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AQUAPONICS COULD BE THE SOLUTION TO SUSTAINING INNER-CITY FINE DINING IN AN EVER- CHANGING CLIMATE

We thought farm-to-table dining was good. How about farm-to-table-in- 20-minutes, with a carbon footprint of near-zero? We’re not talking about eating among the crops; we’re talking about an integrated farm on an inner-city roof that provides sustainable, organic produce to restaurants, while eliminating freight and reducing water usage by up to 90 per cent. Enter: aquaponics.

Aquaponics is a fusion of aquaculture and hydroponics, whereby fish and vegetables rely on each other for growth and nutrients. The fish live in tanks where they’re fed and spend their days swimming and growing. Their waste turns into nitrate, which becomes nutrition for the soilless vegetables. The vegies take what they need from the water, cleaning it as they go. It then flows through a filter back into the fish tanks, and the cycle begins again. The vegies are harvested by the chefs, and the fish are left to grow until they’re serving size.

Traditionally, aquaponics has been embraced by Australian growers as a way of getting around relying on seasonal produce during the drought, and DIY set-ups are readily available (think of it like at-home compost, with fish instead of worms). The New York Times once estimated that there were thousands of systems in place in US homes and schools, then there are chefs in London who have ditched the hospitality industry to start aquaponics farms in the country. But the benefits of such a farm on the restaurant scene are just being realised. In Singapore, the Fairmont and Swissôtel The Stamford hotels share a system that was installed late last year; Asian-fusion restaurant Tao Yuan in Maine has a set-up in a greenhouse next door.

Marcus Hanna, the general manager of Fairmont Singapore, says that aquaponics could revolutionise the industry here: “I don’t think there are too many urban hotels or even restaurants in the world that offer this,” he says. “Especially with the climate as it is, and the lack of rain in many places, it absolutely has a place in Australia.”

The smart circulatory system ticks myriad eco boxes, including cutting back on plastic from imported vegetables. Not only are aquaponic restaurants able to offer diners a truly organic meal (chemicals and pesticides would kill the fish), Hanna says you can taste the difference. “When you taste the kale we’ve grown and the vegetables we use, they taste so much better than the punnets we would buy, because it’s so fresh,” he says. The aquaponics- grown vegetables are even used in JAAN, the Michelin-starred restaurant at Swissôtel The Stamford. Now that’s saying something.

CONSCIOUSLY CONSUMING:

DRINK CHOICES THAT ARE GOOD FOR THE PLANET (AND YOUR CONSCIENCE)

BE A CAN-VERT
While the jury is still out, aluminium is lighter to transport and easier to recycle than glass, nudging it ahead in the eco-friendly stakes – and almost everything comes in a can these days. Our picks? Curatif’s espresso martini and negroni cans.

HERO LOCAL
Support Aussie vineyards that have been impacted by the recent bushfires, like some of those in the Adelaide Hills. Also, the shipping isn’t as burdensome as buying from overseas producers.

GO GREEN
Research proactive breweries and wineries. Sydney-based Young Henrys introduced a vat of neon-green algae to chew up the carbon emitted during the brewing process.

This story originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of ELLE magazine. Collage: Adam Hale.