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CBS NEWS: NY Sun Works Helps Communities Across New York City Study Climate Change

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News12: Students Present Hydroponic Research Projects at the Annual Bronx STEAM Expo

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Celebrating Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month, an occasion that honors the achievements and contributions women have made throughout America’s history, breaking barriers, fighting for equality, and innovating to build a better future. At NY Sun Works, we are proud that 60% of our team are women, who spearhead our strategy, programming, teacher training, events, and more. In the classroom, women also lead the way, with both city-wide and national averages trending toward 75%* of in-school educators identifying as women. We believe a sustainable future starts in the classroom, and want to celebrate both the women on our team and those at the many school partners we work with who are helping us equip students with the tools to tackle the most pressing issue of our time: climate change. 

However, systemic discrimination persists, which is why it’s so important to discuss topics like this. To our dismay, women continue to be discouraged from pursuing educational opportunities and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Today, women represent only 35%** of the STEM workforce. And although there has been an increase in female participation in STEM over the past two decades;  Latinx, Black, and Indigenous women remain wildly underrepresented, at less than 10%** of the STEM workforce. In order to create a more sustainable future, our top priority is providing communities in all areas of the city with equitable access to high-quality climate and STEM education. 

To that end, we are committed to building a generation of Farmer Scientists emboldened to create solutions to climate challenges, and changing the narrative for young women and girls when it comes to science-related careers. In our Hydroponic Classrooms, students of all genders can find the resources, tools, and confidence to pursue higher education in STEM. By learning through farming, students are encouraged to get excited, invest in their education, and consider a future where they are climate scientists, activists, and leaders. Many of our current students have already felt the empowering effects of hands-on learning, excelling in their investigative research projects and taking on stewardship roles in their local communities.

As we grow alongside school partners across the city, we’re excited to also continue uplifting girls and young women as they confidently explore the wonderful world of climate and sustainability science. Through growing plants in the classroom, we’re connecting students with the growing world of green careers, breaking down barriers for students who are passionate about the health of our planet. Together, we can create a greener, more inclusive, and ever-more sustainable future for NYC.

*Merrill, L., Kang, D. 2017. “What is the Gender Breakdown of NYC Teachers?” Spotlight on NYC Schools. Research Alliance for New York City Schools.
https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/research-alliance/research/spotlight-nyc-schools/what-gender-breakdown-nyc-teachers#:~:text=Women%20made%20up%2074.6%25%20of,from%2025.4%25%20to%2023.4%25.

**NGCP, March 2024, The State of Girls in STEM. 
https://ngcproject.org/sites/default/files/downloadables/2024-02/NGCP-TheStateofGirlsinSTEM-March2024.pdf

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News12: Williamsburg School Celebrates 10 Years of Providing Hands-On Climate Education

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Growing Green Partnerships: Cutting the Ribbon at PS 147 Isaac Remsen

This morning, we celebrated the 10 year anniversary of one of our founding partnerships at PS 147 in Brooklyn! Joined by special guests including Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez and Executive Director of NYC Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture Qiana Mickie, we celebrated this momentous occasion as the school unveiled its newly renovated Hydroponic Classroom. With so many years of climate education experience under their belt, the Farmer Scientists of PS147 showed off just how far they’d come, and we’re equally inspired to see what amazing things are still in store!

“PS 147 is leading our students into the future every day, and today’s grand opening of the hydroponic lab is a perfect example of their commitment to our children,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez (D-34). “Schools know that to prepare our next generation for tomorrow, curricula must include STEAM and adapting to climate change, which includes learning how to sustainably grow our own food. PS 147 is an incredible community that gives so much to our children and families, and I’m thrilled to support NY Sun Works and this amazing resource for everyone to thrive.” 

As we continue our journey toward a sustainable future, our roots in New York City also have grown ever-deeper, with some of the first partnerships we established now operating for almost a decade. For each of those years, a new group of New Yorkers experiences a new way of thinking about their food, what it takes to grow it, and where it comes from. While with this week’s ribbon cutting we’re inaugurating an expanded program at PS 147, we’re doing so in the same spirit of learning and discovery that motivated the construction of our first Hydroponic Classroom all those years ago. With almost 150 school partners in Brooklyn alone and another 26 in the Borough on the way by the end of this year, the green spaces created at each of our partner schools have begun to grow together to create a collective community of like-minded sustainability scientists, activists, and experts who are eager to dive into the joy of learning and imagine solutions to everyday climate challenges. 

