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APRIL

Climate Action Day Workshop PD: Health, Wellness, & Green Space

• Who: All NYSW Partner Teachers
• When:
  • Wednesday, April 1 | 12pm-1pm | Register Here
• Where: Virtual/Zoom
• Overview: Join us in a NYSW Professional Learning session to prepare for your next NYC Climate Action Day! The Climate Action Day focused on Health, Wellness, & Green Space will take place on April 22nd. This session will give you time to plan! We will share NY Sun Works learning resources, lessons, and units related to engaging students in green spaces and environmental action. You and your fellow partner teachers will brainstorm and come up with the plans to implement this in your hydroponic classrooms and schools!

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Youth Conference Workshops

• Who: All NYSW Partner Teachers presenting at this year’s Youth Conference
• When:
  • Monday, April 13 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here
  • Wednesday, April 15 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here
  • Monday, April 20 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here
• Where: Virtual/Zoom

Overview: Feel free to join this workshop if you are a partner teacher whose students are participating in this year’s annual Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference! In this workshop, we will help you plan for your students’ investigations and answer any questions that you have about the event.

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Climate Action Day Workshop PD: Water

• Who: All NYSW Partner Teachers
• When:
  • Wednesday, April 22 | 12pm-1pm | Register Here
  • Monday, April 27 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here
• Where: Virtual/Zoom

Overview: Join us in a NYSW Professional Learning session to prepare for your last NYC Climate Action Day! The Climate Action Day focused on Water will take place on May 20th. This session will give you time to plan! We will share NY Sun Works learning resources, lessons, and units related to engaging students in water and ocean conservation and action projects. You and your fellow partner teachers will brainstorm and come up with the plans to implement this in your hydroponic classrooms and schools!

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MARCH

Youth Conference Info Sessions

• Who: All NYSW Partner Teachers interested in attending or participating in this year’s 15th annual Youth Conference
• When:
  • Monday, March 2 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here
  • Wednesday, March 4 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here
• Where: Virtual/Zoom

Overview: If you are interested in learning more about our 15th annual NY Sun Works Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference, please join us at one of our information sessions. Our annual conference brings together students from hundreds of partner classrooms across the five boroughs of NYC to share students’ own investigations and action projects through student-led presentations!

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Hydroponics in Special Education Settings Round Table PD

• Who: All NYSW Partner Teachers
• When:
  • Monday, March 2 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here
  • Wednesday, March 4 | 12pm-1pm | Register Here
• Where: Virtual/Zoom
• Overview: At this roundtable professional development session, teachers from D75 schools and other special education settings will collaborate and discuss best practices for integrating hydroponics and NY Sun Works curriculum into their classrooms. Teachers will discuss how they differentiate materials and lessons to fit their students’ needs and build a strong network of special education educators. 

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Climate Action Day Workshop PD: Health, Wellness, & Green Space

• Who: All NYSW Partner Teachers
• When:
  • Monday, March 30 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here
• Where: Virtual/Zoom
• Overview: Join us in a NYSW Professional Learning session to prepare for your next NYC Climate Action Day! The Climate Action Day focused on Health, Wellness, & Green Space will take place on April 22nd. This session will give you time to plan! We will share NY Sun Works learning resources, lessons, and units related to engaging students in green spaces and environmental action. You and your fellow partner teachers will brainstorm and come up with the plans to implement this in your hydroponic classrooms and schools!

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Youth Conference Workshops

• Who: All NYSW Partner Teachers presenting at this year’s Youth Conference
• When:
  • Tuesday, March 31 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here
• Where: Virtual/Zoom

Overview: Feel free to join this workshop if you are a partner teacher whose students are participating in this year’s annual Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference! In this workshop, we will help you plan for your students’ investigations and answer any questions that you have about the event.

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Parent Coordinator Information Session

Please join us for a tailored information session about our program and how we can support you in uplifting the fantastic work of your students in their Hydroponic Classroom and engaging families.

Check back later for upcoming sessions.

(ONLY OPEN TO PARTNER SCHOOL PARENT COORDINATORS)

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CBS42: New Initiative Brings Hydroponic Farming to 8 Birmingham chools

A first-of-its-kind program in the nation is introducing hydroponic farming technology to eight schools across the district, giving nearly 4,000 students a hands-on way to learn science.

The initiative is a partnership between Birmingham City Schools, Jones Valley Teaching Farm and New York Sun Works. They’ve created classroom greenhouses where students can grow plants and harvest vegetables.

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Where Can a Degree in Indoor Agriculture Get You?

