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Facility
Facility
Our facility was designed and constructed by the owners with sustainability at the forefront. The goal was to impact the environment as little as possible, both during the construction phase and throughout operations.
Design
Concrete: One of the most polluting and resource intensive materials in the world is concrete, so we built 100% concrete free. We designed a post frame structure that utlizes footings made from recycled plastic. The floor 'floats' on leveled sand with insulation and subflooring directly above.
Solar: The facility was designed with solar power production in mind. Most of the roof area is perfectly south facing and has a high slope, both of which are ideal for solar production in Minnesota.
Construction
Other than for stump removal and grading, we used no heavy machines or equipment in construction. Posts, struts, and trusses were lifted and installed by hand.
Materials
Siding: Steel siding covers the building, some of which was salvaged from a demolition site. At the end of the facility's life, the steel can be recycled and/or reused.
Flooring: All flooring is made from recycled tires. Not only does this keep tires out of landfills, it gives us floors that are durable, and easily cleaned.
Insulation: The facility is tightly insulated to reduce energy usage.
Land Usage
Trees: Our property is completely forested, so some tree removal was unfortunately unavoidable. We chose a site with the fewest trees impacted, most of which were old poplars that were rotting and nearing the end of their natural life cycle.
Water
Water
The facility runs entirely on rainwater collected from the roof of the building. Every drop of water we use - for drinking, irrigation, cleaning, and handwashing - began as a drop of rain on our roof. An entire room is dedicated to rainwater storage and chemical-free treatment. We sourced discarded tanks from the beverage industry to reuse as our water storage tanks.
Electricity
Electricity
Aquapotic is dedicated to reducing electricity consumption and producing as much renewable power on-site as possible. A 10 kW grid-tied solar array covers almost all available (south facing) roof space on the facility. The owners have decided to avoid any fossil fuel burning equipment and opt instead for electric appliances. Electric heat pumps are used for heating and cooling the facility. All lights, for growing and otherwise, are LED. The aquaponic system relies on gravity whenever possible to reduce water pumping. We aim to add solar and/or wind production to the site in the future as finances and regulations allow.
Waste
Waste
Waste is inherently greatly reduced when using aquaponic systems, but we still end up with some.
Wastewater: Extremely minimal. Wastewater comes mostly from hand and equipment washing rather than cultivation itself, and is pumped periodically into municipal septic to comply with local rules.
Organics: Plant waste, unusable fish waste, paper towels, and other biodegradables are composted on site.
Recyclables: We recycle all materials that local facilities accept.
Everything else: Completely avoiding non-recyclable waste is next to impossible at present, so any non-recyclable waste is responsibly disposed of at our local solid waste station.
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