Subscribe to Pittwire Today
Get the most interesting and important stories from the 窪蹋勛圖厙 of 窪蹋勛圖厙.Hydroponics Club Grows Food For Those In Need, Teaches Methods to Local Kids
On a sunny fall Sunday afternoon, music pours down a narrow alley from a small garage in 窪蹋勛圖厙s Homewood neighborhood.
Inside, along the back wall, small green seedlings hang in columns suspended from a modified garment rack. A wooden A-frame holds rows of PVC pipe, modified to hold small plants.
Amid a jumble of hand tools, scattered PVC pipes and bags of clay pebbles stacked three deep, a dozen and a half Pitt students huddle in small groups.
Some work to the beat of the music, using hand saws and heat guns to cut and modify PVC pipe; others meticulously connect sections of flexible rubber tubing; still others unpack supplies and scrub plastic tote boxes.
Their purpose: expanding and optimizing the systems at this, the home base of the hydroponics club.
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil, using nutrient-enriched water. Its the farming of the future, said club president Luke Persin. Among the advantages is that plants grow faster and produce better yields, without the need for pesticides or herbicides.Hydroponics uses 90% less water than traditional methods, and theres no end to the growing season, he said.
The club has close ties to the, but students come from a variety of majors, said Persin, who is a senior majoring in. Student members gain hands-on experience in designing and building hydroponic growing systems, but the clubs purpose extends far beyond its own four walls.
The greens they grow take four to five weeks to mature, and at full production, 99 heads of lettuce could be harvested each week, Persin estimated. The produce is grown to help feed neighbors in need, including through the, which serves students.
Club members also share their knowledge and passion. A big part of their mission is to reach outin the community, in schools and across campusto inspire others to make their own hydroponic growing systems.
Hydroponic gardening can be as simple as modifying a water bottle to hold growing medium and seedlings. The club regularly offers hands-on build a mini system nights to teach other students how to grow their own lettuce or basil without soileven on a dorm room windowsill. Members also are exploring the potential for installing systems in prominent spots on campus, to raise awareness as well as produce.
In addition to their Homewood location, club members maintain a hydroponic system at the nearby nonprofit Community Human Services. It provides fresh lettuce for the, which serves more than 800 families in 窪蹋勛圖厙s South Oakland neighborhood.
The studentsalso are partnering with TheCommunity Day School in 窪蹋勛圖厙s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, which serves students age 3 through grade 8. Club members have visited to teach the students about hydroponics, and, with students in grades 6 through 8, have helped design and build a system that can be moved among classrooms at the school. They expect to complete the project in January.
Its been helpful for the team to come in and show us, said Molly Muffet, the schools sustainability coordinator.
The Pitt volunteers helped brainstorm and fine-tune the students own designs. They guided us on some changes and are helping in the hands-on part as well, Muffet said, noting that constructing the system has presented some challenges for her young first-time builders. Theyve been very patient with the kids, she said.
The rolling horizontal system initially willbe used to grow lettuce, but Muffet envisions growing parsley for use in a Passover observance in spring, and possibly adding systems to grow cherry tomatoes as snacks. She expects to continue working with the hydroponics club to keep the systems running properly. Theyre very knowledgeable and were glad to have their professional advice to help us problem-solve.
Tracing the roots
Sanchez, the hydroponics clubs faculty adviser, said, The idea of urban agriculture permeates what I do, whether in the classroom, in design labs, startups, student projects or advising the club.
Agriculture accounts for about 80% of the nation's consumptive water use, Sanchez explained, noting that drought and increased demand from domestic and industrial use is putting water supplies under high stress, as is being seen in California, where much of the nations fruit, vegetables and nuts are grown.
Nutrient runoff from farm fields promotes excess algae growth, which uses up oxygen in the water and creates dead zones that negatively affect aquatic life downstream.
At the same time, demographic trends indicate that urbanization is rising, he said, adding that the United Nations estimates that by 2050, two-thirds of the worlds population will live in cities.
Hydroponics has a lot of potential to fit into a portfolio of methods to meet food needs of the future in a more sustainable way, he said.
Support for Pitt Hydroponics has come primarily from the, where Sanchez is the assistant director for education and community engagement. Sanchez also directs Pittsundergraduate certificate in sustainabilityprogram and the Swanson schoolsprogram. His research insupports additionalprojects that foster cross-pollination of sustainable ideas.
The goal of the sustainable design labs is to undertake projects that will have impact. In the same vein, the clubs projects all must deepen student engagement and education, Sanchez said.
We emphasize that a sustainable design starts with understanding the challenge through others perspectives, said Sanchez.
We are building a culture around how you use engineering to serve people.