We are City Farm Fish
We are a highly motivated team looking to transform cities around the world with urban agriculture and aquaponics.
Over the past ten years we have been working in horticulture, engineering, architecture, law, business development, fundraising, and marketing. Now we are bringing something fresh to local communities.
Meet the founders
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Zachary Gould
Co-founder & Head of Engineering
Zachary is an engineer who has been working in energy and agriculture for the past five years. He received his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell and recently worked with EBF GmbH to design and construct an ultra-efficient aquaponic greenhouse in Germany.
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J. Alex Dalessio
Co-founder & Head of Business Development
Alex is an attorney with over ten years of international business experience across a variety of industries. Alex was a public interest law fellow and received his JD from the University of California at Berkeley.
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Heather Pfister
Co-founder & Head of Marketing
Heather is an international marketing specialist for a premier architecture firm in New York City. She has expertise in fundraising and grant solicitations and received her Masters in Arts Management from NYU.
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Quentin Stanton
Co-founder & Head of Architecture
Quentin is a licensed architect working within New York City with a background in real estate. He received his M.Arch from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Adam Horwitch
Co-founder & Head of Horticulture
Adam is a horticultural expert with almost ten years experience working in large and small scale farming operations in cities. He is a trained permaculturalist.
Teaching Cities to Fish
We are educating cities and citizens to start feeding themselves with urban aquaponics. Aquaponics is the combined cultivation of fish and produce in a closed-loop system. The fish waste fertilizes the plants and the plants purify the water. The term is derived from joining aquaculture and hydroponics.
We believe the implementation of aquaponics and other sustainable agricultural techniques can transform our urban future. 70% of the projected 9.2 billion person population will live in metropolitan areas by 2050. The path toward sustainable urban development must begin today. The first step is increased community awareness and a shift in the common consciousness.
Fundamental Benefits
of Urban Agriculture
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Urban Heat Island Effect
Urban Heat Island Effect is responsible for increased urban temperatures because of an excess of concrete and other similar materials. Greenhouses, urban gardens, and green roof farms mitigate this effect by covering these surfaces and preventing them from heating up. This makes the city a more comfortable place to live and can do wonders for lowering air conditioning costs in the summer.
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Combined Sewerage Overflow
Everytime it rains more than 1 inch in NYC the sewage system overflows into waterways around New York. This is a problem for many cities across the country and the world. Soil-based farms and rainwater harvesting systems prevent water from flowing into the sewage system.
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Diversion of Organic Waste
30% of all trash in NYC is organic waste. That means 1/3 of all the garbage that fills up our landfills could be composted and used to grow fruits and vegetables instead. The problem is it is incredibly expensive to collect and truck in and out of the city. Urban farms and gardens provide a direct outlet for this resource and great potential venues for composting projects.
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Hyper Local Urban Food Production
The average item in the grocery story travels 1500 miles on its way to the shelf. Producing food in cities not only greatly reduces the energy required for distribution but also improves the freshness and nutritiousness of fruits and vegetables in local communities.
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Improved Overall Air Quality
When plants grow they naturally convert CO2 into Oxygen. Increased urban agriculture will combat global warming by decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases. Non-edible species can also be planted to filter particulates and other pollutants out of the air leaving it cleaner for both urban plants and people alike.
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Improved Public Health
Increased access to quality produce and fresh fish has the potential to transform dietary realities for many of the world's urban poor. Eating food rich in nutrients and Omega-3 fatty acids can significantly decrease the occurence of diet-related diseases such as diabetes and hyper-tension.
Coming Soon to a City Near You
Implementation is what makes education relevant. Teaching cities to fish is about spearheading urban agriculture projects and supplementing our food supply with fish, fruits, and vegetables grown closer to home. Below is more info on our current projects.
Brooklyn Navy Yard
NEW YORK CITY
Our first project will be located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We will build an adapted version of the EBF Greenhouse designed and developed by our technology partners Energy Biosphere Food from Germany.
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Figure 1.
Exterior render with a view of Manhattan.
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Figure 2.
Salad Greens can be grown year round alongside Tilapia in the fishtanks.
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Figure 3.
Photovoltaic louvres provide the perfect amount of sunlight behind F-Clean ETFE glazing from AGC Green-Tech.
The Freshest Fish and
Produce on the Block.
You can even harvest them yourself. Our initial products will be distributed to restaurants and hotels within the greater NYC metropolitan area. Some produce will also be available at GrowNYC Greenmarkets and through the Brooklyn Grange CSA.
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Fish
Tilapia are the mainstay of our fish production. Because of their tolerance to swings in pH and temperature, they are one of the most commonly employed fish in aquaponics. We will sell fillets and whole fish, both of the Blue Nile variety.
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Salad Greens
Lettuce and other salad greens are one of the simplest things to grow in an aquaponics system. Boston Bibb, Red Oak Leaf, Green Oak Leaf, Buttercrunch, Collards, and Chard varieties available.
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Herbs
Our fresh herbs are grown especially for use in locally crafted cocktails. Varieties incude mint, basil, rosemary, thyme, and shiso.
If you are interested in purchasing our products, we'd love to hear from you: sales@cityfarmfish.com
City Farm Fish
Brooklyn Navy Yard
63 Flushing Avenue
Unit 195, Bldg 280, Suite 515
Brooklyn, NY 11205
1 (917) 838-2062
info@cityfarmfish.com