Progress is being made on 3NE’s upcoming Sustainable Food Production Centre (SFPC). While the designs are begin developed, the 3NE team was onsite at potential locations for the SFPC. Using a drone to capture video and images of the area, they will be able to see how the SFPC design will fit into the Fort Chipewyan landscape.

The drone operators capture images carefully in a grid-like pattern that can be used to produce maps of the potential sites. This gives us an aerial image with a tremendous amount of detail.

The SFPC will be equipped with solar PV, which will supply power to operate the building, especially for the aquaponics area. Aquaponics is the combination of both hydroponics (growing plants with no soil, just water) and aquaculture (the process of raising fish). By combining the two, the fish waste fertilizes the plants while the plants clean the water for the fish.

The SFPC will also include an educational area, a greenhouse and raised bed gardens. This design will allow for both year-round and seasonal crops to be grown locally, providing the people of Fort Chipewyan with affordable food that has minimal impact on the environment.