Closing the Loop: Aquaponics

Howdy all!

After working and camping on a lovely organic farm called "The Garden of..." in Los Olivos with our friend Noey, we've had some time to reflect on where our food comes from. Many people are currently aware that the organic movement is growing not only due to health issues related to pesticides and other industrial farming methods, but also the ecological impacts that the large-scale commercial farming industry has on our planet--both locally and globally. Buying fresh organic produce from community farmer's markets is a rising trend, and the demand for responsibly grown food is becoming the norm.

But what about our fish?

Many people fail to question where our aqueous protein diet even originates. Did you know that 30% of the fish consumed in the U.S. is raised in fish farms? Many of which destroy the surrounding natural habitat through waste production that results in ecological "dead zones." Not to mention the spread of disease and occasional release of invasive species into wild fisheries. Ironically, some carnivorous fish raised in farms, such as salmon, are fed a vast amount of wild-caught seafood. This practice is a double-edged sword that depletes the ocean's resources in order to sustain an industry which can have disastrous environmental impacts.

(*Not all farmed fish are bad; check out or download a Seafood Watch Guide to see which types to avoid and which are better wild-caught*)

High levels of mercury and other contaminants that bioaccumulate in a fish's fatty tissue

and biomagnify up trophic levels also concern public health. The hazards of by-catch and over-fishing due to our species's insatiable consumption are threatening all the world's oceans and fisheries at breakneck speed. It seems all hope is lost. But do not despair!

Luckily our species is a clever one, and we have actually had a solution to these problems for centuries. The Chinese have raised fish within their rice paddies to provide nutrients for crops since ancient times. The plants absorb the fish waste as nutrients--essentially filtering the water for the fish, thus creating a closed loop system similar to symbiotic relationships we see all the time in nature. Humans have recently been harnessing this mutualism in a process called "aquaponics"-- the sustainable combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. Simply put: raising fish and food crops together!

This traditional practice has received a modern upgrade and is currently being employed in many countries to produce sustainably-raised fish and produce in a fraction of the space that each industry alone would require. From an agricultural standpoint, this means: less toxic runoff, less erosion, less soil degradation, less water use and a multitude of other benefits. Instead, crops are raised using the same water that cycles through the fish tank below.

And many downsides of fish farming have been eliminated. The harmful byproducts (ammonia and nitrites) are not only contained but actually used as a resource when converted to nitrates by naturally occurring bacteria. The nitrates are a natural fertilizer for the plants being raised above the fish. Most aquaponics systems are above-ground fresh water designs, so the risk of harm to native populations and natural habitats is diminished.

Our hearty team of volunteer cyclist educators has been traveling with a demonstration

aquaponics system that was designed by a wonderful group of people at Eden Aquaponics, based out of San Diego, CA. We teach a workshop at schools that highlights the advantages of this dual-farming method and showcases our star tilapia, whom we've lovingly named Fussilli. (And don't worry--he's become part of our family; we don't plan on eating him.)

*Check out the Eden Aquaponics website for more information about their systems and what you can grow!

**For more information on sustainable seafood and how you can help protect our oceans, visit the Monterrey Bay Aquarium website.

Psssst! Seafood Watch cards make a great stocking stuffer!! You can order them for FREE!

Life is the bubbles,

Fussilli and Nicole

Back to School

A big thanks to Camp Ocean Pines for hosting us at their beautiful facility. As a way to give back to the camp we planted Monterey Pine trees to help cultivate one of the few remaining groves in the world.

Sunday's ride carried us down the coast to Morro Bay where some cyclists enjoyed a beautiful sunset from kayaks as they explored the richly diverse estuary consisting of 2300 acres of mud flats, eel-grass beds, tidal wetlands and open water. The bay is the receiving basin for the runoff from 48,000 acres of watershed.

Two dozen threatened and endangered species live in the Morro Bay watershed, including the peregrine falcon, brant, brown pelican, sea otter, Morro Bay kangaroo rat, black rail, snowy plover, steelhead trout, salt marsh bird's beak, and Morro manzanita.

http://www.morrobay.com/estuary.htm

A big hardy thanks to Caroline and Whitney for coordinating our school programs this morning and making today so successful. Our crew split to visit both Montessori Children's School and Grover Elementary where both groups enjoyed working along side students sharing our message of sustainability through presentations and work projects.

If constellations had been named in the 20th century, I suppose we would see bicycles. ~ Prof. Carl Sagan

Big Sur or Bust!

Howdy Readers!

We've spent the past few days traversing the rugged beauty of Big Sur. Since we left the culinary delights of Almaden's hospitable family, our crew has been left to our own devices preparing delicious meals and providing entertainment in the forested wilderness. However, we never seem to lack hearty food and good music around a campfire.

After surviving the thrills, uphills and chills of Big Basin State Park, we cycled 35 miles through Santa Cruz on to Sunset State Beach to camp for the evening. The agricultural terrain of this region provided snapshots of vast strawberry fields covered in rows of plastic sheeting as well as oceans of brussel sprouts being trimmed by workers wielding two machetes each. Even though the farming industry has become largely mechanized, cycling along this coastline proves that the tradition of human-powered techniques still echoes in the fields.

