urban agriculture sustainability education at the potomac middle school mr. rosiak mr. donovan mr....
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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
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