Celebrating women on International Women’s Day 2023
At Aerospring, we recognise the contributions and achievements of women and support the advancement and equity of women in all aspects of life. Aerospring’s Co-Founder, Nadine Keller, who co-founded Aerospring with her husband Thorben Linneberg, started the company to empower people to grow their own food at home, and to live more sustainably. Health and nutrition are also important to her and her family, and every day Aerospring strives to help people and families live more sustainable healthy lifestyles.
Since our inception eight years ago, we have touched many people and families across the world. And our female growers have been a driver of change to help us achieve our vision.
For this year’s International Women’s Day, we have interviewed some of our superstar growers to get their take on sustainability, health and nutrition, and what it means for them to be able to grow their own food at home and have more control over their food for themselves and their families.
Q: What are your views on sustainability, and why should people be concerned?
A: We must take the responsibility to educate ourselves, our children and those around us to be less careless about the world. It’s shocking to see how much has changed or disappeared in my lifetime alone. But small changes can have a huge impact.
Q: What are your favourite plants to grow on an Aerospring system?
A: Lettuces, Swiss chard, kale and tomatoes
Q: Has owning an Aerospring had a positive impact in your life?
A: Yes, it is very satisfying when you have such a big variety of produce available all the time. Aerospring brings in so much calming green into the house and smells great too! Daily maintenance is a moment for myself to recharge.
Q: What does growing your own food at home mean to you?
A: I love to cook and it’s just very satisfying when you have peace of mind that you have so much growing at home already. I’m also very fond of sharing my produce with whoever comes to visit. Maybe it will inspire them to grow their own.
Q: What have you learned from using your Aerospring?
A: Don’t be scared of trying, failing and retrying. Your new plants will grow back so fast and be very rewarding with the lessons you’ve learnt. When we moved to a new country from Singapore I had to re-learn a lot about what grows well or not, especially with changing seasons.
Q: What are your views on sustainability, and why should people be concerned?
A: Being self-sustaining equates to being independent. In a brief thought, sustainability reduces waste and doesn’t deplete natural resources and in that sense, people ought to be concerned as we only have one planet that we can survive on.
Q: What are your favourite plants to grow on an Aerospring system?
A: Shiso, rocket, herbs and lettuce.
Q: Has owning an Aerospring had a positive impact in your life?
A: There are many things I love about Aerospring! I love how the 1sqm space is put to the best of use. There is no clutter since I don’t need pots of all sizes, fertilisers, soils, and gardening tools. I have fresh salad to eat and to share. It makes me happy, and makes my friends happy!
Q: What does growing your own food at home mean to you?
A: Growing my own food gives me a sense of achievement, makes me feel like a green hero!
Q: What have you learned from using your Aerospring?
A: I learned a lot about gardening in two short years of using my Aerospring. I probably “grew up” quite a bit. I stopped “clinging” onto plants as their cycles come to an end. Now, it is part of my routine to germinate, grow, harvest, and repeat. As the saying goes “Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime.” Owning an Aerospring taught me how to self-sustain to a certain extent.
Q: What are your views on sustainability, and why should people be concerned?
A: Sustainability is a priority in my household. Selecting plants to grow in our Aerospring systems which also easily produce seeds, we then dry and reuse. It's a very simple process and quite rewarding.
Q: What are your favourite plants to grow on an Aerospring system?
A: Cauliflower: Snow Crown, Baby and Fioretto Iceberg Lettuce, other lettuces: Starfighter, Cosmic Crimson, Magenta, Australian Yellow Brussel Sprouts Broccoli, De Cicco, Rich Baby Eggplant Varieties: Long Purple, Calliope, Dancer and Fairy Tale Kale.
Q: Has owning an Aerospring had a positive impact in your life?
A: The positive impact is that we know where our produce comes from. We don't have to worry about toxins or chemicals, how it was grown, transported, etc. It also imparts a huge appreciation for what farmers go through to bring produce to our markets.
Q: What does growing your own food at home mean to you?
A: It is the most pleasant revelation when you harvest your first produce. For myself, I experimented with Brussel Sprouts, which I thought would never work out. Much to my surprise, I have been able to grow several varieties of them in the system along with other vegetables such as Cauliflowers and Broccolis. Growing our own food has become such a passionate adventure for our family. We love to marvel each night over the mix of vegetables on our dinner plates, not only pointing out how much better for our health it is, but also to marvel at the process of from tiny, sometimes, grain of sand size seeds to Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower, etc, or a colourful variety of beautiful, fluffy, delicious lettuces!
Q: What have you learned from using your Aerospring?
A: It is not difficult to grow your own produce in the Aerospring, though there is a short learning curve. It is a thoroughly enjoyable, healthy, enriching and rewarding process!
Q: What are your views on sustainability, and why should people be concerned?
A: I think we'd all agree how important sustainability is, especially nowadays. Making sure that our resources are used in a way that doesn’t damage the planet for future generations, and achieving the right balance so that everyone has access to basic things like food, water, and shelter.
Q: What are your favourite plants to grow on an Aerospring system?
A: My favourite plants to grow include kale, tomatoes, lettuce, lavender and herbs such as mint, basil, tarragon and sage.
Q: Has owning an Aerospring had a positive impact in your life?
