Inspiration

If you were to tell me 15 years ago that there is a way of producing food in an almost self sustaining ecosystem (que flash back to the movie Bio Dome) I might have changed my area of focus in college. This was not the case though and I was first introduced to both hydroponics and aquaponics in 2006. Before we get to far down this path if you think this is going to just be another blog about growing marijuana you will be sorely disappointed and I would suggest finding a different blog more suited to your hobbies. No, my interests are far more simple in many ways, I just want to grow food.

It all started back to 2006, my wife and I went on a family trip with my parents to Disney world (perhaps more about this trip in a future travel post). On that extended trip we had the opportunity to ride many rides and enjoy so much that Disney had to offer. One ride in particular stood out, Living With The Land. I am sure I will butcher the description, so if you want a professional view I recommend going to the Disney site itself as I am far from a wordsmith. Essentially the ride discusses and shows various food production techniques being used throughout the world to increase crop production. The ride has some aquaculture, lots of hydroponics, and of course what I later became interested in a small section on aquaponics. This ride and the story it is telling is almost intoxicating and to top it off there is a restaurant within the building where you eat some of the food actually grown on that ride!

Fast forward to about 2 years ago and our family’s first Disney trip with our eldest daughter. Now of course we had many magical and unforgettable moments on that trip, but as it pertains to this post, only one really matters, Living With the Land. I will say I got off that ride this time and my mind was running 100 miles an hour and at that moment I was hooked on discovering more about food sustainability. When we got back home I bought my first book on hydroponics determined to better understand this amazing field. To be honest two years later I have not even read it yet. Why you might ask, well after doing some reading on the subject I was not thrilled to here about the chemical waste and usage which occurs. I am not saying hydroponics is not an amazing way to grow food and I really have no issues with the process, I just knew it was not what I was looking for. After a few more days I stumbled on some articles on aquaponics and instantly I knew this was the thing I was looking for and the beginning of what I hope to be an amazing and fun adventure I can share with my family!