Audience Award

Watertuun
Anna Brünner, Enno Fricke, Denis Kapieske, Lucas Lansing, Julie Maywald

Anna Brünner, Enno Fricke, Denis Kapieske, Lucas Lansing and Julie Maywald from the University of Bremen are taking a step towards sustainable food production: Watertuun – Aquaponik Bremen (Watertuun is Low German for water garden) is set to become Bremen’s first aquaponics farm. This will mean that food such as fish, salad and vegetables can be produced right in the heart of the city. This is because aquaponics combines the cultivation of fish in aquaculture with the hydroponic cultivation of crops in a common water circulation system. The advantages are obvious: production requires very little fresh water, no nutrient-rich soil is needed and the addition of pesticides or antibiotics is also not necessary. The central location eliminates long transport routes, and the products can be sold in the farm shop and delivered to restaurants or to private individuals’ homes by freight bikes. This enables Watertuun to produce regional food with practically zero emissions. Everyone on the team contributes their own expertise from the fields of biology, business and even philosophy. What unites them is that their hearts are in it. “It is really important to us to realise the project” says the Watertuun team. “We now want to quickly find a suitable building and then expand the project so that others can also participate and benefit from it.”