The Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership is a 501c3 nonprofit located in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Our mission is to educate the community in sustainable agricultural practices by producing food year-round using local renewable energy.

Innovation Dome Grows Food and Conserves Water

Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership’s (GGP) Innovation Dome demonstrates an integrated aquaponic growing system to produce vegetables and fish to nourish our community. In addition to fish and plants, microbes complete the closed aquaponic water system. The Innovation Dome is a Controlled Environment Agriculture greenhouse, closed to outside elements, unlike GGP’s Education and Community Garden soil-based growing domes. It employs a soilless, closed-loop water system to consume as little water as possible, while maximizing food production.

Daily water testing ensures a healthy bacteriological nutrient cycle. Insect pests are managed through natural methods. Skilled managers monitor this bio-secure growing system and maintain consistent USDA food safety standards. Aquaponic growing of vegetables and fish demonstrates a symbiotic system and provides healthy conditions for high vegetable yields and frequent harvesting. The closed loop, circulating water system guarantees extreme water conservation.

The Innovation Dome grows a variety of vegetables in floating rafts in deep water culture beds on its ground floor. Upstairs in the mezzanine, Dutch buckets grow vining fruiting vegetables and nutrient film technique troughs grow leafy greens and herbs. Both methods used upstairs demonstrate soilless vertical growing.

GGP’s Innovation Dome is designed to provide a sustainable revenue stream for the nonprofit organization and to lessen the need for dependence on grant funding. Food for community is marketed to restaurants first and then to the Pagosa Farmers Market. Food pantries receive any extra produce on a weekly basis.

Colorado Water Conservation Board funded GGP’s Innovation Dome in recognition of our region’s need for 21^st Century food producers to use far less water. The Innovation Dome demonstrates significant vegetable yields with minimum water consumption.