Indeed, Milwaukee is becoming the Aquaponics Capital of the World! Sweet Water Organics an urban farm located in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee. Sweet Water has re-purposed an industrial building space using in an aquaponics mansion. They sustainably grow fresh, safe produce and fish for local Milwaukee residents, restaurants and groceries. Another goal of the foundation is to become a resource for job creation and the revolutionary re-use of urban landscapes.
Jake is very found of aquaponics, I honestly did not know much about it. I had volunteered at Growing Power and learned what aquaponics was, but did not know the ins and outs of it. With the opportunity to tour Sweet Water, I got to see aquaponics on a much grander scale.
So... what is Aquaponics? It's the marriage of aquaculture (fish, snails, prawns) with hydroponics (cultivation of plants in water) to create a sustainable food production system. Basically the plants filter out the fish waste and the filtered plant water is recirculated back to the fish. In this system, both plants, water, and fish thrive.
Our tour guide, Jim Godsil - Co-Founder of the operation, told us stories of how this amazing place came to be and where they are going (thanks Jim!). The tour was a solid two hours, and we enjoyed every minute of it. If you live in Milwaukee or ever visit the city, be sure to visit this truly amazing place!