Sage Cormier was finishing her junior year of college in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Almost overnight, the supply chains stalled, putting a great strain on food access for Sage’s community. For Sage, this crisis revealed all too clearly the risks of relying on outsourced food production and served as a wake up call that inspired her next move into indoor agriculture.

During the first phase of lockdown, Sage closely followed local media coverage of events as they unfolded, growing increasingly concerned about the situation in her surrounding communities in the Upper Peninsula. “With the growing social unrest during the pandemic and supply chain issues directly affecting our food access, I found myself thinking: How can I help my community?” 

Happily for Sage, in 2020, with the support of NY Sun Works, Marquette’s NMU launched its inaugural indoor agriculture associate’s degree. This was the first associate’s degree of its type in the country, providing education and certification for people wanting to enter the burgeoning world of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Branching out from its K-12 specialization, NY Sun Works helped launch the program, providing the curriculum, teacher training, and hydroponic and aquaponic systems. 

Around that time, Sage received an email from NMU notifying her about the new associates degree, and ideas started forming. “I began having a lot of crazy ideas to bring people together by providing food through hydroponic installations in abandoned buildings in Marquette.” The degree seemed like a great opportunity to turn her food justice ambitions into concrete and meaningful work. Sage decided to enroll.

Initial impressions were fantastic. “I really loved the program from the start. The work I was doing and the information I was learning felt rigorous – I felt like a scientist.” More importantly, Sage felt the course nurtured and supported her passion for food justice. 

NYSW welcomed representatives from Northern Michigan University at a networking side event during our 14th Annual Youth Conference at the Javits Center

When Sage graduated in 2021, she knew she wanted tactile work with plants, especially as a means to tackle issues around food equity. Naturally, through an interest both in hydroponics and education, NYSW began to feel like a good fit. At NYSW, Sage could work physically with hydroponics but also help develop an indoor agriculture curriculum that benefited student development and contributed to various food justice-related issues.

Thanks in part to her experiences at NMU, it wasn’t long before Sage stepped  into the role of instructor on the NYSW Urban Agriculture Workforce Development Program. NYSW launched this workforce readiness training in 2022 with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In brief, the program equips high school students with technical skills and environmental science knowledge to help streamline them into green jobs upon certification. Sage’s role is to train teachers, maintain systems and supervise the rigorous theoretical and practical tests which students must complete before graduating.  

“It’s funny, because a lot of the work I do now feels directly related to the work I did at NMU.  My degree prepared me really well.” For Sage, the transition into the professional world from the associate’s degree was seamless. It provided her with foundational skills and paired well with other interests, like education, to work in more specialized sectors of the indoor agriculture world.

Sage gives resumé writing advice to two students during the CEA Networking Fair at the 14th Annual Youth Conference

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THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW: Kelly Clarkson Loves DIY Urban Gardening In Schools

New York Sun Works is a nonprofit bringing sustainable urban farming to underserved classrooms by building hydroponic gardens! Executive director and mother of two Manuela shares how the gardens are teaching students about the future of farming, while also helping feed the community. Kelly also meets fifth graders Zoe and Giovanni, who demonstrate how a hydroponic garden works. Watch till the end for a huge surprise for New York Sun Works!

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STEM Hydroponic Kit Info Sessions

STEM Kits are BACK IN STOCK! Please complete this form if you are interested in STEM Kits for the 2025-26 school year. 

The education team will be hosting several virtual information sessions to share with teachers the goals of our STEM kits as well as ideas for how to utilize them and the associated curriculum in the classroom.

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NY Sun Works Partnership Info Sessions

Are you interested in bringing a NY Sun Works Hydroponic Classroom to your school? Join us for an information session to learn more about our program, hear about grants available for Hydroponic Classrooms including capital funding, and ask our team any questions you may have. Registration is now available for Zoom information sessions, please spread the word!

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FEBRUARY

Youth Conference Info Sessions

Who: All NYSW Partner Teachers interested in attending or participating in this year’s 14th annual Youth Conference

When: 

Monday, February 24 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here

Wednesday, February 26 | 3pm-4pm | Register Here

Where: Virtual/Zoom

Overview: If you are interested in learning more about our 14th annual NY Sun Works Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference, please join us at one of our information sessions. Our annual conference brings together students from hundreds of partner classrooms across the five boroughs of NYC to share students’ own investigations and action projects through student-led presentations!

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VERTICAL FARM DAILY: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Partners with NY Sun Works to Bring Climate Education to Coney Island Schools

Brooklyn students at select schools will be seeing a lot more green on their campuses, as one congressman joined kids at a Coney Island school to present funds for teaching students about urban farming and planting. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries was at Rachel Carson High School to present $500,000 in federal money to New York Sun Works, the organization providing the hydroponic farms to the schools.  