Sheets of rain moistened our journey into Monterrey without dampening morale. With strong willpower and the aid of our trusty SAG (support and gear) bus, we all made it safely to Pfeiffer State Park where food preparation for our actual Thanksgiving feast began under an EZ-up tent due to the weather. An exquisite dinner was served on our damp candlelit picnic table while we all thought of our loved ones both near and far from us and all that we have to be grateful for. Well-marked bicycle pathways made the list.

Thankful for state parks with laundromats, we carried on pedaling through the Redwood forest and scenic coastline from the Pfeiffer campground to the Kirk Creek National Forest campground. Still receiving our nourishment from leftovers, we traveled 45 miles out of Big Sur into Camp Ocean Pines near the quaint town of Cambria.

Today, we stopped to visit the elephant seal rookery at Piedras Blancas along Pacific Coast Highway 1 just north of San Simeon. Our pinniped friends were lazily stretched out on the beach where they come to give birth, breed and molt. We learned that they are able to dive up to 5,000 feet and the longest dive was clocked at 119 minutes. Luckily, they have made a comeback after being driven almost to extinction in the 1800s from overhunting for their oil-rich blubber. One way that you can help protect them is to always keep a distance of at least 100 feet, respecting the fact that they are a wild animal and also receive protection under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.

With minor bruises and full bellies, we’ll all sleep warmly tonight thanks to our lovely hosts and hot showers.

Signing off,

Nicole and the bike trippers

Nov 22 - 23

We woke up Tuesday morning at around 4:45am to start perhaps the longest, most challenging day of our trip. From our cozy accommodations at the Foothills Congregational Church in Los Altos, we set off in the dark en route to Almaden Country day school, where we would be part of what some have claimed to be the largest Thanksgiving celebration west of the Mississippi. After a beautiful, albeit chilly, 22-mile sunrise ride, we were greeted at Almaden by a host of friendly, familiar faces. The student-led welcoming committee helped riders find their way around the school and in no time, sustainable living workshops were underway throughout the campus.

After a morning of bike maintenance workshops, gardening, aquaponics, and organic body care product making, the entire school quickly filed into a sunny courtyard to begin their Thanksgiving celebration. Introduced by the ever-supportive head of school, Ole Jorgenson, our bike tour band performed a couple songs for the crowd. With Danny on banjo, Ben on compost-bucket string bass, Marguerite on violin, Jacob on guitar and vocals, and Laurie and Travis on vocals, the sound filled the courtyard and brought smiles to all. After some additional songs and speeches led by staff and students, the feasting began. Six giant lines of food, 6 courses of tasty homemade Thanksgiving standards, and hundreds of people: a sight to behold. Riders were touched by the student-made letters and Almaden waterbottles marking our seating assignments. A big thank you to the students of Almaden, Cosmo and the rest of the faculty for making us a part of their Thanksgiving celebration and treating us like we were part of the community.

Well aware of the ride ahead of them, riders quickly scarfed down their meals, said a gracious thank you, changed and began their 30-mile ride over the Santa Cruz mountains and into Big Basin. The ride up Hwy 9 is known for being both gorgeous and challenging. Riders had plenty of opportunity to work off their Thanksgiving meal hauling up the continuous 11-mile uphill stretch. The hard work paid off when they reached the summit and were treated with a continuous 5-mile downhill through the redwoods. After another 6 plus miles of up and down through wooded mountains, the weary riders arrived to the chilly, remote, and majestic Big Basin campground. Hot soup, hot showers and a hot fire were well needed after an epic day of riding and teaching.

-Travis

Cycling Through the City NOOOOWWWWW

Hello Friends, Family, and other Followers,

Today we visited our first classrooms! We split our team up into two groups: the first went to Claire Lilienthal School and the second group went to Episcopal Community Services Center.

The four workshops offered to the eighth graders at Claire Lilienthal were Biodiesel, Bike Maintenance, Urban Homesteading, and Aquaponics.

I worked with Lissa and Katie in the Urban Homesteading workshop this morning. Urban homesteading is defined as "transforming a city or suburban home into a property that produces its residents' own food and other subsistence needs." We made our own peppermint lip balm and peppermint mouthwash out of all natural materials and the students were able to take home their very own lip balm as well as a crafty Christmas gift idea!

Most of the kids were surprised to see how easy it is to make your own lip balm and mouthwash. The students compared the ingredients of a "Chapstick" brand lip balm with the ingredients of the homemade lip balm and engaged in a discussion about the pros and cons of urban homesteading. It was loads of fun!

**Check out the end of the blog for the recipe we used**

At the Episcopal Center, Group 2 made re-usable shopping bags out of discarded t-shirts with adult students!

