Greengro Technologies and its subsidiary The Waters Wheel have completed the building of a new seedling nursery greenhouse at City of Youth Academy, a John Muir charter school, as part of an emerging recirculating-water, urban farming curriculum that enables STEM education through hands-on (heuristic) learning lab projects.
Located in the long-acknowledged but unresolved problem “food desert” of Historic South Central Los Angeles, City of Youth Academy will immediately begin using the greenhouse to grow thousands of herb, vegetable and fruit crops for enriching their surrounding community and addressing the health problems that result from the lack of access to affordable fresh-foods. Distribution will be enabled through linkage with local urban-farms that are changing the character of long-neglected neighborhoods, including the Ron Finley and Sister Rashida projects.
Additionally, The Waters Wheel and Greengro Technologies will help City of Youth raise additional funds to enable construction of a full-size Aquaponics and Recirculating Water Farming Systems learning lab on campus to further advance STEM teaching goals and fuel local economy by training the next generation of urban farmers, health-food restaurateurs and culinary nutritionists.
The project is the first collaborative effort to benefit local schools between Greengro Technologies (OTCPink: GRNH) of Anaheim, Calif., and The Waters Wheel, a 501(c)3 public benefit advocacy based in Hollywood, Calif. It is the introductory venture with City of Youth Academy that plans to open a minimum of six separate new charter schools to cover the needs of Historic South Central (City Council Districts 8 and 9) and South Park (Council District 15) duplicating the project throughout long-neglected urban areas that typify America’s classic food deserts.
“With this seedling nursery, we’ll begin teaching students how they can lead in helping their communities improve diets and health and create prosperity through the ancient practice of agriculture, farming where they live,” said James Haas, CEO of Greengro Technologies.
“A special thank you to Greengro and The Waters Wheel, especially to the workers on the project – Kelly, Rachel and John from United Recovery in Buena Park,” said City of Youth program director David Durand.
The companies will complete interior facilities of the City of Youth seedling nursery by October 17, 2013. A new solar parking lot will provide off-grid power for all farming operations. In addition to providing funds for the startup, Greengro Technologies will help equip the facilities with Greengro indoor grow system products. A project previously enabled by The Waters Wheel at Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets won the Aspen Challenge-2013.
City of Youth Academy Charter School provides students ages 16 to 24 the opportunity to obtain their high school diploma or a GED, incorporating community service in the tradition established by the JMCS Charter.