New York Sun Works ~ Greenhouse Project

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New York Sun Works Greenhouse Project

The Greenhouse Project is a program of New York Sun Works dedicated to improving environmental science education in NYC public schools through a hands-on integrated curriculum and professional development.

In partnership with Manhattan School for Children (PS 333), The Greenhouse Project is building the Sun Works Center for Environmental Studies, a model laboratory based on our vision to empower grade-school children to make educated choices about their impact on the environment.

Construction of the Sun Works Center will begin in the spring of 2010 on the roof of the PS 333 school building at West 93rd street and will serve students from Kindergarten through 8th grade, in addition to training educators from around the city, the region, and the world.

Like the Sun Works Center, subsequent Greenhouse Project laboratories will typically accommodate an urban farm and an environmental science laboratory. Students will grow food, while learning hands-on about nutrition, water resource management, efficient land use, climate change, biodiversity, conservation, contamination, pollution, waste management, and sustainable development. To facilitate a hands-on learning environment, the Greenhouse Project laboratory will include solar panels, a hydroponics growing system, a rainwater catchment system, a weather station and a kitchen corner. The greenhouse laboratory will operate as an integrated part of the school’s curricula and will prepare children to exceed New York City’s science standards.

In addition to enhancing the science curriculum, the facility will enrich the school’s arts and social studies curricula by connecting nature to culture. Students will learn the relationship between humans and the environment and will gain a greater appreciation of sustainable development and its direct relationship to cultural diversity. An adapted version of the curriculum is being developed for motor impaired learners and will be implemented at the pilot site.

The Greenhouse Project laboratory will also serve as a site for teacher education and professional development through school day collaborations with neighboring institutions, as well as after school and weekend workshops for teachers and students. These activities will help sustain the project financially, while expanding the scope of its reach.

The Greenhouse Project has its own website: please click here for more information, or please send mail to srobards at nysunworks.org. ...