On Tuesday, 13 January 2026, a new exhibit was revealed at the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, teaching kids about aquaponics and its potential for growing our food. A recycled shipping container now serves as a mini-ecosystem, teaching kids about aquaponics — a system of aquaculture which involves raising both plants and fish together. The fish provide nutrients to the plants, and the plants provide clean water for the fish.
Kaben Smallwood, CEO of Symbiotic Aquatics and the designer of the exhibit, says the process allows farmers to take their minds off their tools and keep them on their products.
"By having a system that waters itself [and] provides nutrients for itself, the farmer can spend his or her time doing what they are meant to do, and that's working with the plants," explained Smallwood.
"Overall, we get about 50% of the food we consume from aquaculture, but we import around 85% of the seafood we eat here, even on our Coast," said MAD Initiative program manager Megan Gima. "Even though we have it in our backyard, we're importing 85% of what we're consuming.
Read more at WLOX
