Kenkel grew up playing in the woods of Montana. He became interested in sustainable farming practices after noticing the disappearance of frogs and fish from a small stream near his home. The culprit, he found, was excess nutrients leached from a canola field upstream. “Too often, the negative impacts of the things that we buy are externalized onto those ecosystems, and often without people really even seeing the impact, you know, out of sight, out of mind,” Kenkel said. “Growing up in a place where you can see the impact, I’ve been passionate about sustainability ever since.” After making an organic garden and raising some chickens, Kenkel wasn’t satisfied. Montana’s short growing season meant he had only a small window to grow produce each year. He began researching alternative techniques and came across aquaponics.