US (CT): 144 aquaponic tanks donated to Keney Park

Cigna donated $25,000 in seed money to the Keney Park Sustainability Project, a program operated by the Family Day Foundation. Those funds cover the cost of 144 aquaponic growing tanks at the Keney Park House that use waste from perch to fertilize basil plants.

It's the city's first production-scale aquaponics system, aimed at promoting healthy living and cooking.

If successful, the plan is to expand the system to feature more tanks and grow a wider variety of vegetables for the citizens of the North End, a "food desert" with a scarcity of fresh produce, according to Herb Virgo, the event coordinator for the sustainability project.

"This is a really important development, and it can serve as a lifeline in our city," Virgo said at the park house, just over the Windsor town line. "Hopefully, it's the beginning of a long relationship with the city as we try to revitalize the park."

And in keeping with the theme of "sustainability," the aquaponics system is estimated to yield as much as $45,000 worth of basil, which the Family Day Foundation will sell to farmers markets and local restaurants, according to Virgo.

Read more at the Hartford Courant