“We’re incredibly pleased with the city’s support,” Held said. “We’re very grateful for the opportunity they’re giving us.”
RELATED: Nonprofit that would use fish to grow produce hopes to open in Huber Heights
Held founded the nonprofit in August 2019.
H2Grow will grow produce to go to other nonprofits in the nearby community in an aquaponics farm, Held said. An aquaponics farm is a system where fish and plants are grown together. The plants are grown on top of the fish tanks.
An aquaponics farm is more efficient and self-sustaining, perfect for farming in an urban area, Held said.
Held wants to sell leafy greens and other produce directly to the Dayton Food Bank and Homefull, so there would be no middle-man in the process. Held also talked about partnerships with nearby school districts. H2Grow is in regular correspondence with those groups, Held said.
H2Grow is now in the mode of evaluating the building on Powell to see if the power supply and HVAC system can support the aquaponics farm. Held said he imagines the nonprofit will probbaly have to make some tweaks to the building, since it was not orginally designed with this purpose in mind.
Held hopes to be fully operatioal by the end of 2020.
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