How it works: 

• The fish, poop and pee, and all that waste-water gets broken down by beneficial bacteria into nutrients.
• The waste-water from the fish is then pumped up & upcycled as fertilizer for the plants. The plants take up the nutrients and, at the same time, clean the water which then falls back down for the fish.
• There is no soil - the plants are growing hydroponically.
• There is no need to clean the water because the plants naturally filter the water

What can you grow: Choose from a variety of fresh produce, including spinach, baby greens, oregano, beans, basil, mint, parsley & thyme.

A useful learning tool for the classroom, this aquaponic kit is also great for any family or urban dweller's kitchen. To learn more or purchase this Home Aquaponics Garden please visit the Back To The Roots website here.

Simple materials and technology combined make for a fun and plant-friendly iPhone/iPod dock.

As an urban ag enthusiast and a green-thumbed gal, I love to see plants incorporated into products, especially when it's not over-thought or complicated. In the age of Portlandia and urban ag proliferation, where "put a bird on it" has become "put a plant in it" some plant-centered products take the simple act of growing at home a bit too far. The Bloombox manages to keep it simple. Most iPhone/iPod docking stations leave something to be desired, but the minimalist design of the ceramic Bloombox is enticing. The Bloombox both amplifies your phone's speakers up to 30% and provides a home for your favorite succulents.

Created by Nicholas Hyde and Brennan Conroy of Portland, OR, the Bloombox has just over two weeks to go before completing their Kickstarter campaign. With only $304 left to hit their goal, I'm fairly certain they will join the ranks of thousands of successfully backed projects via crowdsourced funding.

To support Bloombox please visit Kickstarter here.

Designer Joey Roth introduces a clever planter made out of terracotta that naturally irrigates plants.

Roth was inspired by the "olla" an ancient irrigation tool that farmers still use to conserve water in arid climates. A user simply pours water in the center chamber and the planter’s porous earthenware material allows water to gradually seep into the surrounding soil. It is an efficient system because virtually no water is lost to evaporation or run-off.

The planter is 8 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall and is designed to hold three herbs or six succulents. The vessel can hold up to 2.5 liters of soil and 0.4 liters of water and it is suitable for indoor or outdoor use. For indoor gardeners, this self irrigating planter means you won't need to worry about a puddle of water accumulating on your floor if you over water.

Roth's design philosophy is to combine simple functionality with honest, unfinished materials. His planter isn't available for sale yet, but you an pre-order it at JoeyRoth.com for $45.

Sources: Joey Roth & Core77

One of the many creations of Kate Hartman, Botanicalls provides a digital pathway of communication from plants to humans.

Just a few months ago we brought you a story about a little device that helps those with less than a green thumb keep their plants happy, healthy and well watered. Botanicalls is the creation of Kate Hartman, Kati London and Rob Faludi. This past week I had the chance to see Kate Hartman speak about the project at the second annual Eyeo festival in Minneapolis. A designer with a diverse set of talents spanning electronics and wearable tech, Kate's projects are whimsical and about connecting with others, your plants and sometimes your own thoughts.

A DIY kit that is simple to construct, Botanicalls was originally designed to call you when your plant needed watering but over time was upgraded to tweeting. Your plant essentially has its own Twitter account and status updates let you know when it's in need of watering. Although I think I might prefer a call or text as it would feel like a more direct connection to me, giving plants the ability to tweet is an interesting way of providing them with a voice within the human world.

The Botanicalls kit is available through Sparkfun here.

Image source: MOMA

Redefining local food, BrightFarms will provide ultra-local produce to the Twin Cities via hydroponic greenhouses.

BrightFarms broke ground Monday morning on a massive greenhouse to be built in St. Paul with partners J&J Distributing. The greenhouse will supply thousands of pounds per year in fresh produce for local grocery stores in the Twin Cities.

Providing more than just locally grown produce, the new greenhouse will create green-collar jobs for St. Paul residents. On site, farmers will grow hydroponic lettuces, tomatoes and herbs. The produce will be carried by Cub Foods, which has signed on to sell BrightFarm's produce at nearly 60 locations in the Twin Cities metro area.

Source: CBS Minnesota

Summer is just around the corner, and for those who live in big cities, that means spring warmth will soon give way to searing heat. Green roofs can help regulate city temperatures, giving people, and the electrical grid, a much needed break.

Toronto is the first city in North America with a bylaw that requires roofs to be green. And we're not talking about paint. A green roof, also known as a living roof, uses various hardy plants to create a barrier between the sun's rays and the tiles or shingles of the roof. The plants love the sun, and the building (and its inhabitants) enjoy more comfortable indoor temperatures as a result.

Toronto's new legislation will require all residential, commercial and institutional buildings over 2,000 square meters to have between 20 and 60 percent living roofs. Although it's been in place since early 2010, the bylaw will apply to new industrial development as of April 30, 2012. While this is the first city-wide mandate involving green roofs, Toronto's decision follow's in the footsteps of other cities, like Chicago and New York.

Under the direction of Mayor Richard Daley the city of Chicago put a 38,800 square foot green roof on a 12 story skyscraper in 2000. Twelve years later, that building now saves $5000 annually on utility bills, and Chicago boasts 7 million square feet of green roof space. New York has followed suit, and since planting a green roof on the Con Edison Learning Centre in Queens, the buildings managers have seen a 34 percent reduction of heat loss in winter, and reduced summer heat gain by 84 percent.

But lower utility bills aren't the only benefit of planting a living roof. In addition to cooling down the city, green roofs create cleaner air, cleaner water, and provide a peaceful oasis for people, birds and insects in an otherwise polluted, concrete and asphalt-covered environment.

Image via Flickr/pnwra

Imagine yourself strolling through aisle after aisle of fragrant fruit trees and delicious-looking veggie bushes. The fruit is perfectly ripe, just begging to be picked. You reach out to grab one, but then think better of it...this is surely someone's personal garden. Then, you notice a sign that reads,"Help yourself--everything is free."

Locavore's fantasy? It might sound like one, but determined community organizers in Seattle have succeeded in making it a reality.

A seven-acre plot of land in the city’s Beacon Hill neighborhood will soon be planted with hundreds of different kinds of edibles: walnut and chestnut trees; blueberry and raspberry bushes; fruit trees, including apples and pears; exotics like yuzu citrus, guava, persimmons, honeyberries, and lingonberries; herbs; and more.

Guided by the principles of permaculture, the "food forest" as it's been called, will be perennial and self-sustaining, just like a forest is in the wild.

A true foray into urban agriculture, there will be no fence around the forest, or head gardener making sure no one spends a few hours weeding before they enjoy the harvest. The project will be executed in a public park, and it will remain public when it's planted. All will be available for public plucking to anyone who wanders into the food forest.

We think this sounds delicious and is a great example of what communities can accomplish when they band together for a cause. Do you have  a large-scale gardening or food-sharing project in your community? Tell us about it!

Image Credit: Flickr/Ctd 2005