Ed Anders
Ed Anders
I believe we are at the forefront of an explosion that is about to occur. The explosion I am referring to is Population. To accommodate this inevitable event, the corporations that produce food will need to step up the use of chemicals and genetic engineering to maximize the “edible” yield of their crops and livestock in order to provide enough food for those who can afford it.
The problem is that we are already finding out that some of these chemicals and genetic modifications are making us sick.
I never really realized how it was effecting all of us until I saw an example firsthand, hence my “firsthand” story.
My name is Ed Anders. I have been involved in the film industry for the last 30 years. I have filmed all over the world and have seen a wide range of diversity that exists on this planet. I am a Stuntman, but I’ve also made a reasonable living as a Stunt Coordinator, Second Unit Director and Film Director, so I don’t just hit my head on the ground for a living. I’ve directed films and television that included Dennis Hopper, Morgan Fairchild, Charles Durning, Michael Madsen and many others, but that's just name dropping, I’m a Stuntman by trade.
The problem is that we are already finding out that some of these chemicals and genetic modifications are making us sick.
I never really realized how it was effecting all of us until I saw an example firsthand, hence my “firsthand” story.
My name is Ed Anders. I have been involved in the film industry for the last 30 years. I have filmed all over the world and have seen a wide range of diversity that exists on this planet. I am a Stuntman, but I’ve also made a reasonable living as a Stunt Coordinator, Second Unit Director and Film Director, so I don’t just hit my head on the ground for a living. I’ve directed films and television that included Dennis Hopper, Morgan Fairchild, Charles Durning, Michael Madsen and many others, but that's just name dropping, I’m a Stuntman by trade.
How I became involve with Aquaponics
Just another day at the office!
Last year (2010) while working as a Stuntman in Vancouver, Canada, I played the part of a “Chicken Truck Driver” in a small film that I can’t remember the name of. Before anyone starts thinking SPCA and animal endangerment story, No, let me tell you absolutely not, these people did their due diligence and protected the chickens that we used with full concern and care. This is not that kind of story. They used fake chickens in the cages when I crashed the truck into another vehicle.
After the crash the Director wanted to shoot the aftermath, so he said let’s break a few crates on the ground and let a few chickens go! And I thought “Oh boy, here we go… do we really want to spend the afternoon chasing chickens around after he yells cut?” I mean, does anyone remember watching “Rocky”, when part of his training was to try to catch a chicken? But, it was the Director’s movie and I was just a Stuntman doing my job, so they broke a few boxes on the ground and let a few chickens go and off we went!
Much to my surprise the chickens didn’t go anywhere. They would kind of get up and take a couple steps and flop right back down, as if they couldn’t carry their own weight. Then I looked at them more closely and I realized that they seemed bigger and "meatier" than the chickens I remember seeing when I was a kid. My guess is that they probably never ran in their life, which made for one sad example of what a healthy bird should look like. Sort of like overweight people who need wheelchairs because they’re overweight. As far as I was concerned, those animals were sick. Not legally sick but certainly not healthy by my definition. Ironically they were on their way to slaughter and got their 15 minutes of fame by being in a movie. How healthy do you think it is for people to be eating sick animals? I guess it’s better than not eating at all, but is that the choice we’re stuck with? For some of us yes, but not all of us. Then I got to thinking, “Why not all of us?”
After the crash the Director wanted to shoot the aftermath, so he said let’s break a few crates on the ground and let a few chickens go! And I thought “Oh boy, here we go… do we really want to spend the afternoon chasing chickens around after he yells cut?” I mean, does anyone remember watching “Rocky”, when part of his training was to try to catch a chicken? But, it was the Director’s movie and I was just a Stuntman doing my job, so they broke a few boxes on the ground and let a few chickens go and off we went!