“Hydroponic classrooms offer hands-on opportunities for students to learn climate education, sustainability, and urban farming, and they strengthen science in schools,” said Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture Executive Director Qiana Mickie. “Congratulations to PS 147 and NY Sun Works on a successful, ten-year collaboration that builds the climate and food stewards of tomorrow.”

“I am so happy to be in Bushwick to celebrate the partnership between PS 147 and NY Sun Works,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Over the past 10 years, collaboration between PS 147 and NY Sun Works has brought students a significant understanding of the natural world and keen awareness of the environmental issues impacting our globe. To mount a successful fight against climate change, we need young people involved, and I am confident that through this continued partnership and a newly renovated hydroponic farm classroom, even more students will be empowered to make meaningful change in our world.”

Among many long-term sustainability initiatives, there’s a sense that while amazing things are happening, many of us impassioned by current events are planting the seeds of shade that we may never see. To that end, celebrating this 10-year anniversary also instills us with a sense of pride, in that we’ve been able to watch students explore multiple years of successive climate education, engaging with curriculum of increasing depth and rigor as they grow alongside the plants in their classrooms. The global stage is often rife with mixed news, so we hope occasions like this inspire those within New York City and beyond to take action, dream big, and feel confident that there are others who share the same passion we do for climate education. 

We’d like to say thank you again to PS 147 and Principal Sandra Noyola for a long and flourishing partnership, as well as Borough President Reynoso, Executive Director Qiana Mickie, and Council Member Gutiérrez for supporting our Farmer Scientists and helping us emphasize the importance of this occasion. The path to a sustainable future in New York is paved with long-term partnerships and meaningful investments, and after today, we’re excited to see what possibilities are in store for the next 10 years! 

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Youth Conference Info Sessions

If you are interested in learning more about our 13th annual Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference, please join us at one of our information sessions. Our annual conference brings together students in person 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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Announcing the 13th Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference!

It’s that time of year again! The NY Sun Works Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference is on the horizon, and we’re incredibly excited to share some of the first details about this year’s celebration of science. This year’s Conference will be held on May 23rd, 2024, once again at the beautiful Javits Center! Surrounded by the iconic Javits rooftop farm and pavilion, students from partner schools across the city will join us on Manhattan’s west side for a day of learning, sharing, and scientific exploration. Partner schools interested in attending, please check out our Youth Conference Info Sessions, available on our Upcoming Events Calendar. 

The Youth Conference is an annual student showcase where Farmer Scientists in our program come together to take the stage, share their projects, and connect with peers who are also passionate about climate science. Last year, we welcomed over 900 students and teachers, with presenters as young as 2nd grade and as old as high school seniors sharing what they’ve learned in their Hydroponic Classrooms. Students in our High School Workforce Development Program participated in our  first-ever Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Career Fair, where 16 organizations in education, sustainability, science, and urban farming came together to connect our students with internships, job opportunities and post-secondary pathways.

Simultaneously, our Associate Board met with these same students for resume reviews, helping prepare them for professional futures. We were also excited to share our first Student Art Show, presented by the students at West End Secondary who created a collection of pieces inspired by their research in food and science. Our Youth Press Team also covered the event live, with student journalists from elementary to high school interviewing presenters and sharing their thoughts (which you can read more about here!)

In addition to the hard work of all these amazing students, we were honored to welcome a host of inspiring guest speakers to last year’s conference, including Javits Center CEO Alan Steel, who has helped make great strides in incorporating sustainability into the Javits Center’s footprint, as well as Qiana Mickie, the first Executive Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture, and NY City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Students also heard from professionals like Jerri Taylor, the Director of Diversity in Career Pathways at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, as well as Kaela Mainsah, Vice President of New York Power Authority’s Environmental Justice program, and Gotham Greens co-founder and sustainability entrepreneur Viraj Puri. Through connecting students with these contemporary leaders, we not only hope to inspire them with big dreams, but to empower them with connections to people who are making big change happen right now in New York City, just like the students are in our classrooms. 

