Students from Crosspointe Elementary School in Boynton Beach visited the Marine Education Initiative in Delray Beach on their first post-pandemic field trip. They learned about growing plants in water, without soil. Photo provided
By Faran Fagen
During their field trip to the Marine Education Initiative, the students in Donna Leech’s class at Grandview Preparatory School learned how much water could be saved by aquaponic farming. They learned that only 3% of the water on Earth is freshwater, and only 1.7% of it is drinkable.
“On the bus ride back to school, my students talked about how much water we could save, and how we could lower our carbon footprint by growing our own vegetables at school and not buying them and having them delivered,” Leech said. “They said that this is what we can do to help save the water in the Everglades. This way, there will be more water for the wildlife and animals that live there.”
The Marine Education Initiative aquaponics program is focused on providing Palm Beach County students with access to immersive STEM education focused on sustainable agriculture. As a result of its efforts, MEI has provided science, technology, engineering and math education to more than 400 students and distributed more than 50,000 meals to underprivileged communities.“Seeing the excitement on the faces of the students we work with as they discover the wonders of aquaponics and sustainable agriculture has been an indescribable experience,” said Nicholas Metropulos, MEI executive director. “Knowing that we are helping to cultivate a deep love and appreciation for the natural world in these young minds fills us with hope for the future.”
MEI recently landed a big catch because of its hard work and impact on the community.
Thanks to a $300,000 contribution from the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, the organization is expanding its efforts to empower students to grow their own fresh, healthy food some day and prepare them for careers in STEM.
MEI has been helping the community since 2012 by providing education opportunities for students and giving fresh fish and produce to soup kitchens.
Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture (the growing of fish and other aquatic animals) and hydroponics (the growing of plants without soil) in one recirculating environment.
In aquaponics, the fish produce waste that the nitrifying bacteria convert into nutrients for the plants. Plant roots absorb these nutrients to thrive. In return, the plant roots clean and filter the water for the fish to live.
The donation from the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust went in part toward MEI’s recent expansion to a larger facility to fight food insecurity and to educate more students. The grant enabled MEI to hire additional staff and will assist in covering operational costs as well as investing in new technology.
The organization strives to make its outreach program as inclusive as possible. Title I schools are able to participate at no cost, while other schools are charged a fee of $10 per student.
For Leech, who lives in Delray Beach but has taught at the Boca Raton-based Grandview Prep for 23 years, MEI has cultivated an abundant interest in agriculture in her students.
Leech said her students’ favorite thing was to tell classmates how a cow uses 1,860 gallons of water to make four hamburgers, and that it takes 40 gallons of water to grow one pound of vegetables in soil and only 1.9 gallons of water using aquaponics.
“They were really amazed at how much water could be saved just by farming in water,” she said.
Her students started a project to bring aquaculture and hydroponics to Grandview. They created a PowerPoint presentation and presented it to all the administration families and student body at the Lower School convocation.
They were given permission to put an aquaponics fish tank and grow light in each Lower School classroom and to construct a hydroponics shelf growing system in the Great Room. They applied for, and received, a $500 grant from Earth Force to help get the project off the ground.
In 2021, MEI initiated its operations at a modest 1,000-square-foot facility in eastern Boca Raton in response to the produce supply-chain issues experienced during the pandemic. To accommodate growth, they’ve expanded and moved their operations to a 7,500-square-foot facility on Northwest 17th Avenue in Delray Beach.
“Looking ahead, we plan to educate more than 1,000 students and distribute over 100,000 meals to those facing food insecurity in Palm Beach County within the next year,” Metropulos said.
Once MEI is fully expanded, Metropulos intends to broaden its impact in neighboring areas such as Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
To participate in the program, contact Director of Education Alyssa Dorfman (alyssa@marineinitiative.org). For more information on Marine Education Initiative, visit www.marineinitiative.org.
The organization hosted the grand opening of its new facility on April 22. To make a donation to its programs, visit https://marineinitiative.networkforgood.com
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