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Growing Sustainability Together: NY Sun Works & Bregal Investments

Since 2018, NY Sun Works has been proud to partner with Bregal Investments to bring hands-on science and sustainability education directly into 8 New York City classrooms. Through this strategic partnership, students gain access to Hydroponic Classrooms that transform science learning from abstract concepts into lived, tangible experience.

Each year, Bregal’s support helps ensure that hundreds of students can engage in project-based sustainability science—learning how food is grown, how ecosystems function, and how human choices impact the environment. Since the partnership began, thousands of students have been reached through NY Sun Works Hydroponic Classrooms, building curiosity, confidence, and climate literacy at a formative age.

Bregal’s Impact: Where Capital Meets Commitment

Bregal’s partnership goes beyond funding. Each year, Bregal team members roll up their sleeves to help assemble and install hydroponic systems in NYC public schools. It’s detailed, physical work—measuring, lifting, aligning systems, and ensuring everything is ready for students and teachers to use.

As Natalie Kiss from Bregal shared during a recent volunteer day:

“It was really amazing to get to come and build something related to the work I do around sustainability—but in a way that’s so tangible. You can actually see the impact taking shape.“

By the end of the day, volunteers can literally see the systems they’ve built—vertical towers ready to grow basil, lettuce, and herbs that students will harvest themselves. That immediacy is what makes the experience so meaningful.

Philanthropy that sustains learning all year long

Bregal’s philanthropic investment sponsors each hydroponic classroom for the full school year. This funding supports:

• Standards-aligned sustainability science curriculum
• Teacher training and ongoing technical support
• Installation and maintenance of hydroponic systems
• The Harvest Program, which connects classroom learning to students’ families and communities

This comprehensive support ensures that classrooms don’t just receive equipment—but a fully supported, high-quality learning experience.

Why hands-on sustainability education matters

NY Sun Works’ impact data consistently shows that immersive, project-based learning changes how students engage with science. After a year in a Hydroponic Classroom:

• The vast majority of teachers report increased student engagement and science understanding
• Students demonstrate stronger awareness of environmental and climate issues
• Young people are more likely to see themselves as scientists, problem-solvers, and environmental stewards 

Hydroponic Classrooms don’t just teach science—they help students reconnect with learning, with food, and with their role in shaping a more sustainable future.

Corporate Partners Help NY Sun Works Grow

Committed corporate partners like Bregal are essential for NY Sun Works. Their support provides the two things we need most to grow our impact: engaged people and reliable funding. Together, these resources allow us to expand into more schools and reach more students each year.

There are many meaningful ways companies can partner with NY Sun Works, including:

Employee Engagement & Volunteering

Corporate teams can participate in hands-on volunteer days assembling hydroponic systems, support harvest events, or mentor students during workforce development and career-readiness programming. These experiences are collaborative, purpose-driven, and deeply rewarding.

Program & Classroom Sponsorship

Corporate gifts can fund new Hydroponic Classrooms, sponsor schools for an entire year, or support curriculum, teacher training, and maintenance—ensuring long-term success.

Conference & Event Partnership

Companies can sponsor and volunteer NY Sun Works’ annual Youth Conference and other events that celebrate student research, innovation, and leadership in sustainability science.

Join Us in Growing the Future

Bregal’s partnership exemplifies what’s possible when corporate commitment meets community-centered education. Together, we’re not just growing plants—we’re growing confident learners, future scientists, and environmental innovators.

If your company is interested in creating tangible, lasting impact in NYC schools, we invite you to explore partnering with NY Sun Works. Learn more here. Let’s grow something meaningful—together.

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CHALKBEAT: This award-winning South Bronx teacher creates ‘living labs’ (and helps design Regents exams)

In New York, classroom educators often help create state assessments. Few however, are from New York City, like Bronx earth science teacher Carolina Castro-Skehan.

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Bear Maple – A Partnership Success Story

*The following article is taken from an article written by Brian Bethke, Founder and CEO of the Bear Maple Farms company. This article was previously published by 1% for the Planet.

How it began

I count myself as one of the lucky ones as with my work I get to spend a lot of time out in nature up in the Catskills where I established my company Bear Maple Farms. But my work also draws me to the city. One day I was working away in my office space on the Upper West Side and I ran into Manuela Zamora from NY Sun Works who share the same space. Within minutes we were nerding out about hydroponics together. 

Bear Maple Farms tonics use hydroponically grown Ginseng as a key ingredient.

