How Design can Restore Our Relationship with Food Erin Fenley IDUS 755 Summer 2010
INTRODUCTION Aquaponics is a symbiotic method of growing and harvesting plants along with aquatic aquatic animals. In these recirculating systems, the fish effluent works with beneficial bacteria in gravel and plants to create concentrated, recyclable compost. Therefore, the need for outside fertilizers is eliminated. The cradle to cradle principle of “waste = food” is brilliantly displayed in this concept. Aquaponics systems have shown an increased productivity to conventional agriculture by 10 to 40 times. Aquaponics, in theory has been an agricultural method for at least 1,500 years, not counting that theory as nature’s aquatic eco-system. However, there is a great potential for innovation and design of aquaponics systems today. A precedent has been set for utilizing aquaponics not only for food cultivation, but as a bridge to connect urban populations to food.
Throughout this study, my research has led me to see that aquaponics systems make little sense outside of a larger view of gardening or urban farming. Aquaponics is part of the whole. Composting is another large element that has a large impact, not only on growing food but also on our overall reduction of waste. According to the EPA, 24 percent of the US municipal solid waste stream is made up of food remnants and yard trimmings. By diverting these useful items from landfills, a significant portion of our waste can be recovered for reuse.
Aquaponics at Growing Power: Milwaukee, WI
OPPORTUNITY
As a public, we are suffering the effects of our disconnection from fresh food sources. Increasing rates of obesity and diabetes are alarming statistics that can not be ignored. This study is important in that it looks at growing healthy foods and developing innovative design plus outreach through both. I am interested in the emotional appeal of growing food as a way to connect with people, especially disengaged groups that may have no interest in changing eating habits. Aquaponics systems can potentially produce 10 - 40 times more food than conventional agriculture. These systems conserve water and eliminate agricultural run-off. They are naturally pesticide-free, selffertilizing. There is an opportunity to create connections with community through composting, aquaponics, and food.
GOALS: Connect people with their food source. Improve upon the design of an aquaponics system. Improve upon garden compsting systems. Aquaponics and composting can become a metaphor for sustainable design. A springboard of discussion of other closedloop, sustainable systems can be breeched through these models.
''We have to be aware of whom we're buying our food from and how it's produced. Alice Waters
OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
The design of urban farming systems, including aquaponics and composting operations, can become a method for restoring our relationship with food and alleviating food deserts.
Marketing Background Size of the current commercial aquaponic industry:* The controlled environment (greenhouse) commercial aquaponic industry is in its infancy, both in the U.S. and around the world. Currently there are less than five large-scale (+1 acre) facilities around the world and only two in the U.S. While several smaller operations are scattered around the country, most are on the “family farm� scale, rarely exceeding one acre. Methods of operation:* All large-scale aquaponic operations are using either Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) or floating bed hydroponic systems combined with either rectangular or round fish culturing tanks. Most small-scale aquaponic operations are using the simpler Ebb & Flow hydroponic systems with small round fish culturing tanks. *Scott Jones, Aquaponics Journal
FOCUS
This study takes a look at how food is produced and transported along with the effects it has on our personal well-being and the overall health of our communities in order to inform design opportunities.
Your typical frozen foods section: Anytown, USA
CHALLENGE
THE DILEMMA
urbivore | rb •vôr| noun one who lives and eats within a city
ORIGIN: from Latin urbanus, (from urbs, urb- ‘city’) from Latin -vorus (from vorare ‘devour’)
The Dilemma: The availability of fresh, healthy foods, the cost of those foods, and the impact those factors make on the well-being of a community.
1200 mi
Since we Urbivores want cheap and convenient food, high quality is often not a requirement. We may pay less money up front but rising health care cost show we are paying more for it later.
PUBLIC HEALTH
A significant correlation can be seen between the amount we spend on what we eat versus our overall health.
“Americans spend less of their income on food and more on health care than the people of any other nation.” Michael Pollan, “Six Rules for Eating Wisely,” Time Magazine, 2006
adapted from: www.foodbubbles.com “True Cost of Beef Flowchart”
TRUE COSTS
Thanks to agricultural subsidies, the least healthy foods are also the cheapest to buy.
