing farmers to be fairly compensated for their hard work.”

In its model year, the RSA is connecting eight farmers to three restaurants.

Braise was one of seven recipients of new $225,000 “Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin” state grant money doled out in July.

The RSA is building a small storage facility at Pinehold Gardens in Oak Creek, which will house the fresh vegetables for immediate delivery to the restaurants, Swanson said.

“Even though there are hundreds of farms surrounding the metro Milwaukee area, chefs and restaurateurs don’t have the time or resources to access the local, seasonal produce,” said Swanson. “It’s much easier for chefs to call a national food distributor for produce imported from California or elsewhere. The Braise model will make local, peak-of-season produce easily accessible.”

Building on the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) system already in place for participating farmers, Swanson has partnered with David Kozlowski, who serves as the liaison between the farmers and restaurants. Kozlowski, a grower and owner of Pinehold Gardens, worked with Swanson to design the RSA model.

Participating area restaurants include Meritage and La Merenda of Milwaukee and Café Manna of Brookfield.

“Now it’s much easier to offer our customers dishes based on local, seasonal ingredients,” said Peter Sandroni, chef/owner La Merenda.

Braise Culinary School’s mission is to source food locally and to heighten consumers’ awareness of their foods’ origin. Founded in 2006, it includes Braise on the Go traveling culinary school where cooking classes are held in farm fields or orchards.
Swanson is a James Beard recognized chef whose restaurant experience includes Sanford in Milwaukee, Le Français and Carlo’s in the Chicago area, and Commander’s Palace in New Orleans.

Here are some pictures of Sweet Water’s evolution from Growing Power training in Dec. 2008 through to April 2009.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157622045002814/

---

Please call 414 232 1336 if you would like to stop over at Sweet Water to meet with Andy Maier and probably Dr. Dave and Jan Christensen from 5 to 7 p.m.

Charlie Price Ready to Help Pathways Project in India

Hi there Thomas,

great to hear from you..apologies for not getting back sooner but i was
out of the country for a few days.

I have read your email with great interest, both the first communications
that Godsil kindly cc’d me into and the email below.
Whilst not actually having worked in India myself yet, i spent around 4
years working with the systems group on projects in Thailand, Cambodia,
Laos, Vietnam and China (also Burma but that was “unofficial”) so i have a
reasonable amount of experience in the types of systems, resources and
constraints that farmers face.

On the aquaponics front i gather Godsil has filled you in on our
background, how and why we exist etc, so i wont go over all that, but
suffice to say we are rapidly building a strong and holistic support
infrastructure for aquaponics both for international development projects
and also for domestic food production initiatives.

Anyway… to cut a long story short, we would be incredibly keen to help
assist your project(s) in every way we can. I am absolutely passionate
about aquaponics and the ecosystem approach it adopts, and where
appropriate it has the potential to significantly improve; productivity,
livelihoods, local capacity, nutrition etc etc (but i guess u know that
and is why we’re talking)

So please consider us onboard and available to contribute in any capacity.

I’d be very keen to meet when your over in September, i’m in London now,
unfortunately and will be returning back to Scotland next week but could
potentially pop down, alternatively would you have the time to pop up to
Scotland (Edinburgh or Glasgow) i could pick you up from the airport, show
you round the institute, and arrange for a few key people to join us round
a table for a chat about how best to help take things forward.

Let me know what you think, if its not feasible i’ll try and get down to
london again, and i think it would be important to meet face to face
before you go back to India, in order to help and efficient and targeted
focus.

One other thing i should mention is that while you’re in the UK make sure
you log onto bbc iplayer, as the aquaponics greenhouses i designed and
built for an educational project are being featured on a documentary
called “The Future of food” and will be aired on the 31st of august BBC2 @
9pm and will then be available to watch online for a further 7days on
iplayer.
Anyway its only going to be a short piece but would at least allow you to
have a look at them, and should help raise awareness… although having
said that its a bit of a techy systems using an air source heat pump to
heat and cool the greenhouse, so not appropriate for your context, but i
guess each application has its own requirements… anyway just in case
your interested..

So i look forward to hearing from you, and please be assured we very keen
to contribute.

kind regards
charlie

Charlie Price
Project Manager
Aquaponics UK
University of Stirling
www.aquaponics.org.uk
mob: 07545 817206

80 Photos of Sweet Water’s First 90 Days

This is my first draft of photos toward “my coffee table book” on
The Story of the Sweet Water Fish Vegetable Farm…

Created in an old industrial building in Bay View Milwaukee,
Not far from the site of the Bay View Massacre during
The struggle for the 8 hour day back in the 1880s.

These 80 or so pictures capture the first three months of the Sweet Water experiment,
Two months of studying Will Allen’s aquaculture methods, meeting, and planning,
And one month of intense and astonishingly productive labor, i.e.
Four roughly 50 ft. by 6 ft. by 6 ft. trenches carved through 7 inches of concrete and 6 ft. of clay,
Below ground framing for the pond liners, above ground structures for the plant platforms,
And the removal of about 400 ft. by 7 ft. of painted over, broken, and boarded over wire reinforced windows.

The pictures also capture images of the key actors of this hope-filled drama at work.

In time names and prose will be provided, along with pictures of the months that followed.

Here’s best prose on the Sweet Water Story to date:

Cold Summer Day
Milwaukee

Winter Farmers Market Becoming Quite Possible at Sweet Water Organics in Bay View

Josh Mertens of Wild Flower Bakery, Josh Fraundorf of Sweet Water Organics, and Cor Heemskerk of Papagenos.com have begun conversations hopefully leading to a Winter Farmers Market at the Bay View’s newest city fish vegetable farm at Sweet Water Organics, 2151 S. Robinson, just one block west of KK.

There is a newly organized group of pictures portraying the Sweet Water story at…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/

For a nice article in the Bay View “Compass” on Sweet Water…

http://bayviewcompass.com/archives/1205

For a nice article in the Bay View “Compass” on Sweet Water…

Winter Farmers Market Becoming Quite Possible at Sweet Water Organics in Bay View

Josh Mertens of Wild Flower Bakery, Josh Fraundorf of Sweet Water Organics, and Cor Heemskerk of Papagenos.com have begun conversations hopefully leading to a Winter Farmers Market at the Bay View’s newest city fish vegetable farm at Sweet Water Organics, 2151 S. Robinson, just one block west of KK.

There is a newly organized group of pictures portraying the Sweet Water story at…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/

For a nice article in the Bay View “Composs” on Sweet Water…

http://bayviewcompass.com/archives/1205

Fall In the Air

Highlight paragraphs from longer letter below:

Now, with all of this in mind, WOTR and its constituents is still a community in need, albeit one with great capacity and an expressed desire to scale up innovations quickly. To address the annual food-insecure period experienced by most of the villagers, they would like to develop an aquaponics system at their training facility with the intention of extending this expertise out to hundreds of villages very quickly. Will Allen has already agreed, if funded, to conduct an intensive training at their facility. Godsil is already helping with all of his contacts, experience and access to Sweet Water. I have… complete access to WOTR’s facilities and grant-writer. I am in talks with investors and am overseeing the writing of grants. Additionally, I will be overseeing the development of the Aquaponics system, the preparations for Will’s training, and the development of a train-the-trainer curriculum on the system.

Visions of Aquaponics Collaborations USA, England, and India for Food Security

Kyoto World Water Grand Prize Winner, World Water Forum, Envision Major Aquponics Initiative

This year (2009), at the 5th World Water Forum, WOTR was awarded the coveted Kyoto World Water Grand Prize, beating out 67 other organizations globally, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to organizing rural communities for watershed development and rainwater harvesting in an inclusive, equitable and gender sensitive manner.

Now, with all of this in mind, WOTR and its constituents is still a community in need, albeit one with great capacity and an expressed desire to scale up innovations quickly. To address the annual food-insecure period experienced by most of the villagers, they would like to develop an aquaponics system at their training facility with the intention of extending this expertise out to hundreds of villages very quickly. Will Allen has already agreed, if funded, to conduct an intensive training at their facility. Godsil is already helping with all of his contacts, experience and access to Sweet Water. I have complete access to Will’s facilities and his grant-writer and, similarly, complete access to WOTR’s facilities and grant-writer. I am in talks with investors and am overseeing the writing of grants. Additionally, I will be overseeing the development of the Aquaponics system, the preparations for Will’s training, and the development of a train-the-trainer curriculum on the system.

Beyond addressing food insecurity, the longer-term vision is one of a cooperative of fish, vegetable and herb producers throughout central India. We already have, for this purpose, a micro-finance structure available to villagers for the development of aquaponics systems.

Subject: RE: Help for Tom’s Project from the UK
To: charlie@aquaponics.org.uk
Cc: James Godsil <godsil.james@gmail.com>, Madeleine Joseph <maddiejoseph@hotmail.co.uk>

Hello Charlie,

I met with Godsil last night and, among other things, we talked about your work. I wanted to introduce myself and, having now checked out the Institute of Aquaculture’s website, say a little bit more about this project that I’m setting up in India.

First, I think it’s worth bringing up some language that is directly from your website - specifically from the section on the Aquaculture Systems & Development Group:

“Our starting point is the understanding of the system - most obviously aquaculture production systems, but increasingly and with rather more challenge, the wider aquatic resource system which is manipulated for societal aims - food production, financial gain, ecological quality, aesthetic value and human livelihood. The inevitable “sustainability” - however defined (and we’ve tried this too) - also has to appear. The issues we work with centre on defining what is the goal, be it commercial aquaculture, meeting the needs of poor people, finding acceptable multiple-use resource management, or supporting ecosystem health - and defining the approaches required, incorporating a range of tools and areas of expertise.”

