NY Sun Works opens hydroponic classroom in Elmhurst with support from BP Richards

Construction of the classroom was made possible with the support of $325,000 in capital funding allocated by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.

The classroom will allow students to learn to grow produce hydroponically in a controlled environment using 90% less water, energy from LED lighting instead of the sun and nutrients from soil-free growth mediums

These conditions result in much greater yields than traditional farming, a news release from Richards’s office noted.

It also aims to empower students to understand their connection to the planet while growing produce seed-to-harvest during their school day.

“True wealth is the ability to provide for one’s community without depleting the Earth,” PS 7Q Principal Robert Aiello emphasized.

NY Sun Works is the largest provider of sustainability science and climate education to public schools in the city and the only nonprofit delivering state-of-the-art hydroponic classrooms paired with a comprehensive, standards-aligned science curriculum to pre-K through 12th grade classrooms nationwide. 

According to the news release, the nonprofit delivers transformative education to communities where it’s needed most, resulting in proven outcomes for school communities.

The lab is part of a $5 million investment by Richards to bring hands-on climate science education through indoor hydroponic farming to thousands of students Queens-wide.

“Ensuring our students receive a holistic, high-quality education means investing in their potential beyond the spectrum of what we’ve always believed education to involve,” Richards said. “It means giving our kids direct, hands-on experience in subjects will not only guide them toward the careers of tomorrow but also instill in them the importance of public service.” 

He said not only do the hydroponics labs represent an important blend of education and public service in relation to agriculture and food science, but also feeding families in need in their communities. 

The PS 7 lab is one of three dozen classrooms the borough president’s office has funded in schools across the borough, which Richards said he was proud to have delivered alongside NY Sun Works.

NY Sun Works Executive Director Manuela Zamora said she was grateful for the borough president’s support, explaining how it helps the nonprofit fulfill its educational mission.

“At NY Sun Works, we are committed to ensuring that every public school child in New York City, no matter where they were born or where they go to school, receives a high-quality science education,” Zamora said. “Such support ensures these students can experience the benefits of the hands-on learning approaches which make science accessible, while growing hundreds of pounds of vegetables all year round.”

NY Sun Works has hydroponic classrooms in nearly 20% of NYC public schools, as well as in school districts nationwide. 

All of the nonprofit’s partner schools receive ongoing resources and services to ensure the program and technology are running seamlessly, the news release noted. 

It also provides professional development training for science educators in addition to weekly visits from Greenhouse Support Teams to guide teachers in hydroponic systems maintenance.

Since opening its first hydroponic classroom in 2010, NY Sun Works has partnered with over 370 schools, reaching more than 140,000 students annually across New York City, Westchester County, Union City, NJ, and Birmingham, AL. 

Collectively, NY Sun Works schools have the capacity to grow approximately 200,000 pounds of produce each year in their classrooms while teaching the science behind seed-to-harvest farming.