Alice Hill gave us an introduction to iWill, which she founded in 2010 and which became a 501c3 in 2014. While iWill has had the usual ups and downs of nonprofits, last year was a good year, in which iWill received a grant from NASA, with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County, to introduce aquaponics to Club members in Pueblo and other locations in southern Colorado (including Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Salida, Alamosa, Blanca, Avondale). Pueblo was only one of seven such grants awarded by NASA and the only one working with aquaponics.
Susan Finzel-Aldred showed us some photos of Club kids working with their kits, in which they grew alfafa and pea sprouts on the top and guppies on the bottom. Each kid got a tank to take home for the summer. NASA wants to find scientists from rural communities and this project is an extremely exciting way to do that. The International Space Station has an aquaponics system and an astronaut from the ISS was on a zoom call with the kids. Other zoom calls involved other NASA scientists. The NASA project will be done in December having involved 150 kids, but talks are underway to see if NASA will continue to fund such activities.
Nate Miller gave us a virtual tour of the iWill aquaponics setup in Campbell’s Greenhouse on North Elizabeth. Longtime members of Pueblo Makes may remember that we toured a previous location in October 2019. We toured virtually today since it was 102 degrees in the greenhouse. Nate described each component, including the wide variety of plants being grown, the LED lights, the siphon and pump systems, all of which Nate designed and built and which take about 70 watts to operate. He emphasized that the bacteria do the work of converting fish waste into usable nitrogen for plants; he called this system a full ecosystem, an organic method of aquaponics. The guppies will soon be replaced by tilapia. The plants being grown include Pueblo chile, lime, marenga tree, vegetables including lettuce, peppers and kale, aloe vera, ficus, and herbs.
The system uses a siphon to create an ebb and flow that forces a gas exchange in the roots.
The lettuce is grown in rafts, with their roots in water:
The signage was created by CSU-Pueblo Presidential leadership student Tezla Neighbours who has joined the project part time as an educational assistant.
Nate grew up helping his mother with fish tanks. He spent 20 years working in restaurants. He went to PCC culinary school. Realizing how broken our food system, he started working on aquaponics to grow food. It is expensive to buy systems, so he built about 11 different types, using parts he finds and parts from hardware stores. He has worked with people at Central High and then joined the iWill project. This is the biggest system he has built.
This project is meant to be a display project, built to look flashy and to let people see the parts; a system for production wouldn’t look as cool. Wow is important for students. They want to look at the fish. This setup will show off technology and also grow some stuff we can harvest.
Elliott asked if anyone can visit the system, and Susan said yes, but urged people to visit in the morning when it is cooler. iWill is planning educational activities, including an open house and a tour, for July and August. In partner with Campbell’s, the educational part will include xeriscaping, how to have a system in the home to grow vegetables year round, health and nutrition, and the connection with sustainability.
Gregory asked if Nate has connected with Nick Gonzales of Tank Matez; they make bubble fish traps and are working on a coral reef. Nate said the technology is similar, but that it is hard to grow plants in salt water. Gregory asked how large a system can be and Nate answered that with the raft system, as big as you want. Susan described systems in Denver in the Elyria Swansea neighborhood and at the Dahlia Center that are growing food for local restaurants, supplying a small grocery store, and providing free food to some local residents.
Alice emphasized the life changing effects on children. A child can grow a little food with their kit, then see the big system, and grow their imagination including what they can do in a career. Susan described how the lesson plans are designed to include social emotional learning components. After this stressful worldwide situation, people need connections and need to improve their mental health. NASA has documented the emotional benefits to astronauts on the ISS from eating fresh crunchy lettuce, not just rehydrated food for 5-6 months; these findings have implications for human space exploration.
Jane described the connections that led to the NASA grant, starting with Professor Jude DePalma, chair of CSU-Pueblo Department of Engineering, forwarding the grant opportunity to her, which she forwarded to Becky Medina of the Boys & Girls Clubs who connected with iWill. Jane stressed the importance of the connections we make.