This quote gets at so much of what is central to this project. We are talking about a variety of social issues that are bundled together and which require a range of expertise and solutions. The evolution of activities at the Watershed Organization Trust speak to this reality and aquaponics as a strategic intervention at this point is about so much more than food. It is about life and livelihoods for a vital and resilient population that is nonetheless in need.

The Watershed Organization Trust [www.wotr.org] began their work in, as their name suggests, the field of watershed management. In this regard, they retrieve whole watersheds, with complete community buy in [through a thorough stake-holder analysis and consensus building process in which the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ deconstruct the degree to which the prosperity of each is contingent upon the prosperity of all]. Over the course of about five years the community members contribute their labor to dig contour trenches and plant trees. In one watershed community I visited, when they began their work they had a gap of food insecurity for several months every year between the time of the last harvest and the monsoon. In this time, most families migrated out of the area to find work and the water table was over 6 meters below ground level. After five years of hard work, this food insecure gap was shortened to just a few weeks, the water table had risen to about 3 meters below ground level and they were importing workers to help harvest their food.

The sphere of WOTR’s activities has, however, moved organically well beyond the scope of mere watershed development into areas such as livelihood creation, micro-finance, gender main-streaming, education, etc., and they have one of the most effectively evolved participatory models I have ever seen.

Since forming in 1993, the initial successes of WOTR have prompted the in-house development of several other activities and entities. These include (1) the Sampada Trust, which works to empower women by providing access to credit through small loans for entrepreneurial livelihood and consumption purposes. Activities are organized in a manner that also facilitates the mainstreaming of women in the decision-making process of their villages; (2) the Sanjeevani Institute of Empowerment and Development [SIED] which focuses on the ground-level implementation of projects in rural Maharashtra; (3) the School for Sustainable Living and Livelihoods [SSLL] the mission of which is to confront climate change by protecting and diversifying rural livelihoods through holistic training, adaptation and alternative strategies; (4) Grassroutes, a responsible rural tourism movement building a network of village tourism destinations across India, which are owned, managed and run by local village communities; and (5) a Renewable Energy unit whose objective is to make available renewable sources of energy to address the domestic energy requirements - for cooking and lighting - of rural households. This unit has already developed biogas plants with attached toilets, solar home lighting systems and a smokeless stove run with biomass pellets manufactured out of agro-wastes.

WOTR has, since its inception, successfully implemented and supported 728 watershed projects across 996 villages, impacting the lives of over 740,000 people and regenerating over 540,000 hectares [1.33 million acres] of watersheds throughout India.

This year (2009), at the 5th World Water Forum, WOTR was awarded the coveted Kyoto World Water Grand Prize, beating out 67 other organizations globally, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to organizing rural communities for watershed development and rainwater harvesting in an inclusive, equitable and gender sensitive manner.

Now, with all of this in mind, WOTR and its constituents is still a community in need, albeit one with great capacity and an expressed desire to scale up innovations quickly. To address the annual food-insecure period experienced by most of the villagers, they would like to develop an aquaponics system at their training facility with the intention of extending this expertise out to hundreds of villages very quickly. Will Allen has already agreed, if funded, to conduct an intensive training at their facility. Godsil is already helping with all of his contacts, experience and access to Sweet Water. I have complete access to Will’s facilities and his grant-writer and, similarly, complete access to WOTR’s facilities and grant-writer. I am in talks with investors and am overseeing the writing of grants. Additionally, I will be overseeing the development of the Aquaponics system, the preparations for Will’s training, and the development of a train-the-trainer curriculum on the system.

Beyond addressing food insecurity, the longer-term vision is one of a cooperative of fish, vegetable and herb producers throughout central India. We already have, for this purpose, a micro-finance structure available to villagers for the development of aquaponics systems.

We need technical guidance, we need funding and, in short, we need all of the help we can get. There are many pieces in place for this project, but I can’t do this alone.

Charlie, you are in a unique position vis-a-vis this project. Yours is an organization that could contribute significantly to bringing food security and livelihood creation to a troubled region, impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not ultimately millions, of people. Any help you could bring would be so greatly appreciated.

I look forward to your future correspondence,

Tom Knoll

Founder/Director

Pathways To Empowerment

www.pathwaystoempowerment.org

mu81169@hotmail.com

p.s. Please forgive our website as it is being restructured to reflect all of this current work. Also, I should tell you that I will be in London from Sep. 7–10th, before leaving for India. If possible, let me know and we could meet while I am there.

Sweet Water Perch or Tilapia for Everyday Citizens as Agents

Dear All,

I hope to sell as many of Sweet Water’s 33,000 tilapia and 5,000 perch in 2009,
For delivery in 2010.

http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/SweetWaterFishFarming/HomePage

http://bayviewcompass.com/archives/1205

I have been given permission to assemble a sales team for this project,
Each of whom would be paid commissions involving not cash but…

Tilapia, perch, and other Sweet Water products, delivered in 2010.

Starving artists as Sweet Water agents will never starve again,
If they can become competent peddlers!

Drop me a line if your are interested.
godsil.james@gmail.com

Grateful,

Godsil

P.S. Or, stop over for our every Wednesday Sweet Water gatherings,
$5 donation in cash or labor requested, Dr. Dave’s wheat grass and
Jan Christensen food often part of the learning fun.

Want to Buy Some Sweet Water Perch or Tilapia in 2009 w 2010 Delivery?

Know anybody wants to help Sweet Water raise $600 for a worm experiment?

Help Sweet Water buy some worms September 2009 and thereby buy yourself
Some Sweet Water perch or tilapia for delivery in 2010!

The Sweet Water partners have given me permission to explore
Some Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) offerings.

Invest From $25 to $5,000 in Sweet Water Goods and Services
Delivered in 2010 or beyond

• Fish(tilapia and/or perch)
• Micro Greens, sprouts, and wheat grass
• Herbs
• Worms
• Black Gold(worm castings)
• Compost
• Education/Training/Tours
• Events(weddings at Sweet Water!)
• Installations(in your garage or backyard green house)

Investments Beyond $5,000

This would require some conversation with Josh and Steve.

Learn More at Sweet Water Every Wednesday Gatherings 5 to 7 p.m.
($5 donation in cash or labor requested)

Brainstorm Sweet Water on Line

Drop a note to godsil.james@gmail.com if you would like to brainstorm
Sweet Water visions over the years.

Grateful,

Godsil
http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/SweetWaterFishFarming/HomePage#toc4

Charlie Price E-Mail to Matt: 7/22/09;8/01/09/ 8/15/09

July 22, 2009

Dear Matthew

As you can see from below your email reached far and wide. I work at The Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University and run a not for profit organisation called Aquaponics UK.

Anyway to cut a long story short I too have been inflicted with the Aquaponics bug and am working with a wide range of projects both in the UK and internationally to establish aquaponics systems both for education, rehabilitation and food production. Around a year ago we were actually in talks with some delegates from Afghanistan set up through the British Council who expressed an interest in aquaculture and aquaponics and their suitability due to water scarcity and high potential productivity. (I will chase things up and keep you informed)

In short, I think what your trying to do is fantastic and exactly the kind of initiatives that we need to support. I am extremely keen to help with in any way I can. I have played with various low tech aquaponics systems with a view to their adoption into the developing world as both temporary and semi permanent solutions to food production and enhanced nutrition, but I do agree that pumping is an issue for situations such as yours where services are not readily available and even generators have often untenable.

One method that I would suggest and one that I am exploring with a “scrap-yard engineering wizard” friend of mine is the use of a bicycle to pump sufficient water into a header tank to then operate either flood and drain cycles or through grow beds / nft. This would then mean a predetermined amount of cycling time to provide 12 or 24 hour flow rates (and multiples of two fish tanks on the low and higher levels (I can give you more details if interested)

We’ve recently been given some product development and research and development money from a commercial sponsor “Hydrogarden” and I’m sure this is exactly the kind of project they would be interested in supporting, so if you like, I can get someone to looking into the solar pump situation for you. Plus we’re working with some quite high profile projects in the UK, Eden, CAT, ABLE as well as commercial growers and individual schools and as a result receiving some wide reaching interest from Princess Anne to a recent BBC documentary to be aired shortly. So hopefully we can provide some support in terms of technical expertise but also help to generate publicity for what your trying to do, if required.

It would be good to know more about what sort of aquaponics configuration you had in mind and what species of fish and plants etc. Perhaps when you get time you could give me some more details and we can take it from there..

Best wishes and keep up the good work, if you want any free samples to play about with and experiment over there please let me know and I’ll get them sourced and sent out.

Best wishes

Charlie

Charlie Price - Project Manager
Aquaponics UK
University of Stirling
www.aquaponics.org.uk
Mob: 07545 817206

August 1, 2009

HI there Matthew, sorry for the delay in getting back to you, but I have good news… I think I have a solar system for you…

I have been speaking to German manufacturer of solar panels and pumps, and I have had the provisional offer of help and support from them, with a view to Aquaponics UK developing a standalone system for applications such as yours.

So with your help, I can supply the kit and hopefully together we can trial this system together.

My thoughts were to have a 35w panel, charging a 41A battery pack and then running one or two 17w pumps giving up a pumping head of up to 3m but ideally with a flow rate of 1000–1500ltrs/hr at a head of 0.6–1m. I can supply all of this free of charge, but also tanks if I know what your thinking size wise?