WATER
ENERGY
POPULATION GROWTH
70% of all available freshwater is used for agriculture. Overpumping of groundwater by the world’s farmers exceeds natural replenishment by at least 160 billion cubic meters a year.
80% of the energy in America’s food system goes to processing, packaging, transporting, sorting, and preparing food. Produce in the U.S. travels, on average 1,200 to 2000 miles from farm to consumer.
More than half the world’s population, 3.3 billion people, live in towns and cities, a number expected to rise to almost 5 billion by 2030.
(UNESCO)
(National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service)
(U,N. Population Fund)
CHALLENGE OIL
POLLUTION
ECONOMY
“We have an entirely oil-based food economy, and yet oil is running out. The impact of that on agriculture is one of the drivers of the volatility in the world food commodity markets.�
U.S. agriculture as currently practiced emits a total of 1.5 trillion pounds of CO2 annually into the atmosphere.
Every dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. When consumers buy imported goods, money leaves the community at every transaction.
(Tim Lang, UK Food Council)
(Rodale Institute)
(New Economics Foundation London)
Watercress in Aquaponics System: Milwaukee, WI
APPROACH
THEORY THE 4 E’s As an expanded philosophy of environmentalism, sustainability brings a larger vision and focus into view both locally and globally. Through the four pillars of sustainability, or the four “e’s” (Ecology, Economy, Equality, and Education) the gamut of ideas, observations, and information revolving around the core of contemporary sustainability can be discussed. Uniting principles of both business and the environment, sustainability pulls together a large coalition of support by seeking common ground between legitimate concerns of all parties. These pillars offer us a guide to act and reflect.
ECology
EQUALITY
• short term & long term issues
• understanding the well-being of an individual and larger community are connected
• piecemeal vs systemic solutions • knowing the limits to growth
• community building on a local and global level
ECONOMY
Education
• secure, long-term employment without jeopardizing ecosystems
• active committment to public education
• known as valuing “Natural Capital”
• enables people to overcome obstacles in understanding issues surrounding sustainability
+
-
Scalable design
No standard design - causes some hesitancy among new adopters
Produces 10-40x more than traditional agricultural methods Year-round growng capabilities Provides a metaphor for Sustainable Design Follows the principle of Waste=Food Less spoilage through reduced transport Recycles and cleans water No chemicals, no soil Protein & vegetables in symbiosis Large network of enthusiasts
Electricity is needed for the operation to run
AQUAPONICS
+
-
Scalable design possibilities
Changing norms in behavior
Keeps valuable embodied energy out of landfills
Can feel confusing at first, understanding learning curve
Can be used to remediate contaminated soils
Negative perception of being messy and smelly
Can save business and households in reduced waste hauling fees
COMPOSTING
+ Reclaimed wood, brick, pipe, and bathtubs from Emergent Structures Keeping valuable construction materials out of landfills Perception that the harvest isn’t worth the time
SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS How Can We Truly Measure the Life of a Tree? posted on emergentstructures.com 8.25.10
In 2004 the oldest living tree was found in Sweden, a scrawny spruce like what most of us picture when we think of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. However, the trunk isn’t the ancient part, it’s the root system that’s outlived the last ice age and grown to be 9,550 years old. Radio carbon dating was used to determine its age. More so than roots or radio carbon dating, I usually think of counting the rings to know the age of a tree. I picture Kim Novak in Hitchcock’s Vertigo melodramatically pointing to the rings of a majestic redwood and saying, “Here I was born and here I died. It was only a moment. You took no notice”. That scene has always haunted me, I felt what she was saying. The trees have seen so much. In a 2003 interview with Novak she said of the filming of the scene, “Just touching that old tree was truly moving to me
because when you touch these trees, you have such a sense of the passage of time, of history. It’s like you’re touching the essence, the very substance of life.” Deconstructing phase one at Strathmore Estates was like viewing a passage of time and history. I could readily see that reclaiming wood is another way of measuring the life of a tree. Although through this method you can not calculate the life and death of the tree, you can only envision its future. Adrian sitting in these trusses reminds me that these boards are still living, and now just moving on to their next job. Soon they will hold a roof that shelters Girl Scouts at camp making all new memories, creating an all new history. Through roots, radio carbon dating,
and rings we can measure the awe-inspiring time that many trees grace the Earth. It can make us humans feel small. Through reclaiming we can have a sense of the higher purpose of the life of a tree and help it to continue its legacy.
