Urban AgricultureSustainability Education at the Potomac Middle School

Mr. RosiakMr. DonovanMr. Barnes

Science Day 2015

Potomac Middle SchoolApril 24, 2015

Mrs. Alfie Turner, Principal

Mr. Brian Coleman, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Latanya Haskins-Ladson, Administrative Intern

Dr. Steve Walts, Superintendent

About the Presenters and Potomac Middle School

Sustainability Education at the Middle School LevelWhat is it, why is it important, and what are we doing at Potomac Middle School?

What is Sustainability? The United States Environmental Protection Agency

defines sustainability as creating and maintaining the conditions under which nature can exist in productive harmony, which permits the fulfilment of social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations.

Why does it matter? Humans continue to utilize natural resources at an alarming

rate Significant concerns about the unintended social,

environmental, and economic consequences of rapid development

Sustainable communities manage to eliminate these concerns by thinking about how to reduce their environmental footprint and become self sufficient

Urban farming is at a sharp decline and our food output may not match need within our lifetime

Why is the Urban Agriculture Program at PTMS Important?Why bother with an Aquaponics system?

USDA Defined Food Deserts

Income Requirement Poverty rate at above

20% OR

A median income at or below 80% of area median

Access Requirement In suburban areas, a

community is defined as low-access if 33% of population lives more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store

Food Desert

Meets IncomeBut not Access

Meets AccessBut not Income

United States Department of AgricultureEconomic Research Service

Food Access Research AtlasSearch for “22026” (school zip code)

LI&LA Layers:L1&LA at 1 and 10 milesL1&LA at ½ and 10 miles

Component Layers:LA at 1 and 10 miles

http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas.aspxModified to show approximate location of Potomac Middle School

Restaurants within ½ Mile of PTMS

Restaurants within 2 Miles of PTMS

2015 Mega Drought NASA Drought Study

United Nations FAO A revolution in agriculture is vital to meet world food

targets. Food production levels must double in order to feed the

world population by 2050. Water conservation helps in reducing chance of future

wars

War over Water Countries will begin to fight over water, not oil Water is vital to survival and will be worth fighting for Potential hot-spots could include

United States and Mexico Senegal and Mali Bangladesh and India Israel and Jordan Egypt and Sudan India and Pakistan

Why Aquaponics? Easily scalable Productive year-round Up to 10 times faster growth than traditional soil

garden Conserves water and other resources No pesticides or herbicides required Economical

Aquaponics

Traditional Gardening vs. AquaponicsTraditional Soil Garden

Daily watering Use of fossil fuel powered

machinery Uncontrolled environment

Bugs, deer, squirrels, etc. Labor intensive Compost, fertilizer, or other

nutrient rich medium needed Takes up to twice as long to grow

Aquaponics 90% less water than soil Can be designed to run on

renewable resources Controlled environment means

no pests No weeding or heavy labor after

initial build Fish fertilize plants Can grow in half the time

Price Comparison on the EWG “Dirty Dozen Plus”Produce Conventional

PriceOrganic Price Notes

Apples (gala) 3.03 4.40 3lb bag

Strawberries 2.89 2.99 Per pound

Grapes (red seedless) 1.80 3.02 Per pound

Celery 1.11 1.37 Each

Peaches (yellow) 2.04 2.81 Per pound

Spinach (baby) 2.50 7.28 Per pound

Bell Peppers (green) 0.79 1.93 Each

Nectarines (yellow) 2.34 2.78 Per pound

Cucumbers 0.65 1.47 Each

Cherry Tomatoes 1.98 3.50 Per pint

Potatoes 2.52 5.22 5lb bag

Kale 1.04 1.33 Per bunch

Collard Greens 1.72 1.99 Per bunchData from USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Report, National Fruit and Vegetable Retail Report for 9/14/14.

Items listed in BOLD should be able to grow in an Aquaponics system.

PTMS Aquaponics Systems

Desktop AquaponicsEach attendee will leave today with their own desktop aquaponics system.

20 Gallon Stand System“Showpiece” for Potomac Middle School

300 Gallon System