Adam Brock is the co-founder of GrowHaus, a unique nonprofit based in Denver, Colorado. GrowHaus is a half-acre space encompassing different aspects of the food system under one roof including food production, food distribution, and food education, with a focus on revitalizing their local community through rebuilding food sovereignty.
Tune in to this episode as Adam takes us through the four-year process of building this unique community by connecting with the neighborhood as well as the different classes they have developed over time-- including Seed to Seed summer program for teens, micro business training, service learning, and even permaculture classes to the general public.
Adam walks us through the GrowHaus business model - its structure, the mission, and the funding of nonprofits. He gives us a brighter perspective on social entrepreneurship that combines non-profits & for-profits, in a non-traditional "regenerative" legal structure. Adam also describes the actual systems at the GrowHaus including a hydroponics farm, an aquaponics farm based on the UVI model of deep water culture system (DWC, or raft), and some of the crops they're growing, including a mini food forest with perennials and fruit trees.
Learn more about topics including the permaculture paradigm as key to their success, GrowHaus' community demographics, getting help from "cultural translators," and the permaculture application into their systems - the "Growasis," a tropical food forest, and a mushroom facility. Other things mentioned are the Permaculture Design Magazine, fertigation, and intersecting aquaponics with the food justice and permaculture movements as a powerful tool for food sovereignty.
A highly viable aquaponic setting right in the middle of the most polluted zip code in the entire state of Colorado - How has GrowHaus been able to successfully do this? Let's find out!