After all the riders finished up with their programs, they went on their way via bicycle around the San Francisco Bay to Los Altos. It was a very fun ride, almost completely flat and through the city. It is so awesome that the Bay Area has a plethora of off-road bike paths to make the ride even more enjoyable :)

Fare thee well Friends, Family, and other Followers

*******************************************************

Make Your Own Lip Balm

You can purchase many of these ingredients at "http://www.organic-creations.com" www.organic-creations.com. Research the safety of your own bath and body products at HYPERLINK "http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com" www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. We purchased our 100% recycled chapstick tubes from the following website: "http://www.thesage.com/catalog/LipBalmContainers.html" http://www.thesage.com/catalog/LipBalmContainers.html

The following amounts should be measured out in weight. I use a small mail scale that measures ounces.

20% grated beeswax

30% solid at room temperature oil (Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Shea Butter, Lanolin, etc.)

20% brittle at room temperature oil (Regular Cocoa Butter, Palm Kernel Oil, etc.)

30% liquid oil at room temperature (Sweet Almond Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, etc.)

A few drops of vitamin E (preservative)

A few drops of peppermint essential oil

1. Melt every thing in a small jar set in a pan of boiling water (don't melt over direct heat, it could burn or the wax could catch on fire!) Stir frequently.
2. Next fill the tubes completely to the very top. It contracts when cooled and forms a little dip but you don't want to re-fill this, the layers might not adhere to each other and the top layer could slip off. It's also best not to re-melt the lip balm, it will get grainy.
3. Let sit without moving until completely set up.

The Golden Gate Welcomes Us!

Hello All Those Near & Dear!

Yesterday we awoke to a nice, crisp, sunny day. Everyones spirits were high & we were ready to conquer the 40 miles ahead, which included the '7 Sisters' climb. The views were stunning (as one would hope them to be at 5000 feet elevation) & muscles were definitely burning. After a long day of riding, Group 1 & 2 reunited in San Francisco at Kathy Rose's house for our official Bike Tour kick off party!

Today we were lucky enough to be able to sleep in a bit. At 10:30am we all met up at 'Sports Basement' for a bike maintenance clinic. Jeff was our humorous and knowledgable host, who we were all happy to see again.
Half our day was spent at 'Sports Basement' purchasing gear and tuning our bikes. 'Sports Basement' has always provided us with such great service & continues to help us out in any way possible.

We wrapped up the day polishing our workshops at Kathy Rose's mission apartment. The tour officially starts tomorrow, with a visit to the Claire Lilienthal School & to Episcopal Community Services. Fifty miles later we will be in Los Altos staying at Foothills Congregational Church.

A big thanks to Kathy, Nikki, Madison, Drew Fink, Dave Seamans, & Nicole for accommodating us the past two nights. And one last 'Thank You' shout out to Sports Basement & The Recyclery Bike Shop!!!

Signed Your Happy Cyclist,

Marguerite : )

Of the West

Hello Devoted Readers! We kicked off the Bike Tour in high style on Thursday night with a stay at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, an intentional community and ecological education program in Sonoma County. Aside from luxurious hot tub and sauna, the real opportunity was found in the meandering gardens that grace the land. The following morning began with a tour and a work project, and it was remarkable how much food the garden was still producing. At a time when many gardens are winding down for the winter, this was an excellent reminder that the mild climate along the California coast is great for growing food all year long! OAEC had many examples of cold tolerant vegetables and greens, including tree collards, kale, cabbage, romanesco, and escarole. Our morning project consisted of weeding a bed of kale and then sowing a cover crop of vetch beneath the remaining plants. This was another important lesson because while it may be possible to grow food throughout the year in some locations, we must remember that gardeners are growing healthy soil first and foremost. Vetch, like all legumes, fixes nitrogen into a usable form with the help of symbiotic bacteria, and so helps replenish the soil with nutrients that our fruits and vegetables had previously removed. As we composted the plants that had been pulled and cleaned the tools, our minds drifted back to our own garden on Catalina and the exciting new crop varieties and techniques we might try when we return to the island! Many thanks to Doug and all the members of OAEC!

Hitting the Road!!!

The day has finally come for us to embark on our 7th annual Sustainable Living Bike Tour!!! We are all super excited and busy with the last minute logistics. However, everyone's attitudes are off to a great pedal stride. This year's curriculum is going to be better than ever with Workshops in Aquaponics, Urban Homesteading, Sustainable Gardening, Bike Maintenance, and Biodiesel.  Hundreds of volunteer hours have gone into lesson plans, provisioning, and fundraising. Our dedication & optimism never ceases to amaze me every year.

Group 1 departs today over to Los Angeles, heading to Fresno for the night and then on to Occidental. Thanks to the Langen family for their support. 

Group 2 departs on Friday to meet Group 1 in San Francisco, where we will reunite for our sustainable journey down the coast.

Many thanks to those of you who have supported us in the past & who continue to support us & our mission. Next blog will be from the road!!!

Peace, Love & Bicycle Grease

Marguerite : )

Movie Premiere Fundraiser!

'Under the Sun' Surf Movie Premiere
Showing Saturday 12th November on Catalina Island in Two Harbors.

Viewing starting at 7.30pm on the sand out in front of the general store. $5 donation would be loved.

BBQ and other gifts available in support of Catalina Ecology Project's Sustainable Living Bike Tour.

Come along, hang out, support a good cause and watch a great movie.