Manuela told me about NY Sun Works’ amazing mission to engage K-12 students in STEM and sustainability education through hydroponics right in their classrooms. I was blown away as hydroponics is also absolutely essential to what we do at Bear Maple!

We are the only beverage company in the world to source hydroponically grown ginseng-which makes it the highest quality in the world! Normally ginseng takes REALLY long to grow. However, hydroponics allows us to simulate the passing of seasons in sped up time. That means trickier crops that used to take over a decade to come to maturity (like ginseng) can be grown in just months. Amazing! 

NY Sun Works uses hydroponics in the same way; to achieve things that just would not be possible otherwise. Using hydroponics, they have ensured that over 140,000 students across the city can grow their own food in the absence of soil. In doing so, they learn not only where their food comes from but also their wider role in food systems and how these impact the environment. It was EXACTLY what our young people should be learning. By the end of our conversation I was all onboard!

Why I got involved with the NY Sun Works Youth Conference

I couldn’t think of a non-profit organization with more alignment with our vision at Bear Maple Farms. The Youth Conference was a chance to demonstrate to attendees that the advancements in agricultural technology that NY Sunworks is teaching to future generations is not just science fiction – it is actually being used by businesses like ours to have a positive impact. Farming doesn’t have to be something that tarnishes the environment. We can make better choices.

Brian attends the Controlled Environment Agriculture Career Fair and Networking Event at the NY Sun Works 13th Youth Conference

At Bear Maple we are about reconnecting consumers with the offerings of nature sitting right here in our native forests, and using that to nourish body and mind. In our case it’s the maple trees and ginseng plants that are the hero ingredients of our beverages. NY Sun Works are also all about nourishing a student’s body and mind, which comes from understanding how their own nutrition choices affect their health and wellbeing. It’s also about helping students see their wider role as Farmer Scientists and future stewards of the planet. They must be doing something right as over 350 schools now use their curriculum.

What were the benefits of getting involved?

Consumers are prioritizing their support for value-aligned brands more than ever before, especially younger generations. Attending the Youth Conference as a business was an easy decision for us as we got to spend the day with over 900 students who all share the values that drive our business.. 
Being 1% for the Planet certified also sent a strong signal to all the attendees that Bear Maple is a business that puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to commitment to people and the planet.

What did I take away from it?

I had some great talks with individuals who were curious about what we do and how we integrate hydroponics into our products. I found it really helpful for discerning how younger people approach their beverage choices and what factors are most likely to sway their decisions when it comes to what they drink. 

I also loved hearing all the student presentations on their discoveries in hydroponics. I am a lifelong learner and so ALL of it appealed to me.

I had so many wonderful conversations with students, but the impression that made the deepest impact on me was the overwhelming sense of community. NY Sunworks has a talent for bringing together everyone from elite experts in vertical farming and hydroponics to middle schoolers who are beaming with excitement about doing something truly positive for our community and the planet. 

How did people at the conference react to Bear Maple?

Everyone who came to chat with us at our booth was super friendly and engaged. They had great questions about the science behind ginseng and all its health benefits. Some of them were even interested in having a go at growing ginseng themselves. I would love to see more people in the US get on board with that. I think the most important thing for me was that we were all on the same page about HOW businesses should behave towards both their customers and the environment and the importance of channeling profits back into the community.

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MATH FOR AMERICA: Accidental Environmentalism

For Carolina Castro, a veteran teacher of earth science at the Comprehensive Model School Project, a 6-12 school in the Bronx, the journey to a new way of teaching sustainability started with a single MƒA workshop in hydroponics. 

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Youth Conference 2025

On May 2nd, 2025, we welcomed more than 900 students to join us once again at the Javits Center, where we celebrated climate education like never before. In addition to student presenters ranging from grades 2nd through 12th, we also heard from guest speakers and virtual guest speakers including: Joyce Leveston, Javits Center President and CEO, Alexis Harley, Senior Vice President and Chief Risk and Resiliency Officer at the New York Power Authority (NYPA), Dr. Elison Blancaflor, Program Scientist at the NASA Biological and Physical Sciences Division, and Te’lario Watkins II, the Founder of Tiger Mushroom Farms.

Launched in 2011, the Youth Conference has played a vital role in growing our community of Farmer Scientists, creating connections between like-minded students and teachers at our over 350 partner schools, who are working together toward a sustainable future.

To watch the full conference recording, click here. Or check out the trailer below!

