Expedition Water by Design Virtual Field Trip: A Hydroponics Farm Tour with CropKing
Summary
Come join us for a live virtual tour of our working hydroponics farm in Lodi, Ohio. Learn about how to grow fresh local hydroponic plants while saving resources for our environment and help fight climate change and save the world one lettuce head at a time.
Panelists
Dave Langlois
Dave has been on a nearly two-decade journey studying sustainable farming practices to help him better understand the complex resource issues which face global food production. His journey has taken him to the outskirts of cosmopolitan Paris, to poor mountain villages in Haiti, and to the most remote farms in West Australia as he seeks out the answers to the hard-asked questions concerning resource management, food security, sustainable power, climate change and community development.
Dave’s belief is that the answers to the questions effecting global resource issues are set within the
context of the unique ecological, physical and sociological factors of a specific environment. By using
systemic perspectives, the answers for a sustainable food system are derived from the existing natural resources, agricultural resources (including horticulture, livestock and aquaculture), human resources, institutional resources, physical and biological resources, food and energy resources and the integration of these interdisciplinary specializations.
Dave's passion was born from his work in global policy formation and public education; where he
specialized in the subjects pertaining to food, fuel, and the environment. His public education
experience had allowed him to rub shoulders with some of the greatest thinkers and influencers of
these topics, as well as many ministers, statesman, and heads of government. This all said, his work has not been limited to the theoretical world of policy formation, but also in the application of this
discourse. Which is just fancy talk for saying: he has real dirt in his fingernails. Dave has owned and
operated an USDA certified organic market garden farm, has worked in in commercial hydroponics,
aquaponics, and hydroponic livestock fodder production, as well as managed an educational
greenhouse. Currently, he is a team member at CropKing, LLC where she specializes in hydroponics for educators. Dave continues to work and reside on his homestead and farm in Iowa.
Classroom Resources
Aquaponics 101
In this curricular guide, middle school students learn about an alternative farming technique that addresses water use in agricultural farming, the environmental impacts of fish farms, and urban development and population growth. This guide promotes 21st-century skills by engaging students in the history of aquaponics through various texts; improving their communication skills by explaining how an aquaponics system works; and engineering your own classroom aquaponics unit through an interactive design challenge!
Water by Design: Aquaponics 101
In Southern California, about 80% of the freshwater supply is used for farming. Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau meet with executive chef and farmer Adam Navidi from Future Foods Farms in Brea, CA. Chef Adam uses an innovative farming design called aquaponics to grow lettuce, vegetables, and even fish with less water than the average family uses at home on a daily basis.