So I hope this email finds your well, Please let me know your thoughts on size then I can put together some other kit (test kits, media, supplementary nutes etc etc) and see below spec for the three solar components.

Kind regards,

Charlie

August 15, 2009

Hi there Matthew

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner I had a huge drama with my laptop (left it on my roof and drove for 130miles before realising!!)

Anyway all is well now….

Right so I have finally manage to get some kit sorted, (see attached document) can you just confirm your address and then best way to send it.

I have also sorted this PV panel system (well asides from the boss signing) and that will follow on shortly after (PV panel, battery pack, and two solar pumps)

I also have to say that obviously aquaponics is much more that the equipment I’m sending and in some sense, feel slightly embarassed about sending “high tech” equipment for an application that can also be resolved with some simple elegant engineering. So please view the donation of this equipment merely to help give you the tools to move things along (and as a show of support). My main priority is to try and help work with you to scale the systems and also to develop low tech solutions that are perhaps more appropriate in the long term, but we need to start somewhere right..?

Great news about the USAID people coming to see you, hope they too realise the potential that some relatively simple solutions can make to localised high value food production. I have been speaking to the PV panel manufactures in Germany and they are right behind the idea, so if we could get some development money for people to get the systems we could develop some simple standalone systems together and really start to get things out there.

It fits perfectly into the Aquaponics UK ethos where we operate on a not for profit basis, feeding profits generated from supplying equipment back into helping people develop Aquaponically…

Other good news is that the BBC documentary I was interviewed for, is coming to air in a couple of weeks, so that will help generate awareness of aquaponics and show them the greenhouses.

Everything is good this end, lots of interesting projects, we’re designing a 10t/yr tilapia and 600m2 salad system at the moment which is fun, but made even better by the fact the power supply is coming from water wheel generators (in a Mill that dates back to 1010AD and was owned by Macbeth in the 1200’s !!) and also that the project is going to provide employment opportunities for young school leavers, but also function as a visitor/learning center.

Also a 130 strong food coop in London with a disused carpark and some land, and numerous other interesting possibilities (and that’s just since we last spoke)

Anyway, I digress, well if you can have a look through the list and see if what’s proposed is suitable and appropriate, and also let me know about delivery logistics, size restrictions?, etc etc.

I hope this email finds you well.

Any further thoughts on system size and design, and what available bits and bobs and available for tanks/troughs. I added some bases like chelated iron, phosphate, and calcium, as I guessed you’d find these useful once you got things going, also a trident multi meter, a bit techy, but useful.

Plus 200 organic plugs to get you going, but I am sure there is local resources like coir which once washed would be great.

Umm, what else, some pumps, (400–1200ltrs/hr, 4000ltrs/hr and 5800ltrs/hr) all 240v but I guessed adaptable in the right hands, there nothing incredibly special but Italian made and reliable (for the Italians!). I also put in a couple of 60w compressors, air hose and diffusers, again to play with, but I think in smaller systems/biomasses you could get most aeration through pump and water flow. Oh and the other thing was autopots, they are great little things, they basically allow water to be feed into a tray/saucer and filled up to 20mm, then the valve closes (no power needed) and stays closed till the tray/saucer is empty, then it fills again, these linked to a reservoir (with fish or with nutrients). Anyway I think they can b quite handy and so included 5 as I’m sure you can find a good use for them maybe as an addition to a system- feed from sump to pots with tomatoes/peppers etc.

Ok, we’ll speak soon

Best wishes

Charlie

Charlie Price Notes to Matthew

Start of Sweet Water Development Photo Essay

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Healthy, tasty locally produced food with reduced carbon imprint and no toxic chemicals

Pumps

The raceways are 6′ x 6′ x 45′. They consist of a one horse pump. The pump has capability to pump 3500 gph. Each tank has eight four bulb t-8s, and four two bulb t-8s, Each bulb is 32 watts. Each run is heated with a 100,000 btu 82% efficent pool heater, that is feed from a 1 hp self priming superpump. The oxygen is generated by a 2 hp, 3 phase regenerative ring blower. This booed is capable of creating air for up to eight tanks.

Wheat Grass Moments at Sweet Water Guild Schools Every Wednesday 5 to 6 p.m.

Milwaukee Composting Project, Poetry Readings, Freezing/Canning Foods, Winter Farmers Market, and more also on Agrarian Guild School Agenda for the Season

Good Food and Beauty at Sweet Water

Excellent “Bay View Compass” Article on Sweet Water by Casey Twanow

http://bayviewcompass.com/archives/1205

Sweet Water Agrarian Guild School Aims to Pay Board Members Who Need It

You can pay board members, but you have to make sure that the compensation is not unreasonable. The key is not to have any “private benefit and inurement.” See page 2 of Publication 4221pc, a brochure available at www.irs.gov. The key is to keep it from being a piece of the action (net income or assets), as opposed to being a reasonable wage or salary. It’s hard to imagine this organization paying an unreasonable amount. Just keep in mind that it should reflect market sensibilities, tying the work they do with a wage or salary that you’d have to pay a disinterested person if you hired them.

I spent some time on the IRS site, but found this article to have some nice plain talk and good advice:

http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/whitepaperdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=22981

It also lists, in footnote 2, the Treasury Regulations defining “excessive compensation.” I don’t have the time to pull these up and it would probably be much easier to do so in the hard copies I have at work. Let me know if you need me to pull them. But I like the article’s advice about having an outside expert set the compensation. Again, my guess is that the compensation Godsil wants to offer is way below the limits.

Sweet Water Agrarian Guild School Aims to Pay Board Members Who Need It

You can pay board members, but you have to make sure that the compensation is not unreasonable. The key is not to have any “private benefit and inurement.” See page 2 of Publication 4221pc, a brochure available at www.irs.gov. The key is to keep it from being a piece of the action (net income or assets), as opposed to being a reasonable wage or salary. It’s hard to imagine this organization paying an unreasonable amount. Just keep in mind that it should reflect market sensibilities, tying the work they do with a wage or salary that you’d have to pay a disinterested person if you hired them.

I spent some time on the IRS site, but found this article to have some nice plain talk and good advice:

http://www.asaecenter.org/PublicationsResources/whitepaperdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=22981

It also lists, in footnote 2, the Treasury Regulations defining “excessive compensation.” I don’t have the time to pull these up and it would probably be much easier to do so in the hard copies I have at work. Let me know if you need me to pull them. But I like the article’s advice about having an outside expert set the compensation. Again, my guess is that the compensation Godsil wants to offer is way below the limits.

Wheat Grass Moments at Sweet Water Guild Schools This Wednesday 5 to 6 p.m.

2151 S. Robinson in Bay View,

Dear All,

These pat two weeks, the embryonic Sweet Water Guild School has had Wednesday p.m. brainstorms
On Wednesdays, from 5 to 6 p.m.

The Sweet Water Guild School will actually be “Guild Schools,”
With, as of this writing, workshops devoted to issues

• artistic
• artisinal
• agrarian

The Sweet Water Agrarians’ First Workshop This Wednesday:

What Grass Moments:

 “Everything You Wanted to Know About Wheat Grass and Other

Healthy and Nutritionally Beneficial Cereal Grasses”

Retired medical doctor, permaculture scientist, and community organizer
Dave Schemberger, will share his decades worth of study and development of
wheat grass nutritional and medicinal tonics.

“Mother Nature’s finest medicinal tonic”

Discussion and Demonstration, Including Sample Wheat Grass Drinks

Dave has been inspired by Ann Wigmore, the mother of wheat grass, whose work,
“Be Your Own Doctor,” has inspired a generation of agrarians to cultivate what and
other micro green “super foods.”

Dave says that wheat grass in powdered form is 50% protein, and better for us
than fresh fish from the wild(though not quite as tasty).

I can remember gladly paying $3 for a shot glass of wheat grass at Outpost a couple of years
back, both for the health part of it, but also because it gave me a very nice energy surge,
a kind of “legal high.”

Send an e-mail to godsil.james@gmail.com if you would like to attend this event.
We will passing the hat in expectation of donations for the Sweet Water Agrarian School
on a sliding fee schedule, from $1 if your broke, to $10 if you flush with bucks!

Note: enter Sweet Water at 2151 S. Robinson in Bay View,

 Wednesday at 5 p.m. from the back entrance, accessible from the

service road a block west of Robinson, just to the east of the Amtrack RR tracks.
Call me at 414 232 1336 for further directions.

Sweet Water Woodworking Workshop Has Been Deferred For A Few Months

Here are some web links about Sweet Water:

http://sweetwater-organic.com/blog/

http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/SweetWaterFishFarming/HomePage

Travis W. Hughey

Hey Matt,

Sounds like a challenging area to work in. I love it!! Wish I could be there. I have been hoping someone would take this technology to Afghanistan for quite some time now but had noone to talk to about it. I have a couple of comments and some questions for you.

One of the easiest aquaponic systems out there is a system that operates off a hand pump and the owner has to go out every hour or so and flood the growbeds manually, allow the water to sit there for 15 minutes or so and open a drain that would allow the growbed to slowly drain back into the fish pond. While not automated it can work and if there is nothing else to do a kid could keep the system going. A basic pitcher pump would work out just fine for it. Growbeds and fish tanks could be made from almost any liner (I use discarded billboard signs) as well as cement which is appropriate for most areas. Plumbing would be minimal and could be cast into the cement to reduce theft issues. I am concerned if it is too technological looking even the Taliban may see it as some connection to the west and immediately destroy it.

