NY SUN WORKS JOINS QUEENS BOROUGH PRESIDENT AND NY HALL OF SCIENCE TO ANNOUNCE HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP
September 19, 2024
The $2.3Million Investment will Reach Thousands of Queens Families.
The Announcement Marked the Culmination of Climate Week and Included the Unveiling of a Prototypical Hydroponic Classroom which Will be Available to All Patrons
CORONA, NY – NY Sun Works in partnership with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced a $2.3 million historic investment to bring climate science education and climate justice to dozens of Queens school communities. The announcement was made at the second annual Queens Climate Expo at the New York Hall of Science, where New York Hall of Science also unveiled a new hydroponic exhibit showing the environmental benefits of growing food hydroponically, established in partnership with NY Sun Works and the Queens Borough President’s Office.
The new funding is slated to reach more than 20,000 K-12 students across the borough through the building of NY Sun Works’ Hydroponic Classrooms. NY Sun Works labs, coupled with sustainability science curriculum, empowers and inspires the next generation of scientists, biologists, agriculturalists, agronomists, activists, and community leaders that will create solutions to local and global resource challenges. Hosted at New York City’s premier science institution New York Hall of Science, the announcement was made during the Climate Week Expo, which also celebrated the opening of a new hydroponic exhibit and garden which will be available for all patrons who visit.
“We are honored to partner with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, a steadfast champion of climate justice, to build new opportunities for climate science and sustainability education in Queens, one of New York’s most diverse boroughs,” said NY Sun Works Executive Director Manuela Zamora. “It is crucial to provide equity and access to quality science education, and this special expansion in Queens schools is part of our efforts to prepare the next generation to create solutions to the global climate crisis. Our goal is to bring every single New York City public school student access to climate science education through hydroponic technology and this historic investment brings us closer to achieving just that.
“Every New York City public school should have a hydroponics lab. I’m proud to have allocated more than $5 million across two dozen schools since taking office in service of that mission, and I’m honored to partner with NY Sun Works on bringing climate science education and climate justice to thousands of students,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Our students deserve to have a modern and well-rounded education, and what better way to do that than by showing them how to grow their own food and encouraging them to find more sustainable solutions for our future.”
“Thank you to NY Sun Works and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards for their invaluable support in bringing this innovative hydroponics exhibit to life at NYSCI and schools across the borough. Your dedication to sustainability and education is helping to inspire a new generation to embrace green technologies and urban farming,” said President and CEO of the New York Hall of Science Lisa Gugenheim. The hands-on nature of hydroponics perfectly aligns with NYSCI’s mission of Design, Make, Play, encouraging creativity, problem-solving, and exploration through interactive learning. We are grateful for your partnership in making this transformative project possible for our community and institution.”
These new NY Sun Works partner schools, will join more than 70 funded partner schools in Queens. NY Sun Works delivers inquiry-based K-12 science and sustainability education through the lens of urban farming. The goals are to support each school’s long-term capacity to deliver a high-quality science program; optimize students’ learning experience in the Hydroponic Classroom; and expand access to fresh produce for students and their families, while covering the Common Core, Scope and Sequence, and EfS science standards. Hydroponic technology is indoor vertical farming that enables the cultivation of plants in an indoor environment. Rather than from the sun, plants receive energy from LED lighting that is tailored specifically to the energy needs of the plants. Instead of using soil, seeds are planted in soil-free growth mediums.
Partner schools will receive ongoing resources and services to ensure the program and technology are running seamlessly. NY Sun Works provides professional development training for science educators in addition to weekly visits from a hydroponic specialist to guide teachers in hydroponic systems maintenance.