We’re incredibly excited to share more about this year’s upcoming conference. Partner schools interested in attending, please check out our Youth Conference Info Sessions, available on our Upcoming Events Calendar. Spots are limited, so please reach out sooner rather than later! For more information about the Youth Conference and other previous conferences including past presentations, speakers, and more please visit our website.

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NY1: Estudiantes en Escuela en Harlem Siembran Plantas y Estudian Ciencia – Utilizando Agua en Lugar de Tierra

En el mes de febrero, estudiantes de la escuela PS123 Mahalia Jackson en Harlem, emocionados, dieron inicio a lo que sería la apertura de su laboratorio hidropónico.

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From the Science Barge to Over 300 Schools: Celebrating 20 Years of Sustainability Science and Climate Education

Our story begins in 2004 when Dr. Ted Caplow founded New York Sun Works and created the Science Barge, a sustainable urban farm and greenhouse that floated along the Hudson River. This single instance of compact sustainability inspired what has now become our Hydroponic Classrooms, creating hands-on science and climate education opportunities for students across the five boroughs of New York City. 20 years later, we’ve created partnerships with over 300 schools, training hundreds of teachers who in turn teach tens of thousands of students. Although our organization has grown over time, our mission has always stayed the same: to bring sustainability science and climate education to NYC public schools. We’ve also added new goals along the way, however, like creating pathways to green careers for students in secondary and post-secondary schools. 

It’s been quite the journey for us since the Science Barge, and there have been some truly magical moments along the way. In 2010, we built the first Hydroponic Classroom at PS 333 the Manhattan School for Children, where our original greenhouse-based design shines against the New York cityscape. Shortly thereafter we began writing our own curriculum and hosting teacher training workshops as we took our first steps toward an expansive climate education. It wouldn’t be until 2017 though that our online Learning Center would see its official launch, where years of curriculum development would find a home for teachers to access throughout the school year. After planting the first seed with our Hydroponic Classroom at PS 333, we realized something about our greenhouse approach. Not every school has the rooftop space or logistical resources to accommodate this kind of structure, and while the views are stellar, it’s really the hydroponic systems and the hands-on learning they provide that make our program shine. 

To that end, we began adopting a new approach to school partnerships, innovating on the use of urban farming as a tool to teach the science behind sustainability. Alongside key city partners like the Department of Education and School Construction Authority, we envisioned Hydroponic Classrooms as part of the everyday school experience, built into normal indoor classrooms that can be retrofitted to suit the systems. We believe every student deserves quality sustainability science and climate education opportunities, and operating under that philosophy we’ve grown from just one school partner in 2010, to 86 school partners in 2018, 170 in 2020, and now over 300 in 2024. 

More recently, in response to the COVID pandemic, we created our STEM Hydroponic Kits, which provided students and teachers a way to continue growing their own plants while learning remotely. During the 2020-2021 school year, we delivered over 12,500 of these kits across the city, and converted existing school labs into full indoor farms, providing food for school communities and local pantries to help alleviate the impact of the pandemic. In 2022, we piloted our High School Workforce Development Program with support from the US Department of Agriculture, partnering with the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program to certify high school students in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Since the success of this initial pilot, we’ve continued to connect our older students with potential green careers, additionally equipping them with marketable technical and job-seeking skills that will help them navigate the fast paced NYC job market. 

Last year, we held our 12th annual Youth Conference at the iconic Javits Center, where their green rooftop farm and garden lent weight to our mission of bringing nature back into the heart of New York’s classrooms. This was our first in-person conference after years of pandemic learning, and it was a joy to welcome over 1,000 students and teachers from across the five boroughs and metro NJ to our celebration of sustainability science. With our 13th Youth Conference on the horizon and recent expansion to post-secondary education with LaGuardia Community College, the stage is set for this year to be our best one yet, and we’re incredibly excited to share it with all of you. Like us, our community has grown and blossomed over recent years, and we’re incredibly grateful for your support. It’s been an amazing 20 years of climate science, and we look forward to building more learning opportunities for twenty more!

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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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