Are solar conditions right for solar power there? What about wind? Also, what would you estimate a reasonable cost for a complete turnkey system that could be set in place and literally be running in a few hours? I have an idea for something like this here and could easily put something together to test. I would need to know cost parameters though to help with design. The barrel-ponics concept can be made to run on very low power requirements. For instance I have a system that occupies a 8ft. by 12ft space, can grow 100 tilapia easily, has 60 sq. ft. of growbed space and only consumes 40 watts of power to operate. It requires some plumbing, framework to be made from wood or steel, 8 plastic barrels (200 liter) and of course gravel and fish. Kits for this system could be built here and shipped there with assembly time in a couple days with a crew of people working. I think once one is made the locals will take the construction of others in hand and figure out a way to get things done with materials at hand. I have seen it before and locals can be very creative when they want to be. Let me know your thoughts.

Blessin’s,

Trav.

Tilapia

tilapia@yahoogroups.com

Useful Information for Aquaculture Developers

Oxygen

Here is a link to the diffusers we use for pure oxygen from Aquatic Ecosystems. There are 4 different sizes.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/2990/Point-Four-Ceramic-Plate-Diffusers-Ultra-Fine-Pore/diffusers/0

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Susan Bence Radio Coverage of the Fish Arrival at Sweet Water!

Here’s an audio of Susan’s Sweet Water coverage, which captures the “essence” of the place and project:

http://wuwm.com/programs/news/view_news.php?articleid=4799

Susan Bence of public radio fame in Milwaukee offers these pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wuwm/sets/72157621433214503/show/

my-backyard-fish-farm

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/my-backyard-fish-farm/article1218280/
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Afghanistan Aquaculture Project

Here is some correspondence initiated by Marine Sgt Matthew Holzmann, stationed in Afghanistan, hoping to introduce aquaponics for self reliance and community building.

Pump Problem

I’m in Afghanistan now, as part of Operation Khanjar, which has been making the news quite a bit lately. I would like to bring Will’s vision to the people of Nawa. However, I have trouble getting materials. If Will can devise ‘re-use’ methods for me to implement with limited materials, then I will gladly get the ball rolling here.

My biggest problem is getting a pump to move water from tank to bed. Many of the folks here have generators, so power shouldn’t be much of a problem. However, they ALL use 220 power, with plugs that we don’t see in the US. They use the same plug here that the Brits use, and the rest of the Arab nations use. So, if you can get me the information to get started, then I can do whatever I can to get a system going here.

We will be working out of an old school, and should be able to get a smallish system working there. If Will plans on coming to Afghanistan, have him try to get a trip to see 1st BN, 5th MAR, under 2nd MEB, working with the NATO ISAF group out of Camp Leatherneck/Camp Bastion. Again, we are working out of Nawa. The locals would most likely be using some variety of catfish for their aquaculture component. Feel free to pass my email on to Will; I’d love to be a part of his vision.

Best wishes,

Sgt Matthew Holzmann, Data Supervisor
1st BN, 5th MAR, H&S Co, Comm Plt, Data
DSN: 318.359.5100
EMAIL: matthew.holzmann@afg.usmc.mil

Pump “Solutions” Suggested

Howard Lewis

“Affordable?” Holy Cow! Technology doesn’t come cheap. Is the Pentagon footing the bill or the subsistence farmers who are already hard-pressed to survive?

The second issue is maintenance and repair. When my father-in-law designed airport terminals in Ethiopia, he specified thatched roofs. Thatch was the perfect technology; affordable, maintainable, and replaceable at the end of their life-cycle. When we designed a school campus in India we used building systems and materials that could be produced by the students, who were able to build and expand their own school buildings then take their knowledge and skills back to their villages after graduation.

Think cheap, local, replicate-able, simple. How about hand pumps or foot pumps?

Mention these things to Sgt. Holzman. Also suggest he contact Mother Earth News. Its readers (Hippies in the Woods) have likely figured out how to move water in a thousand innovative ways.

Ho

Charlie Price

Dear Matthew

As you can see from below your email reached far and wide. I work at The Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University and run a not for profit organisation called Aquaponics UK.

Anyway to cut a long story short I too have been inflicted with the Aquaponics bug and am working with a wide range of projects both in the UK and internationally to establish aquaponics systems both for education, rehabilitation and food production. Around a year ago we were actually in talks with some delegates from Afghanistan set up through the British Council who expressed an interest in aquaculture and aquaponics and their suitability due to water scarcity and high potential productivity. (I will chase things up and keep you informed)

In short, I think what your trying to do is fantastic and exactly the kind of initiatives that we need to support. I am extremely keen to help with in any way I can. I have played with various low tech aquaponics systems with a view to their adoption into the developing world as both temporary and semi permanent solutions to food production and enhanced nutrition, but I do agree that pumping is an issue for situations such as yours where services are not readily available and even generators have often untenable.

One method that I would suggest and one that I am exploring with a “scrap-yard engineering wizard” friend of mine is the use of a bicycle to pump sufficient water into a header tank to then operate either flood and drain cycles or through grow beds / nft. This would then mean a predetermined amount of cycling time to provide 12 or 24 hour flow rates (and multiples of two fish tanks on the low and higher levels (I can give you more details if interested)

We’ve recently been given some product development and research and development money from a commercial sponsor “Hydrogarden” and I’m sure this is exactly the kind of project they would be interested in supporting, so if you like, I can get someone to looking into the solar pump situation for you. Plus we’re working with some quite high profile projects in the UK, Eden, CAT, ABLE as well as commercial growers and individual schools and as a result receiving some wide reaching interest from Princess Anne to a recent BBC documentary to be aired shortly. So hopefully we can provide some support in terms of technical expertise but also help to generate publicity for what your trying to do, if required.

It would be good to know more about what sort of aquaponics configuration you had in mind and what species of fish and plants etc. Perhaps when you get time you could give me some more details and we can take it from there..

Best wishes and keep up the good work, if you want any free samples to play about with and experiment over there please let me know and I’ll get them sourced and sent out.

Best wishes

Charlie

Charlie Price - Project Manager
Aquaponics UK
University of Stirling
www.aquaponics.org.uk
Mob: 07545 817206

Hi Matthew,

Thanks again for your email, I think our shared enthusiasm is going to drive this forwards, like you said let’s keep up momentum.

I’ve provisionally contacted Hydrogarden and got the MD’s go ahead, also just to say regarding the eventual goal of a learning lab for the school, we’ve developed some really nice interactive display systems and are at the moment looking at incorporating wormeries and insect towers to demonstrate a whole ecosystem… so there is loads we can help/give and assist with there.

I was very close to going into the military/RAF myself as at 16 was awarded an RAF flying scholarship…but then whilst travelling in Africa and Asia before and during my first degree I realised who I was and what I wanted to do, then 10 years of university and three degrees later I’m getting to the stage where I can actually give something back. So I am extremely keen to help make this work and be of any and every help that I can.

I’ll email you again when back from Norway, but so long as you or any of your counterparts are keen, we’re here to help and support.

Best wishes

Charlie

Susan Bence Radio Coverage of the Fish Arrival at Sweet Water!

Here’s an audio of Susan’s Sweet Water coverage, which captures the “essence” of the place and project:

http://wuwm.com/programs/news/view_news.php?articleid=4799

Susan Bence of public radio fame in Milwaukee offers these pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wuwm/sets/72157621433214503/show/

my-backyard-fish-farm

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/my-backyard-fish-farm/article1218280/
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Sweet Water Quasi Experimental Compost Tea Project

I have hardly ever used compost tea in my 3 year stint as
An urban agriculture intern(5 years intern, 5 years apprentice,
5 years journeymon, and then???)…

But now that Sweet Water has 25 worm bin;

And an outside worm repository with black gold(worm castings) from sprout trays;

We are in a position to make:

• Compost Tea Light(watering the outside repository and collecting the tea)

• Compost Tea Regular(watering the worm bins)

If anyone would wish to create a quasi-expeirmental research project
where they would create 3 essentially identical garden plots and…

• Use compost tea light on one
• Compost tea regular on another
• No compoist tea on the third…

I would provide the compost tea free of charge
To whomever would be a meticulous researcher,
Recording data, taking pictures, and sharing information.

What say?

Why not?

Godsil
Sweet Water Olde
http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/HomePage

Nice “Outpost Natural Foods” Magazine Article on Sweet Water Organics

 http://www.outpostnaturalfoods.coop/exchange/0709tidBits.pdf

Nice article on fish farm from transformed Milwaukee industrial slum.

 http://www.outpostnaturalfoods.coop/exchange/0709tidBits.pdf

Wood Working Workshops at Sweet Water

There are 3 slots open for a one hour woodworking workshop
Offered by Cabinetmaker Ken Johnson, who has crafted
Sweet Water worm bins, work tables, window planters,
Light structures, and lots more.

Ken is Sweet Water’s Cabinet Maker.

But he is also happy to be a

 Woodworking Teacher

Three openings for a workshop next week,
At $10 per person, 3 persons per workshop.

First Workshop: Power Tool Safety

Please send me an e-mail if you would like to sign up
Or learn more.

P.S. I hope to inspire Sweet Water Artist in Residence
Jeff Redmon, who designed our logo, web page, and
the art at Sweet Water, to present a workshop on
his certain kind of art. Other workshops at Sweet Water,
which embodies the marriage of artists, artisans, and urban agrarians,
to following, including:

• copper smithing

• soldering

• masonry

• internet tools

• contracting theory and practice

• small business start-up series

• computer graphics

• photography and film

Testimonials

Sweet Water Micro Green Sampling Gathering Noon Sunday!

