A school in the U.S. state of Ohio has taken to raising tilapia within its walls.
Students attending Granville High School tend to 130 tilapia being farmed in two massive tanks in between the institution’s parking lots. The aquaponics system also facilitates the growth of several basil plants using fertilizer created by the fish.
To protect this year’s stock from freezing, Granville senior Chris Carlson even created a composting system to generate heat. The hope is that the fish will survive the year and that Granville High School executive chef Jon Harbaugh will be able to use the food grown within the aquaponics systems on the school menu, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The Granville school system also sources other local foods when not using its own growing scheme. All efforts are made to heighten sustainability, according to Harbaugh.
“We’ve increased our local sustainability by introducing our kids to new local products,” he told The Dispatch.
“You’re using your waste from your cafeteria to come here and help grow the food that you then eat in your cafeteria,” he added. “What I hate seeing is a wasteful system where normally that’s just thrown away.”