GETTING THE SYSTEM IN THE ROOM Like all journeys, getting the “system in the room� is a step-by-step process. In addition to requiring great patience and perserverance, it takes insight into who needs to be engaged and when. Peter Senge, The Necessary Revolution
CONNECTIONS
Healthy Savannah
Oatland Island
City Roots (Columbia, SC) Harambee House
Oatland Island
MICROCOSM of ENGAGEMENT
Kelly Lockamy (SUGA)
MICROCOS of ENGAGE
core leadership group
Michael Maddox Green Bridge Farm)
Public Schools
circle of engagement
Peter Doliber (YMCA)
Francis Allen (SUGA)
Erin Fenley Emergent Structures
Design for Sustainability (SCAD)
core lead Wendy Armstrong (Thrive)
Michael Maddox (Green Bridge Farm)
circle of the informed
circle of e
circle of th
circle to be engaged
SCAD Community
Public Schools
circle to b
Savannah Hydroponics
Restaurants, Convenience Stores
SCAD Community Charles Davis (Earth Comfort Co.)
MAREX UGA Aquarium
Hoop House at Growing Power: Milwaukee, WI
RESEARCH
PRIMARY RESEARCH GROWING POWER Milwaukee, WI June 12-13, 2010 2.5 Acre Urban Farm run by Will Allen MacArthur Genius Grant Award Winner, 2008 Vermicomposting Aquaponics Public Market On-Site Employs At-Risk Youth from surrounding neighborhood
PRIMARY RESEARCH 4.5 GALLON HOME AQUAPONICS SYSTEM Proof of Concept Work-in-progress 4 week stabilization Device for gaining knowledge and as a conversation piece for discussion of sustainable design
PRIMARY RESEARCH SAVANNAH URBAN GARDEN ALLIANCE
GEORGIA ORGANICS LISTENING SESSION
Community Gardening
Statesboro, GA July 27, 2010
Hands-on experience
Problems with the word “sustainability”
Community Connections Not a method for feeding Savannah at this time Seeing the “Failure of the Commons”
Rural farmers struggle to sell in their local communities Changing view of the farmer - young farmer as “rockstar”
PRIMARY RESEARCH THRIVE CAFE EXPANDED COMPOSTING
OATLAND GARDEN COMPOSTING CONFIGURATIONS
Garden at Oatland Island
OPTION 1
Desire to expand current composting efforts Will begin providing a community drop-off spot for composting in January
bins
finished compost
garden area
Design of no-turn style bin, using reclaimed materials OPTION 2 stacked bins garden area
finished compost
SOLVING FOR PATTERN Berry describes three kinds of solutions to the “problems of our time.” The first, he writes, is the solution that causes “a ramifying series of new problems.” A modern example can be found in energyefficient lightbulbs that attempt to solve the problem of carbon emissions, but leach mercury into landfills when disposed of. The second type of solution is “that which immediately worsens the problem it is intended to solve.” Berry gives the example of attempting to fix compacted soil with a tractor whose weight further compacts the soil. Bringing in a bigger tractor only makes the situation worse. The third type of solution, the type that Berry advocates, is what he calls “solving for pattern.”
When solving for pattern, we create not more problems but rather more solutions, solving multiple problems in one stroke. Berry writes, “A bad solution acts within the larger pattern the way a disease or addiction acts within the body. A good solution acts within the larger pattern the way a healthy organ acts within the body.” the solution that causes “a ramifying series of new problems.” Berry’s essay about the “problems of our time” was written almost thirty years ago–but it is still highly relevant. How can we enable ourselves to find real solutions to the problems of our time, versus solutions that simply create more problems?