Dear All,

We are astonished to witness the micro green trays
Now ready for harvest at Sweet Water!

Planted with sun flower, radish, and pea seeds
Purchased last week from Growing Power and
Planted last Saturday by Josh Fraundorf, President
Of Sweet Water Organics, with his friends
Andy Meier, maybe by Sweet Water artist Jeff Redmon,
Volunteer Paul, and others I can’t know right now…

Unless something weird happens(I’m on way to Chicago),
At noon on Sunday, I will be hosting a micro green sampling gathering
At Sweet Water, at 2151 S. Robinson, one block west of KK,
A few blocks north of Lincoln.

Any chefs or gardeners out there are invited!

But you must call me Sunday morning between 11 and 11:30
To confirm that all is well.

Godsil
Sweet Water Olde
414 232 1336
http://sweetwater-organic.com/blog/

Testimonials

Andy Meier, maybe by Sweet Water artist Jeff Redmon,

Sweet Water Micro Green Sampling Gathering Noon Sunday!

Dear All,

We are astonished to witness the micro green trays
Now ready for harvest at Sweet Water!

Planted with sun flower, radish, and pea seeds
Purchased last week from Growing Power and
Planted last Saturday by Josh Fraundorf, President
Of Sweet Water Organics, with his friends
Andy Meier, may by Sweet Water artist Jeff Redmon,
Volunteer Paul, and others I can’t know right now…

Unless something weird happens(I’m on way to Chicago),
At noon on Sunday, I will be hosting a micro green sampling gathering
At Sweet Water, at 2151 S. Robinson, one block west of KK,
A few blocks north of Lincoln.

Any chefs or gardeners out there are invited!

But you must call me Sunday morning between 11 and 11:30
To confirm that all is well.

Godsil
Sweet Water Olde
414 232 1336
http://sweetwater-organic.com/blog/

Introducing Sweet Water Organics

Eyes on the Prize of Supporting and Replicating the Sweet Water Model

Seek “Mondragon Partners” to Advance Fish Farm Experiments

Fish Farm Archives

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The Story of Alterra Radiant Wastes And Sweet Water Fish Vegetable Farm

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Fish Farm Archives

Sweet Water Seeks Carbon Ingredients

Growing Power inspired, Great Lakes Water Institute informed,
Sweet Water Organics fish and vegetable farm
Is very likely launching a very major composting project,
In cooperation with Growing Power and
Carbon/nitrogen providers of wood chips,
Spent brewery grain, coffee grounds, fruit & veggie wastes.

http://sweetwater-organic.com/blog/

Lots of pictures of composting with bobcat and excavator:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157617827961742/show/

If Wood Chips Become Scarce, What Are Most Efficient Carbon Options?

We are about to commit to processing what could be vast quantities of nitrogen elements.

If the wood chips don’t keep up with the nitrogen ingredients,
What would people suggest we consider?

Grateful,

Godsil
http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Godsil/HomePage

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Fresh water arrives at Sweet Water!

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U.S. Marine Inspired by Aquaculture’s Possibilities for Peace

From: MattHolzmann <mattholzmann@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 9:31 AM
Subject: Distant partners
To: info@sweetwater-organic.com

Sweet Water,

I’m an active duty Marine with an eye toward my future. I recently started an aquaponics system in my backyard, and I have been mostly happy with the results. I still have much to learn, for sure. Today, I’m writing to see if you have licensing partnerships planned for the future.

In four years, I will be out of the military and done with my MBA. At that time, I’d like to start a similar project in a high desert location I call home. So, I’m wondering if you will be licensing your technologies/business plan to others, or what your information share will look like? Will you have consulting services available for off-site, short-term assistance?

I look forward to seeing the progress and I want you to know that this project has changed my focus, entirely. You have married all the things I care about into one project, and I could be VERY happy doing what you are doing for the rest of my life.

Thanks,

Matt Holzmann

First Sweet Water Fund Raising Project: Tulips from Holland to Finance Skylights for Our Fish and Vegetable Systems

Sweet Water Organics, developing a Will Allen inspired fish vegetable farm
In an abused turn of the century industrial slum, with the help also of
Fred Binkowski’s Great Lakes Water Institute…

Has commissioned me, a minority partner, to do my best to raise
From $25,000 to $50,000 to address the problems of the leaking roofs
At the KK River Village, and the need for lots more passive solar energy
For the Sweet Water Building proper.

We have already invested about $7,000 in materials to restore the upper 6 ft.
Of all 440 ft. of wall into a passive solar instrument, e.g. with polygal.
Labor costs, which we did ourselves, would have cost from $15,000 to $25,000,
Depending upon whom we hired to remove the old and install new new.

The massive upper roof is in a very sorry state. To restore the roof
Would cost anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000, depending on the specs and who did it.

We are hoping to be able to patch the roof in a phased renewal program,
And to cut in 20 or 30 skylights ASAP.

Our plants will need the light and our budget could stand the heat acquired,
And stored in water and other media.

The repairs and the skylight project will get underway the faster we can raise money.
I’m hoping to raise $5,000 to $25,000 asap.

We have several thousand Asiatic lilly bulbs we are selling at cost, e.g. 50 cents per bulb, directly to the people or to social enterprises or family businesses that could charge anywhere from 80 cents to a dollar per bulb.

These bulbs are ready to plant and should be planted in the next week. I will have some pictures of tulips and lillies from Holland that I planted last Fall at my home farm in Bay View, at 325 E. Euclid Ave.

Send an e-mail to godsil.james@gmail.com if you would like some tulips, the purchase of which would advance probably the nation’s first aquaculture farm in a transformed industrial building. I would be glad to enshrine your support for the ages in a site at the Sweet Water web platform at the Milwaukee Renaissance Movement Magazine.

Alternative Energy Links

http://www.builditsolar.com

Good mix of wind generator info

http://www.windstuffnow.com

These guys are awesome, check out their links and discussion board

http://www.otherpower.com

http://www.instructables.com

gasification kit: http://www.allpowerlabs.org/

Letter to Job Seekers

Dear Eric,

We are a shoestring operation so intensely focused on getting the project underway that we do not offer anything by way of paying employment for the next several months. But a key part of our mission is to spark replications and share our quite simple methodologies. So why don’t you stop over some time and check things out.

Specific outcomes we expect to achieve:

Within two years, the project will yield up to 100,000 tilapia and lake perch per annum, as well as $30,000 to $50,000 worth of greens and herbs. A percentage of this output will be offered to low income consumers at affordable prices.

Within five years, the project will spark 20 to 50 replication projects on a smaller scale in Milwaukee, with a focus on faith based and school communities in low income neighborhoods.

Within ten years, the project will inspire 5 to 10 similar “industrial slums to ecological park” ventures in Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit.

Beginning in 2010 Sweet Water will become a training ground and eco-tourism destination, with paying and free tours attracting an average of 100 visitors per month at the outset and 50 “replicator trainees” per annum. There will be weekend workshops and year long internships.

http://sweetwater-organic.com/blog/

Also, if you have not yet done so, take a tour of the inspiring model at Will Allen’s Growing Power. I suggest you consider exploring the new field of urban agriculture, starting out with a review of some platforms at Milwaukee Renaissance that offer some introduction:

http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/GoodFoodMovementOrganizing/HomePage

http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/GrowingPower/HomePage

http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/CommunityGrowersCSAFarm/HomePage

If you would want to start your own food garden, I’ll help!

If you would want to intern with some non-profits in urban ag in Milwaukee, I’ll do my best to help.

Finally, there are some listservs on urban ag that would help advance your understanding and perhaps be doorways to job possibilities. Best one is

“Com Food” <comfood@elist.tufts.edu>,

I suggest you join it!

Best regards,

Godsil

Official web site at…

http://sweetwater-organic.com/blog/

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WUWM 89.9 FM story on Sweet Water Organics in Milwaukee

Hi folks,

Our local NPR station picked up on the story of Sweet Water Organics and has produced a story on it. You can read it and listen to it online through this link:

http://www.wuwm.com/programs/news/view_news.php?articleid=4285

It’s a second story in conjunction with an earlier story about the aquaculture system at a local elementary school. Enjoy!

Jason.
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WUWM 89.9 FM story on Sweet Water Organics in Milwaukee

Hi folks,

Our local NPR station picked up on the story of Sweet Water Organics and has produced a story on it. You can read it and listen to it online through this link:

http://www.wuwm.com/programs/news/view_news.php?articleid=4285

It’s a second story in conjunction with an earlier story about the aquaculture system at a local elementary school. Enjoy!

Jason.
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Introducing Sweet Water Organics

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These Emmanuel Pratt photos present the “before” facility for the emerging Sweet Water Organics Aquaculture Project at 2151 S. Robinson, in the KK River Village. Sweet Water is the brainchild of Steve Lindner and Josh Fraundorf, along with minority partner James Godsil. All three have extensive backgrounds in the artisinal trades in hands-on work as well as entrepreneurial capacities.

This project is growing with some very much appreciated wise inspiration and counsel by Will Allen of Growing Power, supported by Fred Binkowksi of the Great Lakes Water Institute.

