The California Native Garden Foundation, under which Middlebrook Gardens is nested, seeks to inform and educate the public, particularly youth, about gardening with native plants through classes and workshops. The CNGF offers a number of camps and sessions every year, including The Earth Hero’s Nature Camp  and The Environmental Laboratory for Sustainability and Ecological Education (ELSEE). ELSEE is an educational program that both serves as a outdoor laboratory for learning about science, nutrition and sustainability, as well as promotes native biodiversity preservation. The ELSEE garden features a constructed wetland, native garden systems, turtle and fish ponds, vertical gardening, an aquaponics system, and a biogas digester. As such, the aquaponics system at Middlebrook Gardens is an integral part of numerous camps, programs and workshops. Aquaponics is a gardening practice that pairs fish and vegetable growth into a single, self-contained and self-sustaining system. As experiential learning becomes more and more prevalent, aquaponics may serve as an important source of hands-on STEM education for young generations. Aquaponics demonstrates the importance of the coexistence of living organisms and nonliving components in the environment. The natural cycles and processes of aquaponics produce organic and pesticide-free produce, also enforcing healthy and organic food education. As students are pushed into a more global and less sustainable world, aquaponics can serve as an excellent resource in bringing individuals back to their roots.