...the industrial methods that have so spectacularly solved some of the problems of food production have been accompanied by “side effects” so damaging as to threaten the survival of farming. Wendell Berry, Solving for Pattern
SECONDARY RESEARCH HUNGRY CITY: HOW FOOD SHAPES OUR LIVES by Carolyn Steel Sweeping history of how food supply has influenced urban design since the dawn of civilization How railroads changed everything in the moden era The effects of globalization on our food supply and the health of our communities
image source: blog.emap.com
FARMWORKS:AGRICULTURAL URBANISM PROTOTYPE St. Louis, MO Making use of abandoned warehouses
CITY ROOTS Columbia, SC Modeled after Growing Power in Milwaukee Market and Farm
Providing employment for recently released inmates Aquaponics Market Seeking Funding
Aquaponics
SECONDARY RESEARCH 2009 USDA REPORT ON THE EFFECTS OF FOOD DESERTS Urban core areas with limited food access are characterized by higher levels of racial segregation and greater income inequality. In small-town and rural areas with limited food access, the lack of transportation infrastructure is the most defining characteristic.
2004 UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA STUDY: US WASTES ½ ITS FOOD 10 Year Study Edible food discarded (through processing and in homes) that could feed those who need it If corrected, could save US consumers and manufacturers $10B+/year Environmental degradation National security issue
United States Department of Agriculture
Economic Research Service June 2009
Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences Report to Congress
Amarinth: Milwaukee, WI
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS
How might we alter the nation’s food system by developing and supporting a new type of urban farming? Can we design these farms to become a catalyst for healthier living ?
CONTINUING THE STUDY BROAD STREET YMCA AQUAPONICS SYSTEM Business Plan Maintenance Plan
THRIVE COMMUNITY COMPOST
FOOD SYSTEM ECONOMICS Subsidies Upcoming Farm Bill
APPLYING IDEAS TO OTHER CITIES WITH VARYING CHALLENGES Johnson City, TN Southern Appalachia
Methane Energy through compostable items Coastal Correctional Facility
Business Plan Maintenance Plan GREENING THE CONVENIENCE STORE Can it be cost effective?
Aquaponics Journal. Web. <http:// www.aquaponicsjournal.com/>. “And Not a Drop to Drink? The Freshwater Crisis.” United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 1996. < http://www. unesco.org/bpi/science/content/ press/anglo/10.htm>. Benyus, Janine M. Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. New York: Morrow, 1997. Print. Berry, Wendell. The Gift of Good Land: Further Essays, Cultural and Agricultural. San Francisco: North Point, 1981. Print.
Berry, Wendell. The Way of Ignorance: and Other Essays. Emeryville, CA: Shoemaker & Hoard, 2005. Print. Capra, Fritjof. The Hidden Connections: Integrating the Biological, Cognitive, and Social Dimensions of Life into a Science of Sustainability. New York: Doubleday, 2002. Print. “Composting | Reduce, Reuse, Recycle | US EPA.” US Environmental Protection Agency. <http://www. epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/ composting/index.htm>. Edwards, Andres R. The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift. Philadelphia, Pa: New Society, 2006. Print.
Kinver, By Mark. “Food Needs ‘fundamental Rethink’” BBC News. Web. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/ nature/7795652.stm>. McDonough, William, and Michael Braungart. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. New York: North Point, 2002. Print. Nordahl, Darrin. Public Produce: the New Urban Agriculture. Washington, DC: Island, 2009. Print. Nelson, Rebecca L. Aquaponics Food Production: Raising fish and plants for food and profit. Montello, WI: Nelson & Pade Inc. 2008. Print.
REFERENCES Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: a Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin, 2007. Print. “Population Trends: Rapid Growth in Less Developed Regions: Population & Development : UNFPA.” UNFPA United Nations Population Fund. Web. <http://www.unfpa.org/pds/trends. htm>. “Reducing Food Miles.” ATTRA National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. Web. <http:// attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/farm_energy/ food_miles.html>.
Sayre, By Laura. “Organic Farming Combats Global Warming -- Big Time.” Rodale Institute. Web. <http://www. rodaleinstitute.org/ob_31>. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: the Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 2005. Print. Senge, Peter M. The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations Are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World. New York: Doubleday, 2008. Print. Steel, Carolyn. Hungry City: How Food Shapes Our Lives. London: Vintage, 2009. Print.
“The Public Benefit of Buying Local.” The New Economics Foundation. Web. <http://www.neweconomics.org/pressreleases/north-east-sets-out-realisepublic-benefit-buying-local>.
urbivoresdilemma.tumblr.com