Here is an excellent presentation of a demonstration model of Will Allen’s Aquaculture System.

http://www.growseed.org/growingpower.html

Commissioner Rocky Marcoux and Development Director Kein Burton of Milwaukee’s Department of City Development, along with Alderman Tony Zielinski and many key participants in Milwaukee’s good food movement are also moved by this project’s possibilities, not just for Milwaukee, but for the world beyond.

Seven “fish raceways” with a total of 110,000 gallons of water could potentially yield, if all goes well in this pilot “upscaling” experiment, 100,000 tilapia, lake perch, perhaps blue gill, in a year.

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Permits for the project have been obtained. This past Saturday 450 ft. of 6 to 8 inches of concrete were sawn through to prepare for tomorrow’s heavy machinery excavation for five approximately 13,000 gallon below ground fish raceways. The underground tanks will be lined with 45 mil EPDM(fish friendly non-roofing variety). Emmanuel Pratt has been photographing and filming this entire drama, as part of a film on the Green Renaissance of Our Old Cities, with a focus on urban agriculture and sustainable architecture.

The project will develop sequentially. The first 26,000 gallons are aiming for a March arrival. The first fish, tilapia, are hoped to arrive in April.

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There are scores of pictures capturing the first days of this project at…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157612078356291/show/

It is quite possible that fish farming and aquatic plants in a Will Allen Greenhouse System is a 21st century industry of great significance. Here is the story of an urban aquaculture project using a model different than Will’s, but also, in my mind’s eye, worthy of consideration.

http://www.newvillage.net/Journal/Issue2/2aquaculture.html

For a satellite view of the KK River Village:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=2151+S.+Robinson+Street+Milwaukee&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&ei=4ryRSb7SHpaitgf0k8DUCw&cd=1&ll=43.004631,-87.907641&spn=0.000469,0.000858&t=h&z=20&layer=t

If you would like to take a tour of this project as it develops, please let me know.

James Godsil

More on this project at…

Sweet Water Fish Farming

Home School City Farm Projects

http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/HomePage?action=download&upname=kk_space02.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3253125548_e6f6878c58_o.jpg

Further evidence for the viability of Will Allen’s aquaculture methodology can be found in the inspiring work of Matt Ray at Fernwood Montesori’s Schoolyard Greenhouse and Aquaculture System. Here is a link to the start of a photo library of this project:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157613113630561/

If you would wish to sign up for a tour of Fernwood’s aquaculture project, send an e-mail to FernwoodAquaculture@milwaukeerenaissance.com.

Eyes on the Prize of Supporting and Replicating the Sweet Water Model

Will Allen’s demonstration aquaculture systems at Growing Power
Have won rave reviews from many quarters, including the
Great Lakes Water Institute, which has been monitoring
The quality of the water and the fish on a weekly basis
Since providing Growing Power with 10,000 lake perch last April.

The first week of the Sweet Water project has generated
Enthusiasm and hope, which tends to create that which it contemplates.

Here’s an unedited sequence of scores of pictures of first week’s work…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157613480996060/show/

CSA and Mondragon Models To Spark the Transformation of Industrial Buildings

There are many challenges to making fish farms from our old industrial buildings.
The biggest out of pocket expenses will be to deal with the roof issue(usually very expensive)
And the provision of enough heat to keep the plants supporting the water cleansing feature healthy.

Fish farm enterprisers would be able to venture forth into this new territory
If their risks were distributed to partners in the venture.

There are many forms of partnership, including…

Fish Farm CSAs

This is a brainstorm scenario that has not been approved by anyone yet.

So who would like to explore scenarios where some would pre purchase fish the same way people pre-purchase food baskets from fruit and veggie farmers?

Who would like to earmark some or all of these fish to feed people who
Are going to have a hard time buying healthy food in the coming years?

If a fish farm CSA interests you and you would like to brainstorm this concept,
Please send an e-mail to FishFarmCSA@milwaukeerenaissance.com.

Mondragon and Mixed Model Partnerships

Another way of spreading the risk for fish farm transformation of idle industrial buildings
Comes from 50 years of the Mondragon Cooperative Complex of industries and enterprises.

The Mondragón Corporation is a group of manufacturing, financial and retail companies based in the Basque Country and extended over the rest of Spain and abroad. It is one of the world’s largest worker cooperatives and one important example of workers’ self-management. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondrag%C3%B3n_Cooperative_Corporation

With this concept in mind, as I interpret it, people would provide needed resources
To a fish farm transformatlon project, and their contribution would be duly noted,
With compensation in fish or currency or stock ownership
Determined in some fashion by participants in the project.

Milwaukee’s 30th St. Industrial Corridor For Second Will Allen Aquaculture Replication?

Rocky Marcoux and Kein Burton have been invaluable supporters of the Sweet Water project.
They have visions of this project’s possibilities for one or more of the buildings at the 30th St. corridor.

http://www.mkedcd.org/news/2008/CorridorUpdate.html

If you would like to participate in on-line brainstorming and site visits to potential sites for
A second industrial building fish farm transformation, send an e-mail to
CorridorFishFarms@milwaukeerenaissance.com.

There are people with resources ready to support such a venture.

Seek “Mondragon Partners” to Advance Fish Farm Experiments

• Great Lakes and Mississippi Heartland Old City Industrial Building Transformations
• Idle Barn Transformations

A Mondragon Million for Marriage of Urban Agriculture/Aquaculture With
Solar Technologies and Solar Architecture

As detailed in “A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology”
by Ken Butti and John Perlin(forward by Amory Lovins)

Seek One Thousand to Invest One Thousand
To make available One Million to invest in
The KK River Village, Sweet Water Organics,
Or some other…
Fish Farm Experiment.

Some form of cooperative, mixed model enterprise form is envisioned.
Whyte’s work on the Mondragon experiment inspired the term “Mondragon Million.”
Do a YouTube google of Mondragon and you may be inspired.

But for profit, family fish farm enterprises are welcomed too!

Louis Fortis, Ph.D., economist,Wisconsin State Legislator, publisher of the “Shepherd Express,” is happy to share what he learned visiting the Mondragon center in Basque Spain, along with his research on Mondragon Models over the years. Send an e-mail to MondragonMilwaukee@milwaukeerenaissance.com if you would like to have some on-line conversations and/or a tour of the Sweet Water building and the KK River Village this week.

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Some Pictures of Community Roofing/Restoration and Growing Power Salvaging Pallets

These Emmanuel Pratt pictures capture 2 Growing Power and 6 Community Roofing/Restoration workers removing pallets from the Sweet Water Organics building to the Growing Power composting site at the KK River Village.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/3252290775_884cba1824_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3507/3252290753_e18522ca62_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/3252290723_4bba310646_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3399/3253116704_cfb8091307_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/3252290691_8acb200a27_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/3252290675_428b4ebb56_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/3253116646_5e59ec455a_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3482/3253116632_0ee0f3faf4_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3438/3252290619_e268d81caf_o.jpg

Glorious Photos at the Beginning of the Transformation

Here are two photos that present the “before” facility for the emerging Sweet Water Organics Aquaculture Project at 2151 S. Robinson, in the KK River Village.

This project is growing with the oversight of Will Allen of Growing Power and Fred Binkowksi of the Great Lakes Water Institute.

Seven “fish raceways” with a total of 110,000 gallons of water are expected to possibly yield 100,000 tilapia, lake perch, perhaps blue gill, in a year, with a possible market value of $500,000 gross.

It is quite possible that fish farming and aquatic plants in a Will Allen Greenhouse System is a 21st century industry of great significance.

We are hoping to inspire people to create aquaculture systems in their “City Homes and Farms,” perhaps in the immediate neighborhood of the KK River Village(just to the north of Lincoln, a block west of KK).
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Some Pictures of Community Roofing/Restoration and Growing Power Salvaging Pallets

These Emmanuel Pratt pictures capture 2 Growing Power and 6 Community Roofing/Restoration workers removing pallets from the Sweet Water Organics building to the Growing Power composting site at the KK River Village.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/3252290775_884cba1824_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3507/3252290753_e18522ca62_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/3252290723_4bba310646_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3399/3253116704_cfb8091307_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/3252290691_8acb200a27_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/3252290675_428b4ebb56_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/3253116646_5e59ec455a_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3482/3253116632_0ee0f3faf4_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3438/3252290619_e268d81caf_o.jpg

February 2009 Growing Power Training in Aquaculture/Aquaponics Has Openings

Aquaculture/Aquaponics: Build an indoor system for raising fish. Recycle the
wastewater from the fish and grow plants. This is known as aquaponics. See us grow Tilapia at a very low cost. Learn how to build indoor fish and plant systems for food production. Participants will set up a small scale Aquaponics system and learn how to maintain and monitor tilapia fish production in a closed loop/natural system.

Details at www.growingpower.org.

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Glorious Photos at the Beginning of the Transformation

Here are two photos that present the “before” facility for the emerging Sweet Water Organics Aquaculture Project at 2151 S. Robinson, in the KK River Village.

This project is growing with the oversight of Will Allen of Growing Power and Fred Binkowksi of the Great Lakes Water Institute.

Seven “fish raceways” with a total of 110,000 gallons of water are expected to possibly yield 100,000 tilapia, lake perch, perhaps blue gill, in a year, with a possible market value of $500,000 gross.

It is quite possible that fish farming and aquatic plants in a Will Allen Greenhouse System is a 21st century industry of great significance.

We are hoping to inspire people to create aquaculture systems in their “City Homes and Farms,” perhaps in the immediate neighborhood of the KK River Village(just to the north of Lincoln, a block west of KK).

