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downtown
Annual Art Auction
WHAT’S UP DOWNTOWN?
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Volume 13 Number 37 | 50¢
September 11, 2014
downtownkamloops.com
One fish, two fish, three fish, Gill’s fish Urban homesteading has a decidedly modern hip factor. The practice is heralded as appealing because the independence of growing organic food and/or raising livestock in backyards doesn’t mean giving up access to the culture and convenience of being a city dweller. Beyond the socially speaking, cool lifestyle, sustainment for some less recognized parts of our population is still a set of survival practices and food security measures fostered out of necessity. For one downtown Kamloops household, old fashioned self-sufficiency is an authentic effort that emphasizes the power of a garden to become the cornerstone of a nurturing family life. The image is powerfully nostalgic as a wooden gate opens to a view of a quaint house sitting on a quiet, downtown corner lot. A friendly dog with bright eyes and a wagging tail sniffs casually, while a veteran cat yawns from its sunny perch. A couple of chickens cluck and scratch contentedly in the dirt. Coffee cup in hand, the front door is opened by homeowner Jason Gill who leads the way to the greenhouse. He is joined by the rest of the family, his wife Dana and son Josh, as he begins to talk about using minimal resources to transform their urban lot into a small-scale, practical aquaponic-based homestead that is a platform of sustainability. He points to an electric pump where water trickles into a lined wooden tank next to the greenhouse and explained, “Everything for the garden comes from the fish. This is a closed system and uses 90 percent less water as a result.” Over 45 trout live in the Gill’s tank. The fish byproducts are broken down by bacteria into nitrates and nitrites, utilized by the plants in the greenhouse as nutrients and then, clean water is recirculated back to the fish preventing a toxic ammonia content. Jason continues, “With trial and error, after five years this is a mature system. It’s a tricky balance. The fish are very sensitive.” In the greenhouse Dana points out the variety of vegetables and herbs growing and notes the clay pellets the vegetables are planted in. “All of the materials used are food safe and fish safe,” she remarks. There is no doubting the satisfaction and benefits these practices fulfill. The Kamloops Chapter of BC Sustainable Energy Association became interested in the Gill’s operation and offered a tour of the family’s property to their supporters. It was completely booked in under two days. Rob Purdy, BCSEA Kamloops secretary who organized the tour, says: “Jason and Dana Gill and their family are local Kamloopsians who are living proof that you can supply your family with garden fresh produce in a cost effective and sustainable manner, and as a bonus, their aquaponic system produces rainbow trout for the table each year. The Gill family have an infectious love of their - continued on page 2
Maurya’s
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PaRties of 4 oR moRe
9
$ 95
ea. Reg.
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Monday to Friday • Noon to 2pm
fine Indian cuisine
165 Victoria Street • mauryasfineindiancuisine.com • 250.377.4969