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[Sonoma_Co_Aquaponics]

hey, I am promoting my kickstarter campaign for an Aquaponics project i want to complete in Sonoma County. This project will teach members of the community about sustainable farming practices, water conservation, and aquaponics.
Check it out please and share it on your Facebook wall if you like it!

Thanks so much!!!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/17 ... less-water


Our Mission: Provide Locally Grown Chemical Free Vegetables & Fish for Sonoma County CA While Teaching Sustainability In Our Community!

Our Project Goal:
Our goal is to build a commercial aquaponics system in a 4000 sq foot greenhouse. We will be using the project to teach other members of the community about sustainable food practices and even offer to set up scaled down systems on private residential property. We also plan to donate a percentage of our harvest to local food banks or the needy. It is expected that the system will be able to pay its ongoing operational expenses through food sales and other farm related revenue.

What is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is a food production system that combines conventional aquaculture (raising fish in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In normal aquaculture, excretions from the animals being raised can accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity. In an aquaponic system, water from an aquaculture system is fed to a hydroponic system where the by-products are broken down by nitrogen-fixing bacteria into nitrates and nitrites, which are utilized by the plants as nutrients. The water is then recirculated back to the aquaculture system.



The energy input required to run an aquaponics farm is minimal—just enough to run the pump that delivers water from the fish tank to the growing beds—and can be easily supplied by a small solar unit. Daily maintenance amounts to feeding the fish and checking to make sure the pumps are running.

Aquaponics saves money, and more importantly, the system conserves our precious natural resources. Our system will empower us to produce an abundance of local organic food using 90% less water than conventional farming methods while producing up to 10x more output in the same amount of space and time.



The Produce:
Aquaponically grown produce is fresh, guaranteed organic, and has minimal impact on the environment. Most of the ‘allowed’ pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers on the USDA certified organic list could never be used in an aquaponic system as they would harm the fish and the bacteria that provide the living fuel and engine to grow the plants. There are no weeds, so there is no need for herbicides. So will aquaponically grown produce have less chemical residue, be produced in a more sustainable, water-wise manner, and be less susceptible to food pathogens than much of the produce grown using USDA Organic Standards? The answer is ‘Yes!’



The fish:
Fish raised through aquaponics are much healthier alternatives to store-bought fish. Growing your own fish insures there is no mercury, radiation or other contaminants. The near hundred species of cichlid fishes are more commonly known as tilapia. Tilapia are easy to breed, grow fast, and can withstand poor conditions. Shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes are their habitat. They can feed on algae or any plant-based food, which makes them important in aquaculture. Their large size, rapid growth and palatability means that they’re farmed extensively as food fish, particularly the Nile tilapia. They’re a good source of protein and are popular among artisanal and commercial fisheries.



Why we need your help:
We have secured the land for our project and minimum construction expenses are expected to be over $15,000, but we have already started fundraising. We want to get the system built, operating and producing food as soon as possible, hopefully before winter. We will then continue to work with renewable energy options such as passive solar heating and solar photovoltaic to provide the necessary energy for net-zero operations.

Your Support will allow us to…

Purchase the construction materials, plumbing, water and air pumps, construction lumber, fish tanks and growing media. All purchases will be from local businesses and re-purposed materials whenever possible
Stock the tanks with fish to start the system, to provide the constant nutrient water supply and eventually grow out to provide a local, high quality protein source for community members and restaurants.
Purchase nets, fish feed, water quality test kits and other components necessary for maintaining a healthy fish population
Purchase seeds, planting media, trays, and equipment necessary for seeding, transplanting, growing and harvesting the most abundant and nutritious vegetables
Purchase necessary equiptment to comply with the best food safety practices
Purchase products for integrated pest management including beneficial bugs, as well as other organically approved chemical free control methods
Overfunding the Project will allow us to…

Provide basic wages to people involved in constructing the system. Currently there is no budget to pay them for their time. Going forward, we see many aquaponics systems operating in community centers, schools, places of worship and other locations in the future, and we hope that the skills gained through building this system can be used in many of these new locations to continue giving back to other communities.
Provide training and pay someone to manage the system through its start-up cycle. This is a natural ecosystem which takes 4 to 6 weeks to get going and we would be able to pay someone to manage the system through this process
Allow us to continue to develop renewable energy solutions such as passive solar thermal systems to provide a source of heat for the water without reliance on fossil fuels
Purchase of additional materials, fuel, and other incidental costs commonly found in large, complex projects
Rewards:
With our donation rewards we are offering you a chance to learn about sustainable farming practices, be part of our project and to come see it in action!

[Sonoma_Co_Aquaponics]

really could use help with a video, i know its important I just don't have the capabilities to make one