Seek Help Brainstorming Issue of Glass for Walls and Roofs Of Transformed Industrial Buildings Like Sweet Water’s

Glass That Intensifies and Distributes Heat to Sweet Water Organics(SWO) Fish Runs and Plant Beds

The top 6 ft. of the Sweet Water Organics(SWO) Building of the KK River Village
Are comprised of 400 windows about 1 ft. by 1.5 ft.
Involving a south run of 6 ft. total window area at top of a 160 ft. wall,
And east and west window runs 6 ft. by 65 ft. respectively
At the top of the east and west walls.

That are blocking quite a bit of sunlight from entering the fish runs and growing pots platforms.

We are looking for ideas as to the most thoughtful solution to the issue of
Windows, sunlight, and aquaculture/hydroponic systems.

Please let me know if you have some ideas or can connect me with people with ideas
That will lead to the most imaginative and thoughtful transformation of these 400 windows
So as to optimize the power of our glorious sun helping these fish and plants grow
And provide tasty protein for humanity.

Heavy Equipment To Transform Neglected Industrial Buildings Into Sacred Growing Structures

Film maker and Columbia University doctoral candidate Emmanuel Pratt will be filming this entire drama,
Including what’s ahead this week.

This Wednesday we will be bringing in a 40,000 lb. excavator and a dump truck
To dig out two 12,000 gallon fish runs, three 13,000 runs, to add to an already existent
Old railroad trench that provides the structure for three 15,000 gallon tanks.

This total of 110,000 gallons of fish runs are expected to yield 110,000 fish
In a year or so of tending.

We will be following Will Allen’s “Greenhouse Model,” Closed-Loop, Aquaculture Systems,
Involving fish raceways at the bottom level, providing nutrient rich water pumped up
To two “plant beds” above or to the side, with the fish waste providing the plants with nitrogenous waste,
The plants, plant soil, pea gravel or volcanic rock cleansing the water as it works its way back to the fish raceways.

Pictures Tracking Project’s Evolution

Here are some pictures people meeting to launch this project and inspect the old industrial site being transformed:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157612078356291/

Included are:

• Sweet Water Organics Partners Steve Lindner, Josh Fraundorf, and James Godsil
• Growing Power’s Will Allen, Jay Salinas, and Rick Mueller
• Commissioner of Milwaukee’s Department of City Development(DCD) Rocky Marcoux
• DCD Development Director Kein Burton
• Milwaukee School of Engineering Professor Michael Swedish
• Miller Brewery’s Jeff Hembrock
• School for Expeditionary Learning David Mangin

Here is a youtube of Will Allen and Jay Salinas introducing Growing Power’s Aquaculture Systems:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kENge18wIqg&NR=1

And Will’s winning the MacArthur Genius Award:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EpTWQWx1MQ

Respectfully,

Godsil

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Sweet Water Organics Background Research

Windows and Sun Power for Aquaculture Systems

Mark Klein, one of the founders and officers of the venerable Midwest Renewable Energy Association (http://www.the-mrea.org/) says these links may be of use regarding the issue of windows and sun power.

http://www.seriousmaterials.com/html/seriouswindows.html

http://www.arcat.com/arcatcos/cos34/arc34868.html

http://www.kalwall.com/

http://www.solar-components.com/sun.htm

Testimonials re Project’s Possibilities

Miller Brewery’s Jeff Hembrock

Miller Brewery’s Jeff Hembrock said when most people think about eating locally they think more about produce, so this effort breaks new ground. This type of effort is also consistent with the focus on establishing Milwaukee as a center of excellence for fresh water and all of the industries that this area of expertise could support. Again, this breaks new ground. Finally, it is ironic that a city such as Milwaukee, that is part of the rust belt, can take these same assets and leverage this part of its history to become a leader in converting the city to be part of an increasing green belt.

Youtube Video of Aquaculture Methods at Growing Power

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kENge18wIqg&NR=1

Some Pictures Documenting the Development of Sweet Water Fish Farm Project

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157612078356291/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157611334985327/

Ready Markets for Yellow Perch

Yellow lake perch are nearly an endangered species in Lake Michigan, having been decimated by finned and footed predators, leaving Wisconsin perch boats rotting in failing harbors, their fishermen on the dole, early retired, or working as parking lot attendants, from Sheboygan to Green Bay, and beyond to Superior.

That alte Deutsch, progressive indy cultural center and watering hole known as the Turner Hall Restaraunt (managed by the RC chain) famously sells 300 or more principally cod fish fries each Friday because lake perch are increasingly scarce and increasingly expensive. Their 11 other restaraunts sell principally cod as well. But the Atlantic cod population is now rapidly declining as well, and their fishermen face severe restrictions.

Turner’s alone could peddle 15,000 Sweetwater perch a year, figuring two perch per fry or a pound of finned gold. Then add in their affiliates. Then consider the mother of all fish fries, Bay View’s slavic cultural palace, Serb Memorial Hall, which fries a thousand pounds of fish a week (but no perch no more).

The market is ready for Sweetwater Finned Gold. Are you?

Miller Brewery’s Jeff Hembrock’s First Response to Sweet Water Organics Fish Farm Experiment:

Miller Brewery’s Jeff Hembrock’s First Response to Sweet Water Organics Fish Farm Experiment:

Miller Brewery’s Jeff Hembrock’s First Response to Sweet Water Organics Fish Farm Experiment:

Miller Brewery’s Jeff Hembrock said when most people think about eating locally they think more about produce, so this effort breaks new ground. This type of effort is also consistent with the focus on establishing Milwaukee as a center of excellence for fresh water and all of the industries that this area of expertise could support. Again, this breaks new ground. Finally, it is ironic that a city such as Milwaukee, that is part of the rust belt, can take these same assets and leverage this part of its history to become a leader in converting the city to be part of an increasing green belt.

KK River Village Sweet Water Organics Fish Farm Experiment Background Research

Here is the Swedish MSOE Enginering Class report focusing on what it would take to develop the greenest possible transformation of an industrial slum to the KK River Village. While urban agriculture was among the green innovations for this old city transformation project, there was not noticed the potential of the northern building for a fish farm experiment when this report was done.

Information to Advance the Good Cause

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Off-Line Notes

Complete Energy Design for KK River Village: A Green Urban Development in Milwaukee (Warning, this file is 3.6 mb)

Great Lakes WATER Institute,

Growing Power, and the Urban Aquaculture Center Partnership Will Provide the Foundation for Urban Aquaculture Industry.

GROWING POWER
5500 W. Silver Spring Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53216

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Howard Hinterthuer
Growing Power (414) 527–1546
or (262) 573–0325

Here is reassuring news for all of us who are fans of the Wisconsin fish fry in general and the gloriously
delicious yellow perch in particular. Growing Power (55th and Silver Spring), with assistance from the Great Lakes Water Institute, is raising yellow perch in an aquaponic system that mimics nature. As a follow-up to a successful 2007 90-day trial at Growing Power that produced 800 plate size perch, the group will release 10,000 fish into Growing Power’s system on Friday, April 18th between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. to begin a more aggressive 90-day trial.

To keep the fish happy and healthy, Growing Power’s enclosed system circulates the water through aquatic plants, edible garden plants, and other living filter materials that extract and use the nitrates and solid wastes from the fish.

“It’s a system that closely replicates nature,” says Will Allen, CEO and founder of Growing Power. “In this instance there is a symbiotic relationship between the fish and the plants. The plants function in much the same way as a wetland, filtering the water and making the nutrients available to plants. We have been able to build a functioning system inside of our greenhouses, and effectively increase our overall production of food. We’ve been raising tilapia (Nile tilapia, O. niloticus) using this method for twelve years. The only difference is the perch like cooler water.”

The system is of great interest to other potential perch producers. According to Leon Todd, who with Jon Bales, is striving to launch an urban aquaculture center in Milwaukee , “Such business venture systems can replenish lake perch for the dinner table… and fill up empty buildings, providing employment in Milwaukee and elsewhere.”

Based upon the Growing Power model, the Urban Aquaculture Center hopes to offer aquaculture training to entrepreneurs who wish to produce fish, and educational opportunities to school groups and others with regard to natural systems, working with nature, and sustainable strategies. Todd, Bales, the Great Lakes Water Institute and others are interested in the work at Growing Power because it is providing “proof of concept” data.

Says Bales of the first Growing Power trial, “Not only did the perch survive this ecologically designed system but, from one who knows, the fish tasted just great!”

Here is some background from Fred Binkowski of the Great Lakes Water Institute:

Aquaculture related commerce within the US Great Lakes locality continues to be an emerging industry. This region is home to approximately 29% of the US population that consumes more than one billion pounds of seafood products per year. However, the commercial aquaculture industry in this region generates less than 4% of all US production. This raises the obvious question: What are the constraints that are limiting aquaculture production within the US Great Lakes locality, and what action is required to address this problem?

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Center (GLAC) at the UW Great Lakes WATER Institute has been conducting fundamental and applied research as a function of improving aquaculture technology for Great Lakes species production. This research encompasses a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines including reproduction, engineering, nutrition, fish health, genetics, and animal husbandry principles. In addition, the GLAC has been a leader in an aquaculture Training/Outreach/Education program relative to workshops, providing resource information, on-site assistance, technology transfer, etc.

