When Mezzacello Makes It Work
Mezzacello Urban Farm is a love letter to sustainability. The summer camps are not a SEPARATE aspect of the ecologies and systems of Mezzacello’s sustainability. They are an integral piece to the life, functionality, and innovation of the urban farm.
Ecology Connections Camp Blog
Welcome to the Ecology Connections Camp Blog. In this blog campers will be submitting research and documentation of the work they have done and the STEM concepts they have learned and mastered at this weeks' camp. Each day will have a heading and this will be entirely compiled by campers.
The Foodist: Pasta With Butternut Squash and Sage Brown Butter
This is a hearty and naturally vegetarian dish. You can add additional protein if you wish, but it is not necessary. This is great hot on a fall or winter night or served cold as a summer salad. The flavor is exceptional, especially with the sage, and it's very filling!
Energy: From Stars to Stomachs
This is me and my intern, Marcus, teaching a classroom full of 6th and 7th graders the basics of Gravity, The Weak and Strong Atomic Forces, and the relationship between electricity and magnetism. We started with Google Maps to get kids to think about zooming in and looking at relevant and relative things with more thought. Then we zoomed in to the basics of our lesson.
The Power of Permaculture
This is the story of systems design and permaculture in the service of sustainability on an urban farm. This collage of images showcases 7 years of successful permaculture that transformed 30 cut stems of hydrangea, and 36 cut branches into the hornbeam allee that exists at Mezzacello Urban Farm today. This is the power of permaculture.
The Pond at Mezzacello
This is a quick video that one of my summer camp “menterns” took with the biotechnology team last summer. It’s really solid work and they write up on the aquatic ecology that the kids did was pretty solid too.
A System Winds Through It
This blogpost is about a rebellious chick who survived a wild night out in Mezzacello Urban Farm but survived because of the integrated systems she is standing on in this photo. Let’s talk about it.
Generations of Livestock at an Urban Farm
On an urban Farm, livestock pay a VERY important role in developing healthy ecologies and environmentally stable and sustainable systems. Fortunately they can also build their own ranks. Baby animals on a farm.
Baby Garden Assassins
Baby ducks and their mother are truly garden assassins! Ther will not be a tick, a mosquito, or a cicada that will survive I should think!
The Foodist: Exotic Quail Egg Salad
This salad is a surprising and savory delight and you can add bacon or a warm vinaigrette to warm it up!
Revisiting the Chicken/Duck Run in 2024
Updating my original Paris sewer model for a cleaner French Drain Model. Kid designed! Stay Tuned.
Mezzacello Zoo Brew Adventures 2023/2024
A while back I was offered 25 cubic yards of ZooBrew Manure from our local zoo. I opted for 10 cubic yards. I'm glad I did!
The Foodist: Scotched Quail Eggs
Quail are the newest fowl species at Mezzacello. Here is a recipe for delightful Scotch quail eggs that Rick makes! We borrowed the recipe from a restaurant here in Columbus, OH. They are small and so yummy!
BioDome Automated Systems 2023
This is the blogpost that touches on the ecology and technology in the biodome for 2023.
Summer Camp Infrastructure and TheoDoor
A blogpost about making fine engineers with the help of Columbus City Parks and Recreation.
From Data to Compost to Life
We take data very seriously at Mezzacello. This is a blog post about how surveys become part of the compost. This paper contains accelerant.
Sustainability and Renewables on an Urban Technology Farm
I presented to the Global Innovation Field Trip this Saturday, 7/22/2023. I created a new equation.
Creating Unique Fertilizers From Scratch
This is an introduction to the various types and styles of fertilizers and compost that are created at Mezzacello.
USDA Zones vs EcoRegions
The USDA Hardiness zones are broad approximations of climate and weather reality. The truth is more complex.
Enclosed, Interdependent Ecosystems
This is a fun way to help people see how the planned ecologies at Mezzacello Urban Farm all work together to support life.