{"id":7276,"date":"2016-12-13T08:48:31","date_gmt":"2016-12-13T13:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/?page_id=7276"},"modified":"2016-12-13T08:49:35","modified_gmt":"2016-12-13T13:49:35","slug":"miami-science-barge-demonstrates-sustainability-in-educational-facilities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/projects\/miami-science-barge-demonstrates-sustainability-in-educational-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Science Barge demonstrates sustainability in educational facilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted December 12, 2016<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By COURTNEY CHENNAULT<\/p>\n

To the north of the massive American Airlines Arena, concealed by the beautiful trees staggered on Miami\u2019s Museum Park, and all the way down the elongated sidewalk adjacent to the water floats a small yet spectacular environmental science and sustainability lab.<\/p>\n

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The entrance to the Miami Science Barge in downtown Miami (Photo courtesy of the Miami Science Barge).<\/p><\/div>\n

This lab, named The Miami Science Barge, is a true community gem with unique components that excite and educate. All components promote the message of sustainable treatment of our environment.<\/p>\n

What exactly is environmental sustainability? Gina Maranto, director of the Ecosystem Science and Policy Department at the University of Miami, defines sustainability as treating the environment in a way that allows future generations to survive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis means not exhausting resources,\u201d Maranto stated.<\/p>\n

One of the barge\u2019s sustainability components is the hydroponics system, a system in which crops and plants grow in highly nutrient water rather than in soil.<\/p>\n

This system incorporates connected tubes through which the water flows and recirculates to reach the plants.<\/p>\n

According to Michael Coogan, educator and living systems technician at the barge, this system uses 20 times less water than traditional growing methods because no water is lost through evaporation or runoff.<\/p>\n

In addition to conserving water, the hydroponics system has an interesting impact on the crops themselves.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Courtney-Chennault-Miami-Science-Barge.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

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\u201cThe plants grow twice as fast,\u201d declared Coogan. \u201cIn the system we\u2019re growing lettuce, basil, oregano, beans, and others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe plants grow faster because nutrients get directly to the roots all the time,\u201d Maranto explained.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the barge rests the vertical integrated greenhouse, or VIG. This construct is a hydroponics system that was patented by the barge\u2019s designer. The VIG grows plants vertically, allowing many to grow in a confined space.<\/p>\n

The barge also showcases a fish hatchery display full of seahorses, shrimp, and other sea creatures, which are raised from birth to adulthood in conditions that represent sustainable fish farming.<\/p>\n

The third sustainable living component, called aquaponics, is a hybrid of the two other living systems, hydroponics and the fish hatchery.<\/p>\n

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A student looks at a sample through microscope during a class field trip (Photo courtesy of the Miami Science Barge).<\/p><\/div>\n

Tilapia, cobia, shrimp, and more swim around in the various tanks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the aquaponics system the fish waste provides the nutrients for the plants to grow,\u201d explained Coogan.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the crops and fish are consumed by the barge staff.<\/p>\n

In order to meet its primary goal of encouraging the Miami community to adopt sustainable practices in everyday life, the Miami Science Barge welcomes visitors through weekday field trips and weekend public visitation hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to get in three field trips a week,\u201d said Alissa Farina, program manager at the barge. \u201cOur field trips mostly focus on grades K-8. Class sizes typically range from 46 to 50 children,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

During field trips learning is made fun as students engage in hands-on activities such as crafting a water filtration system, executing scavenger hunts, viewing aquatic samples under a microscope, and of course, shaking it out on the Solar Dance Floor, a cluster of solar panels installed in the barge floor.<\/p>\n

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Trash and other pollution gathers in the water between the Science Barge and the Miami Science Park (Photo by Courtney Chennault).<\/p><\/div>\n

Nathalie Manzano, executive director at the barge, mentioned the importance of showing off the fish hatchery displays during field trips because they expose life under the sea that many children have never witnessed in person.<\/p>\n

Perhaps one of its most exemplary qualities is that the Miami Science Barge is 100 percent self-sustained.<\/p>\n

Large cisterns collect fresh rainwater for the hydroponics systems, and 48 solar panels adorn the barge and provide the electricity used in all of its operation.<\/p>\n

Huge saltwater and lead acid batteries store the excess energy captured by the panels, allowing the barge to run completely off the grid.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe systems on the barge run constantly,\u201d explained Derek Sheldon, an educator, \u201cso we need electricity even when the sun is down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though somewhat hidden, the barge is located in a surprisingly optimal location. In fact, Farina says the barge\u2019s unique location is one of the best qualities of the structure. It is the perfect place to observe first-hand how people interact with the environment.<\/p>\n

One side of the barge looks out onto the bay where people are physically interacting with the marine ecosystem as they boat, Jet Ski, snorkel and so forth. The water looks clean as it glistens under the sun\u2019s beams.<\/p>\n

From the opposite side of the barge the sleek luxury apartment buildings model the rapid development plaguing the city as though sea-level rise is not a real threat. Additionally, looking over this side of the barge one can see all the ocean trash that as gotten caught in the inlet between the barge and the dock.<\/p>\n

The usual pollutants include water bottles, plastics, cans, but sometimes include unsuspected items. For example, Gabriela Barrocas, one of the barge educators, recalled finding a mattress among the other pollutants.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took four people to pull it out because it was so water-logged!\u201d she recounted.<\/p>\n

She and the other educators show visitors the inlet\u2019s pollution to bring awareness to the problem of littering, as well as to discourage the consumption of single-use items.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you throw something away, it doesn\u2019t always end up in the landfill,\u201d Barrocas concluded.<\/p>\n

As a result of its location, the Miami Science Barge is caught between two sides of the same coin; one side shows the positive relationship between humans and the environment, and the other reveals what happens when the two are at odds.<\/p>\n

The Miami Science Barge opened its doors in on Earth Day, April 27, 2016. Its construction was realized after the barge won the 2015 Knight Foundation City Challenge. \u00a0The prize money received from the competition covered the construction costs.<\/p>\n

While public entry to the barge is free, the Miami Science Barge website suggests a $5 donation for visitors because, as a non-profit, the barge runs on grants and donations.<\/p>\n

Owned by CappSci, another non-profit organization, the barge will remain docked at Miami\u2019s Museum Park for the duration of its two-year lease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted December 12, 2016 By COURTNEY CHENNAULT To the north of the massive American Airlines Arena, concealed by the beautiful trees staggered on Miami\u2019s Museum Park, and all the way down the elongated sidewalk adjacent to the water floats a … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3284,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"sidebar-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7276","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7276"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7284,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7276\/revisions\/7284"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}