The Greenhouse Raising

An illustration from the Salvadori lesson plan "Fun With The Sun."

"Green energy" has long been a focus of the Salvadori pedagogy, from green roofs to energy conserving architecture to active and passive solar design. (For Salvadori lessons on these and other "green energy" subjects, consult Lessons from the Salvadori Classrooms).

Assisted by an $18,000 grant from the KeySpan Foundation, along with funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, the Center worked with two fifth-grade classes at The Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights, Queens, to build a 200-square foot active solar-powered greenhouse on the school's roof-top garden as part of the school’s Earth Science Curriculum. Originally schedule for completion on Earth Day, April 22, but postponed because of rain, the “raising” took place on an equally appropriate date: June 21, the Summer Solstice, the day that has the most daylight hours and marks the beginning of the summer.

On that day, parents, staff and board members from the Salvadori Center, and volunteers from KeySpan Corporation and the KeySpan Foundation worked hand-in-hand with the fifth-grade students to complete the electrical work, put on the greenhouse door, install vents, attach shelving, and learn about solar panel maintenance. In their new greenhouse the students will study and measure solar energy, plants, photosynthesis and water drainage. The students plan to grow their own vegetables and herbs for the school cafeteria.

At 11 a.m. the students flipped the switch to bring the greenhouse to life.

Bright Power, Inc., Solar Energy Systems, and SunWize Technologies also provided invaluable technical support to the project. To see a schematic in PDF of how the greenhouse power system works, click here.