Commonwealth Charter Academy, Pennsylvania’s largest K through 12 public cyber charter school, was recognized by the Shapiro administration as one of 21 entities across the state to receive the 2023 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its decoupled aquaponics system housed in the AgWorks at CCA facility at its Capital Campus in Harrisburg.

“First and foremost, I want to applaud those students and staff members who managed, participated in, and completed this project,” said CCA President and CEO Thomas D. Longenecker. “This award highlights CCA’s commitment to teach and demonstrate sustainable practices that reduce our societal impact on the environment.”

Shifting to a decoupled aquaponics system offers two primary benefits: 1) it removes solid fish waste from the system, which eliminates fecal matter from the grow beds, and 2) it allows the grower to determine whether to run the system aquaponically by using fish waste, or hydroponically by using nutrients.

As part of the CCAWorks initiative, which is focused on preparing students for postsecondary success, AgWorks at CCA is an indoor, closed-loop, soilless, 6,100-square-foot growing system that uses nearly 95 percent less water than a traditional, outdoor farm.

Powered by 1,050 roof-mounted solar panels, the facility produced more than 422 megawatt-hours in 2020. The energy generated and not used by AgWorks at CCA supplements electrical power at Capital Campus, thereby reducing its reliance on traditional sources of electricity.

AgWorks at CCA was created to teach students about aquaponics, hydroponics, and aeroponics as sustainable ways to decrease waste, protect the environment, and reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture.