SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio nonprofit is helping raise awareness around sustainability and food systems by implementing aquaponics into area schools.
On Wednesdays, Charles Blank with the nonprofit Gardopia Gardens visits the students at Highland Park Elementary School and teaches them about aquaponics.
“The live filter box here is our filter. That’s where the beneficial bacteria live. So, what’s happening there is the fish waste enters that media, that hydrogen and the bacteria break down the ammonia into nitrate and it allows the plants to uptake those those nitrogen and grow into green healthy produce for our kids here,” Blank said.
Gardopia Gardens focuses on growing healthy communities through its garden-based learning.
“We have aquaponics systems at Young Women’s Leadership Academy as well as Maverick Elementary,” Blank said.
Besides aquaponics, students are learning responsibility, time management and more.
“We want kids to have the resources to take care of themselves, to grow healthy food for their family. A big takeaway with these systems that I like to push is not all waste is waste. This fish waste is turned into plant food,” Blank said.