A: I bought my first Aerospring because I juice vegetables and fruits each morning and as kale is so expensive here, I decided to grow my own. Not only do I save money by not having to buy kale, the satisfaction of growing my own food and knowing where it has come from is the best feeling. I look forward to each Sunday, which is my Aerospring day! Just pottering around pruning, harvesting and growing my own seeds gives me so much joy.
Q: What does growing your own food at home mean to you?
A: On Friday nights, my husband and I make martinis and watch the sun go down on the balcony, and there is always a muddling of homegrown herbs in there somewhere! Believe it or not, the Aerospring system has increased my love for gardening and I'm now growing bananas and pineapples in the garden.
Q: What have you learned from using your Aerospring?
A: Everyday is a learning experience with Aerospring and I am so pleased we invested in the systems. Not only has our family lifestyle changed as we eat healthier and happier as a result, but we also now experiment with different herbs and vegetables in juices, meals and cocktails. The more love you show to your Aerospring, the more you'll get back from it!
Q: What are your views on sustainability, and why should people be concerned?
A: Sustainability is embedded firmly in Islam. It ensures the survival of humans on planet Earth. However, sustainability is not just environmentalism. There is also social and economic sustainability. Hence, it is important for my family and I to look at ways on how we can get our hands on sustainable products and inventions, ones that prevent wear and tear over a period of time.
Q: What are your favourite plants to grow on an Aerospring system?
A: My favourite plants to grow on the Aerospring are different varieties of basils, lettuce, mints and kales. I like hardy plants as they seldom disappoint me. I practise companion planting and have learnt that by placing certain plants with another, they can share similar nutrients as well as help reduce pests.
Q: Has owning an Aerospring had a positive impact in your life?
A: I love and trust my Aerospring systems so much I have four! If only I had more space, I want more! Space was the major constraint for me. I love spending time in my garden and to be able to grow 120 different plants in a space of 6mx2m is a gardener’s dream come true. I also manage a soil garden but I find that hydroponic produce is often tastier and definitely less messy.
Q: What does growing your own food at home mean to you?
A: Gardening to me is a way of finding a sense of calm in an otherwise chaotic world. It also gives me a chance to enjoy fresh air, get some safe sun exposure, relax and de-stress. Being invested in successful vegetable gardening is such a bonus as it opens up to a world of learning opportunities for me and my family, like an outdoor library!
Q: What have you learned from using your Aerospring?
A: I have improved a lot as a gardener especially after incorporating Aerospring hydroponic systems. The sense of joy and achievement during harvesting makes this a happy, addictive hobby. And as exasperating as pests can be, as it unlocks the wonderful world of insects and how they work together in a garden, from worms in the soil to hungry ladybugs and caterpillars on the Aerosprings.
Q: What are your views on sustainability, and why should people be concerned?
A: Living in Alaska, fresh produce only lasts about 2 days, and can sometimes be scarce, specifically leafy greens and herbs. Given the low crop yields due to drought and overfarming in the areas we have become over-reliant on for our food, sustainability will need to become an individual or community-involved task, rather than a corporate driven single source supply. What we experience here will become more prevalent in many areas if we do not become more self-sufficient and self-reliant.
Q: What are your favourite plants to grow on an Aerospring system?
A: Depending on who you ask in the family will give you different answers. My husband and I love the herbs and being able to have fresh dill, oregano, parsley, thyme, and basil has proven to be a great asset while preparing our meals every day. However, if you asked my 14-year-old son, he would say the sugar snap peas and green onions are mandatory in the “snack cabinet.” The fresh leafy greens are a welcome addition to anything, and far superior to store-bought greens.
Q: Has owning an Aerospring had a positive impact on your life?
A: Owning an Aerospring has helped my depression significantly. Not only does the yield of beautiful plants help make an Alaskan stuffy house seem alive and vibrant, the full spectrum lights aid in the growth of the plants and the much-needed light like a happy light for the people near the unit.
Q: What does growing your own food at home mean to you?
A: It means we can teach our children the importance of being able to grow your own crops and teaching them the science behind proper nutrients and ph levels to develop healthy, luscious plants.
Q: What have you learned from using your Aerospring?
A: Patience, and the importance of water in the growth of edible plants.
Q: What are your views on sustainability, and why should people be concerned?
A: For me, sustainability means that my children and their children in the future will be able to enjoy the same privileges that my generation has been able to i.e. high quality, nutritious food, good breathable air, good living conditions and most importantly be able to enjoy the amazing places made by Mother Nature all around the world. Collectively, we're not doing so great now, but we can do much more.
Q: What are your favourite plants to grow on an Aerospring system?
A: Together as a family, we grow dinosaur kale, different varieties of lettuce and herbs such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage and basils.
Q: Has owning an Aerospring had a positive impact in your life?
A: We have been able to harvest our edibles continuously from our Aerospring systems. It's a joy to see our seeds germinate and grow, and satisfaction that we can eat the freshest vegetables and herbs with the lowest carbon footprint. It only takes less than 20 steps from our 'farm' to the kitchen! It's a wonderful feeling to be able to provide 'farm' to table meals for my family.
Q: What does growing your own food at home mean to you?
A: Being able to grow our own food means that we could maximise the nutritional levels of our food as well as minimise/remove the use of pesticides.
Q: What have you learned from using your Aerospring?
A: Spending 10-15 minutes a day to take care of our plants and systems is the best way to ensure continuous and bountiful harvests.