SESSIONS

Session I – Grow: Students as Farmer Scientists Running Investigations In Their Hydroponic Classrooms

Session II – Innovate: Students as Innovators Creating Their own Hydroponic Systems and Designing Solutions to Current Climate Challenges

Session III – ACT: Students As Global Citizens Engaging In Community Events and Expanding The Learning Beyond Their Hydroponic Classrooms

Guest Speakers

DR. ELISON BLANCAFLOR is a Program Scientist at the NASA Biological and Physical Sciences Division. Since 2022, Dr. Blancaflor has worked for NASA as a Portfolio Scientist and Program Scientist. As a Program Scientist, Dr. Blancaflor oversees science planning, operations, and data analysis, and plays a key role in public outreach and education. He is also the senior scientist responsible for ensuring the science content of a flight program or project remains aligned with its strategic objectives.

Dr. Blancaflor completed his PhD in Biology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1996, before going on to conduct his postdoctoral research in Plant Cell Biology at Pennsylvania State University. During his two-decade professorship at the Noble Research Institute he won the Thora W. Halstead Young Investigator’s Award for his significant contributions to the field of gravitational and space research.

ALEXIS HARLEY is Senior Vice President and Chief Risk and Resiliency Officer at the New York Power Authority (NYPA) where she oversees risk management, resilience and sustainability functions. She is also proud to be serving as executive sponsor of its Abilities Beyond Limits and Expectations employee resource group. Alexis has spent her entire career in the energy industry. In addition to her extensive experience leading risk processes, she has held roles in business transformation, internal consulting, business planning and performance management, process excellence, strategic planning, and engineering project management. Alexis is a graduate of Columbia University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. Committed to helping others develop, Alexis regularly provides mentorship, is an active member of Chief, and in the past served two terms on her local school district’s Board of Education. In her free time, Alexis enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with her daughter.

JOYCE LEVESTON is CEO of the Javits Center, having assumed the role in March, 2025 after 30 years of high-caliber industry experience. Most recently, she was the Senior Vice President of Convention Centers at Oak View Group, where she oversaw strategy and operations for more than 60 convention and conference centers in the OVG360 portfolio. She has worked in convention centers across the country, including holding senior positions at Boston’s Hynes Convention Center, Boston Convention & Exhibitions Center, Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C., Miami Beach Convention Center, George R Brown Convention Center in Houston and the San Diego Convention Center Corporation. Additionally, Leveston has worked on high-profile special events such as fan fests for the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Weekend and MLB AllStar Weekend; presidential inaugural balls; the Nuclear Security Summit for President Obama; the International AIDS Convention; the White House State of Women Summit; Art Basel Miami; and the Radio Correspondence Gala.

TE’LARIO WATKINS II is the Founder of Tiger Mushroom Farms. He started the farm at just seven years old after a Cub Scout project sparked his passion for growing mushrooms. What began as a small home experiment quickly flourished into a thriving business, earning him recognition as a teenpreneur, speaker, food advocate, and author. Te’Lario is dedicated to fighting food insecurity, inspiring young entrepreneurs, and promoting sustainable agriculture. Through his journey, he has not only grown a business but also cultivated a movement—encouraging kids and communities to think big, eat healthy, and grow their own food.

To support our work and the conference as a corporate partner, please contact us.

Past Youth Conferences: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019
2012-2018 Youth Conference presentations available on YouTube

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BRONXNET: Interview with Manuela Zamora (ESP)

En esta edición: Manuela Zamora, directora ejecutiva de la organización “NY Sun Works”, junto a la estudiante Alainna Gastón, platican sobre el éxito y las cosechas del programa de agricultura hidropónica que enseña a los estudiantes a sembrar y cultivar sin tierra, en más de 300 escuelas de la ciudad. Ambas explican cómo funciona el programa, los alimentos que cultivan y la próxima expansión de la iniciativa a más colegios.

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IGROW NEWS: NY Sun Works Awarded Grant to Build First Hydroponic Classroom in Yonkers

NY Sun Works Executive Director Manuela Zamora announced that the organization has received a $49,931 grant from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The funding will support the design and construction of a new Hydroponic Classroom at Lincoln High School in Yonkers, providing students with hands-on sustainability education through seed-to-harvest hydroponic farming.

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HARLEM WORLD: Assemblymember Torres, NY Sun Works Launch Hydroponic Classroom In Bronx School

New York Sun Works joined New York State Assemblymember Emérita Torres yesterday to announce the funding for a new state-of-the-art Hydroponic Classroom. The classroom takes place at Archimedes Academy for Math, Science & Technology Applications in the Bronx. The new lab will provide ongoing support to bring hands-on climate and sustainability education at the school.

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