Lois asked what plants the kids grew besides sprouts. Susan said each kit included seeds for herbs, peas, and lettuce. In the lessons, the kids do experiments on how to use the tank system and different ways to grow plants and fish. The kit is complete, with manual, log, pH test trips, activities, and measuring devices. Also, professional artists were hired to teach kids how to paint with watercolors. Karen applauded STEAM (science, technology, engineering, ART, and mathematics). Jane applauded the collection and analysis of data.
Gregory asked to include iWill in a new Pueblo youth docent training program (for places like Rosemount, etc). The program is being piloted at PSAS with Drew and Meral and has strong elements of leadership training. Nate said that he is already talking with Meral.
Wyatt applauded the funding from NASA and asked about the potential for more funding. Susan said that she meets monthly with the NASA STEM Engagement office and talks are in progress. iWill would like to have an extended grant to provide more tanks to more kids at more Clubs and in the school. NASA has asked the team to present at a conference of all grant winners this fall. Susan said there are many roads we can go on with small tanks, demonstration systems, and school districts. We are trying to find stable funding.
The group thanked the iWill team for their presentation and their great work. Jane thanked Cheryl Anderson, executive director of iWill, for having volunteered the group to present at Pueblo Makes.
In community announcements, Gregory said that the Governor has signed legislation with funding for creative industries. Gregory said that legislator Leslie Harris deserves a lot of credit because she kept going back and saying the funding is not enough. The bill (https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb21-1285) includes $6 million for film production and more for creative industries in general. There is no portal yet for application, but applicants will just need to be 18 years of age and a resident of CO.
Gregory also announced a 15-week contemporary speakeasy called The Dig at the Senate Bar. The dates are every Wednesday, June 30 to Oct 6, 6-6:45, then 15-minute Q&A. Each speaker will be a story teller, including Jane speaking on maker culture. Admission will include beverages and appetizers, with a different featured caterer each time providing dinner at additional cost. The title, The Dig, comes from the tag line of the Star Journal (Dig Deeper), which will be published as a weekly soon.
Yorell announced that Project Inspire will have Christmas in July on July 17, with fashion show, music, auction, raffle, and more. See https://www.projectinspire.community/shop-online?category=Christmas+in+July+Gala+Fashion+Show Ladoris stressed the importance of this show in helping the coop recover from COVID. They are looking for sponsors. Also see https://www.facebook.com/projectinspirecooperative/.
Karen said that CROP, Creative Reuse of Pueblo has been open since March and is getting steady donations but needs more volunteers. The store is open Tu Th Sat 10 am to 3 pm but will add hours if volunteers will work other hours. Contact Karen at 242-6652 or karen@puebloarts.org. On August’s First Friday, August 6, the Arts Alliance will have a show around LGBTQ+ and they are looking for art. There will also be a prom and an art project (perhaps a chalk mural).
Lois asked about the plastic being collected and Gregory said that is happening outside BloBack Gallery in a large dumpster with a lid. Karen said that artist Helen Eberhardie Dunn (https://www.helleneberhardie.com/) is using the material, melting it into intriguing tapestries, and she will be doing more in future to keep plastics out of the ocean. Gregory said that a huge sculpture called the Heart that Helen did years ago and that was displayed in Oxford, has now arrived in Pueblo. She is doing repairs and working with Diana Hall of ActivArmor to add shields to the top of the heart. It will be displayed at the State Fair. We discussed what types of plastics Helen is using and we concluded she is collecting and using plastic bags and wrappers.
Karen urged creatives to enter their creations in the State Fair as an inexpensive way to win decent prize money and bragging rights. See https://coloradostatefair.com/participate/general-entry-fine-arts/
Gregory said that the new executive director of the State Fair Foundation is doing amazing things.
Lois reported that the Woodturners are meeting face-to-face, will present at the fair, and will do demonstrations (turning tops and Christmas ornaments) during the first week of the fair.
Gregory said that BloBack Gallery recently had a panel on installation art. Installation art is a self-contained environment to experience that you enter into. The idea dates back to the 1930s and grew in the 1960s and 70s.
Pueblo Makes member Elliott was recently shown playing the dulcimer in a CPR article here: https://www.cpr.org/2021/06/10/1921-pueblo-flood-recovery-photos/