In cooperation with Growing Power Inc, we propose to demonstrate the potential of utilizing the existing and current urban greenhouse aquaponic systems to allow for year-round and cost-effective fish production for human consumption in a northern climate in conjunction with herb and vegetable production in a bio-secured system. This technological approach can be applied to a rural location and within an urban community. Urban aquaculture can reduce shipping costs, place the product at the center of consumer demand, and create jobs in economically deprived urban areas. We are confident that the cooperative effort between the Great Lakes WATER Institute, Growing Power, and the Urban Aquaculture Center will provide the foundation for the establishment of an urban aquaculture industry.

Specific Study Parameters

• The “Growing Power” approach to aquaponics intentionally minimizes its reliance on the mechanically complex and higher cost system components used for indoor and year-round production
• Measure water quality parameters to establish the baseline environmental conditions
• Introduce about 10,000 young yellow perch (fingerlings) into the “Greenhouse System”
• Monitor the biological, physical, and chemical elements during the 7–10 day acclimation period
• Daily monitor: fish behavior, feeding, and water temperature
• Weekly measure: water quality parameters (oxygen, total ammonia nitrogen, nitrite, pH, etc.).
• Monthly measure and evaluate: growth performance, condition factor (plumpness), survival, and estimate food conversion
• Critical study parameters are: fish growth and survival, maintaining optimal environmental conditions, and production cost

We believe our efforts will result in Milwaukee being recognized as “The” urban aquaculture city in America.
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Milwaukee Journal Article on Growing Power Fish Industry Breakthrough

Perched on the edge of a comeback
Project aims to establish indoor habitat for tasty fish
By KAREN HERZOG
kherzog@journalsentinel.com
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=741286

Posted: April 18, 2008

A longtime sweetheart of the Friday night fish fry that fell on hard times a decade ago may be making a comeback in experimental waters a few miles off Lake Michigan.

It seemed only fitting that 10,000 young perch would be released on a Friday into their new home at Growing Power.

As biologists dumped the wriggling yellow perch from 30-gallon buckets into an 80,000-gallon, 4-foot-deep raceway, the fish quickly disappeared into an innovative system designed to mimic nature inside a greenhouse.

The nonprofit urban farm on Milwaukee’s north side is in business to promote methods for growing affordable food. The farm hopes to help make perch affordable again by establishing an indoor, eco-friendly fish farming system that’s inexpensive to build and maintain, and can easily be replicated elsewhere, Growing Power founder and CEO Will Allen said.

“Here in Wisconsin, we’ve had a lot of displaced farmers,” Allen said as he admired the young perch with yellowish heads and dark vertical stripes.

“We have a lot of vacant barns. The cost of building this system is a fraction of what it costs (to farm fish) commercially. Imagine 50,000-gallon raceways raising perch in barns on farms.”

Growing Power co-director Jay Salinas said it cost about $1,500 to build the system primarily out of lumberyard plywood.

Once routinely hauled out of Lake Michigan by commercial fishermen, perch were plentiful in Wisconsin lakes until the 1990s. The fish with a sweet, mild flavor had ruled fish fries in corner taverns and church basements for decades. Then, for reasons biologists still don’t completely understand, perch fisheries collapsed, said Fred Binkowski, a senior scientist with the Great Lakes WATER Institute and a fisheries biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Ocean cod was still plentiful and cheap, so it replaced perch as the fish fry staple. Perch remains a fish fry favorite for many, but it costs more than cod or haddock because it is primarily farm-raised.

“Perch were born to be fried,” Binkowski said. “Perch is the best-tasting fish we have access to in Wisconsin.”

Perch was selling for $13.50 a pound at Empire Fish Co. in Wauwatosa on Friday, nearly $2 more per pound than cod. Perch sold at Empire is wild-caught in Canadian Great Lakes waters, said Mary Kopplin, retail store supervisor. Perch served at the popular Serb Hall fish fries on Milwaukee’s south side is farm-raised in Canada.

Binkowski said the 2-month-old fingerlings released at Growing Power, at N. 55th St. and W. Silver Spring Drive, weigh about a gram apiece, and will grow to about 120 grams - or three fish per pound - before they go into any frying pan. They’ll be fed a high-protein diet until they reach maturity.

To keep the fish healthy, Growing Power’s enclosed system circulates water from the bottom raceway containing the fish through two shallow tiers above with the help of a pump. The middle tier holds watercress and gravel to capture solid waste from the fish. Salad greens such as arugula and dandelion greens are in the top water level of the system in drainage pots filled with composted soil enriched by worms.

The plants and other living filter materials extract and use nitrates and solid wastes from the fish.

The worms “are like little soldiers” to help keep the water clean and safe, Binkowski said.

Allen hopes the worms also may become a source of inexpensive, high-protein fish food.

A 90-day trial at Growing Power last year using older perch produced 800 plate-size perch. This trial, expected to last a year, will raise the 10,000 perch from fingerling to maturity. The same system has been used for 12 years to raise tilapia.

Perch like cooler water than tilapia. The water doesn’t have to be heated because it absorbs enough ambient heat from the greenhouse, Binkowski said.
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Professor Michael Swedish of MSOE made a class project of about 10 engineering students that found them presenting the details of an energy efficient tilapia fish farm where once was an old industrial building. Here is their report, which will prove helpful to the first Sweet Water Fish Farm possibly to be launched in the first half of 2009 at the KK River Village. (Warning, this file is 6.1 mb)

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Great Lakes Water Institute & 10,000 Yellow Perch to Growing Power

(:table border=1 width=300px align=left cellspacing=0:)
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Attach:perch1.jpg Δ
Attach:perch2.jpg Δ
Top: A few of the 10,000 yellow perch raised at the WATER Institute and released at Growing Power.

Bottom: Two levels of plants and gravel sit atop a fish-filled trench in Growing Power’s fish-farming system. Fish waste provides nutrients for the plants, and the plants clean the water for the fish.
(:tableend:)
WATER Institute researchers arrived earlier this month at Growing Power, an urban farm on Milwaukee’s north side, with a special delivery: 10,000 young yellow perch.

Born and raised at the WATER Institute’s Great Lakes Aquaculture Center, the three-month old fish will help test the waters, so to speak, of a new indoor fish-farming system that aims to prove itself functional as well as environmentally friendly and affordable.

Developed by Growing Power, the system features an 8,000-gallon trench built into the floor of a greenhouse and topped with two levels of edible plants, including watercress and dandelion greens. Pumps circulate water from the trench to the system’s upper levels, where gravel filters out solids from fish waste and the plants absorb nutrients, using them to grow. The cleansed water then returns to the fish and the cycle begins again.

“It’s a system that closely replicates nature,” says Will Allen, Growing Power’s CEO and founder. “In this instance there is a symbiotic relationship between the fish and the plants,” he says, with waste from the fish providing nutrients for the plants, and the plants cleaning the water for the fish.

The materials to build the system cost around $1,500—about one tenth the amount of conventional commercial systems that use chemical processes to clean their water, says Richard Mueller, Growing Power’s aquaponics manager.

A future for fish farming

The 10,000-fish trial is a follow-up to a successful smaller trial that last year produced 800 plate-size perch. Allen hopes Growing Power’s approach to raising fish can one day be applied on a more widespread scale in rural Wisconsin, where fish farming—also known as aquaculture—could fill gaps left by a declining dairy farming industry and make use of vacant barn space.

WATER Institute scientist Fred Binkowski sees great potential for such systems in more populated areas as well. “There’s a trend going on now where people are growing their own food, better food, and safer food,” he says. “What we want to do is show that you can grow fish in an urban area, and put the food at the center of consumer demand.” Urban fish farming can also cut shipping costs, fill vacant buildings, and create jobs in economically deprived communities.

There is also a more global reason to develop the area’s rural and urban fish-farming industry. As the world’s population grows, worldwide demand for seafood will exceed the sustainable supply from the wild—meaning fish farming will have to meet the remaining demand.

What’s more, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United States imports more than 40 percent of its seafood—making the U.S. trade deficit for seafood the second largest in dollars, after petroleum, of any natural product. About $1 billion of this imported seafood is farm raised; meanwhile, the United States ranks only tenth in the world in farm-raised food fish production.

That leaves room for growth of the industry at home, a point well understood by WATER Institute researchers and Growing Power staff, as well as Leon Todd and Jon Bales, Milwaukee business partners who hope to launch an urban aquaculture center that will utilize the Growing Power model. Through collaborative efforts, the three groups hope to build a strong foundation for fish farming in the Milwaukee area and help establish the city as a national leader in the industry.

In the meantime, Binkowski and his staff will keep a close eye on the perch at Growing Power. Over the next year, they will perform weekly water quality tests and regularly monitor the survival and growth of the fish.

And if the system works successfully? “A year from now,” says Binkowski, “these fish will probably be part of a Friday night fish fry.”

–Jennifer Yauck
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Professor Michael Swedish of MSOE made a class project of about 10 engineering students that found them presenting the details of an energy efficient tilapia fish farm where once was an old industrial building. Here is their report, which will prove helpful to the first Sweet Water Fish Farm possibly to be launched in the first half of 2009 at the KK River Village. (Warning, this file is 6.1 mb)

Professor Michael Swedish of MSOE made a class project of about 10 engineering students that found them presenting the details of an energy efficient tilapia fish farm where once was an old industrial building. Here is their report, which will prove helpful to the first Sweet Water Fish Farm possibly to be launched in the first half of 2009 at the KK River Village.

Professor Michael Swedish of MSOE made a class project of about 10 engineering students that found them presenting the details of an energy efficient tilapia fish farm where once was an old industrial building. Here is their report, which will prove helpful to the first Sweet Water Fish Farm possibly to be launched in the first half of 2009 at the KK River Village Δ.