Certified B Corporation and indoor vertical farming leader AeroFarms will celebrate World Environment Day June 5 with Bronx school PS 85, The Great Expectations School. The ribbon-cutting celebration marks the official launch of AeroFarms’ Community Farms Program, set to provide more than 5,000 servings of fresh, local food annually.
Powered by STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) curriculum and AeroFarms’ proprietary aeroponic Community Farm Units (CFUs), the program combines hands-on environmental education with year-round access to fresh and nutritious leafy greens. Among the goals: cultivating lifelong interest in nutrition and leafy greens as part of a healthy daily diet for students and their parents.
“Our PS 85 community is extremely excited to celebrate World Environment Day together and partner with the AeroFarms Community Farms program to bring hands-on, STEAM learning to life in such a unique way for our students to experience growing and tasting their own food from seed to plate,” said Sara Medina, Principal at PS 85.
“This World Environment Day, we are excited to celebrate with key partners like PS 85 and the broader AeroFarms network as we continue our efforts to bring healthy food and STEAM education to communities where this can best make a positive impact,” said Jason Ginsberg, AeroFarms Chief of Staff and Director of Community Farms. “There is an amazing community here in New York City from Mayor Adams and his office to the NYC public schools program committed to making healthy positive changes and options for its students.”
AeroFarms technology allows students and adults to participate in hyper-local, sustainable food production — from seed to salad — and enjoy the results. Along with the farm system, AeroFarms also provides a full-service package to Community Farms customers, which includes growing inputs and support hours from AeroFarms’ expert team.
Support from key strategic partners in the greater Newark / New York City area has been crucial to the Community Farms Program’s success. The current program builds on AeroFarms’ early work with Philip’s Academy Charter School in downtown Newark, where the company installed a cafeteria farm in 2011 to be used for STEAM education and to supplement the school’s food service meal offerings.
Image courtesy AeroFarms