Crystal, COO at ARAS has a wealth of non-profit experience and led the creation of the first Aquaponics Garden in East Los Angeles. This project was the beginning of other projects in the surrounding community. Crystal oversaw the enhancement of the Adventist Health White Memorial community garden with an Aquaponics Garden system. Working in partnership, the vision of creating a garden with healthy organic vegetables and a strong program to engage the community became a model for LA. Today, the garden provides space and support for community members of all ages to learn about growing organic vegetables, fruit trees, medicinal herbs and aquaponics gardening. The Boyle Heights community now has a thriving garden with:
- 26 plots for community use
- More than 20 varieties of fruit trees
- Tilapia farm
- Aquaponics Planters
- Herb Garden
- Chicken coup
