Project: NOLA Solar Flares
Resources Needed: Two solar panels and associated hardware, as well as lights and seeds to operate a year-round, indoor edible garden.
School Poverty Level: Highest
Location: Edna Karr High School, New Orleans, Louisiana
Total Cost: $1,915.87
Still Needed: $409.93 $166.21
Expires: Feb 26, 2015
Teacher's Comments from Mr. Crist:
My Students: Do you have a memory of something you made yourself? What about if the thing you "made" yourself was nutritious, sustainable and the effort was aligned with national standards in math and science?
The young citizens of our school are hungry. They are insatiably hungry to feel empowered and efficacious. They are hungry to make a difference in the New Orleans community and the world. But, most of all, the Cougars in my Biology classes and the Art and Ecology Club are hungrily seeking to answer many questions, including: what does it mean to live sustainably with other living and non-living systems? How can sources of renewable energy be used in our daily lives? What are the parts and processes of plants? What are ways to be more nutritious through diet and lifestyle? And how can we affect local economies? While many of my students arrive with insufficient science backgrounds, they thrive when "doing science", and they respond with proud ownership to the tasks of envisioning solutions.
My Project: We are participating in a sustainable design competition called the Green Schools Challenge, hosted by the Louisiana U.S. Green Building Council. The components of our program include a bitter panicum nursery in partnership with LSU's Coastal Roots, an outdoor edible garden, a schoolwide recycling program, and our students also want to include a renewable energy-powered garden to the suite of efforts. Students will explore critical science, math, economics and ethics concepts through the installation and operation of a solar energy system, and the cultivation and sales of our produce. We will use the solar panels to drive the indoor lighting system in conjunction with a vertical aeroponics garden to create a stable production cycle that we consistently take to market.
The young people of our school are curiously compelled to make a positive change across many levels of society, and are keen to witness the effects of their endeavors. The renewable energy garden serves to enhance lessons, increase cohesiveness in the classroom; this will cause a groundswell of awareness and action throughout the student body.
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