Much to my surprise the chickens didn’t go anywhere. They would kind of get up and take a couple steps and flop right back down, as if they couldn’t carry their own weight. Then I looked at them more closely and I realized that they seemed bigger and "meatier" than the chickens I remember seeing when I was a kid. My guess is that they probably never ran in their life, which made for one sad example of what a healthy bird should look like. Sort of like overweight people who need wheelchairs because they’re overweight. As far as I was concerned, those animals were sick. Not legally sick but certainly not healthy by my definition. Ironically they were on their way to slaughter and got their 15 minutes of fame by being in a movie. How healthy do you think it is for people to be eating sick animals? I guess it’s better than not eating at all, but is that the choice we’re stuck with? For some of us yes, but not all of us. Then I got to thinking, “Why not all of us?”
Why not?
File Cabinet System
That question stuck with me for quite a while, in fact it hasn’t left. One evening as I surfed the internet I came across a site about starting a fish farm. I was about to click away when I gazed upon the term “Aquaponic”. It intrigued me enough to want to know more, so I Googled it. I read about a process that symbiotically combined fish farming with plant farming in an eco-friendly environment that generated organic food without soil. Cool idea! The more I read the more I discovered there were also a lot of “Shysters” out there who were trying to cash in on the “gullible” sector of the public.
As I sat at my desk I peered down at a filing cabinet that I use for gathering ideas and I thought to myself “There’s got to be a way to get this technology out to those who can benefit”. I gazed into the cabinet as if to find the answer inside. In those files I have information related to things I’ve gathered for years from all over the world. I’ve worked in Africa, Europe, Asia and I’ve traveled from Canada to the bottom of Mexico, and everywhere in between. I’ve seen malnourished people and I've seen people dead on the ground because they seemed to have no way out.
Then it struck me! The answer isn’t in the file cabinet, it is the file cabinet! I had to build an Aquaponic system to see if it worked. The cabinet was the perfect test vehicle, and so my my journey began.
To make a long story short, I used the file cabinet to build my first Aquaponic system and it worked fantastically well! I learned a lot and realized that if the Shysters don’t kill it, Aquaponics is here to stay!
As I sat at my desk I peered down at a filing cabinet that I use for gathering ideas and I thought to myself “There’s got to be a way to get this technology out to those who can benefit”. I gazed into the cabinet as if to find the answer inside. In those files I have information related to things I’ve gathered for years from all over the world. I’ve worked in Africa, Europe, Asia and I’ve traveled from Canada to the bottom of Mexico, and everywhere in between. I’ve seen malnourished people and I've seen people dead on the ground because they seemed to have no way out.
Then it struck me! The answer isn’t in the file cabinet, it is the file cabinet! I had to build an Aquaponic system to see if it worked. The cabinet was the perfect test vehicle, and so my my journey began.
To make a long story short, I used the file cabinet to build my first Aquaponic system and it worked fantastically well! I learned a lot and realized that if the Shysters don’t kill it, Aquaponics is here to stay!
AquaponicLIFE
After my success with the File Cabinet, I acquired the rights to the
name "AquaponicLIFE" and partnered with Machinist/Engineer/Inventor Pete Moth
to design something that was simple, inexpensive and helped people learn about this amazing
process. Pete also realized that this is a much needed technology that
had to be shared. We worked laboriously for months designing a small
Educational Unit that allowed one to see the Aquaponic Process first
hand. Everything in one kit! It was designed
for Schools, Community Groups, Hobbyists and Home-schooled Students and
it taught us a many things, one of which was that it was easy to
learn!
Progress
From there we designed the Urban GREEN BOX, a small but sturdy
portable unit that has modular capabilities. Not only is it portable but you can also connect them together! The size is great for
one person to manage and you can raise a large variety of food in them. Even soil growers are using them for cuttings and
propagation.
We know this is just the beginning... but we believe it is necessary for people to understand the positive impact it can have for all of us. The Truth is... there is enough food.
Ed Anders
We know this is just the beginning... but we believe it is necessary for people to understand the positive impact it can have for all of us. The Truth is... there is enough food.
Ed Anders
