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Work is blossoming at our Central Park East 2 site thru BOD’s 4 part Greening program over 8 weeks. We have served over 600 PK-8th students, introducing them to healthy gardening and beginning permaculture design. Thanks to the vision of exemplary principal Naomi Smith, we are committed to involving EVERY student in EVERY phase of design and implementation. Students have all had their hands in the soil as we’ve begun planting, gardening, and augmenting tree pits with compost and flowers. In their introductory experience with permaculture design, students are considering how to transition their current school garden into a nature classroom. Students work together to plan and design the space, utilizing resources that embody healthy ecosystems. Classes run thru mid-June, so look forward to more pictures of them in action. You’ll be amazed what these young people can do! 
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BOD is proud to be back in high school classrooms! We partnered with A. Philip Randolph High School's Sustainability class for a 6-week series on “Introduction to Permaculture Design.” In our first weekly meeting, students began to grasp what healthy gardens look like, and got their creative juices flowing with some preliminary design work.
Next, we pushed students’ abstract thinking as they discovered how the permaculture principle “Produce No Waste” comes to life in real-world design. Students explored how urban composting mimics nature’s decomposition of organic matter, as well as intercepting organic materials heading to landfills.
Students have explored the principle of “Catch & Store Energy,” considering use of solar panels, closed drying racks and water capture through rain barrels. Students enthusiastically integrated their prior knowledge of physics, comparing collected water to dammed rivers as energy sources. As students get acquainted with permaculture principles and what they look like in action, they are building their “permaculture toolbox.” Stay tuned for more updates from budding designers at the A. Philip Randolph site! This winter, Monica was interviewed by The Glass Clouds Ensemble, a group of Juilliard musicians whose mission is to amplify the message of New York area climate leaders through the commissioning, performance, and promotion of new music. Hannah, Raina Arnett, Lauren Conroy, and Marisa Karchin first encountered BOD through Monica’s environmental leaders fellowship with the @womensEarthAlliance and @SierraClub. These trailblazers shared in a wide-ranging conversation sharing their individual journeys as artists and environmental activists. Such an amazing meeting of the minds! The recorded interview inspired composer Hannah, to create a piece of music, which debuted in April 2022. Monica describes it as magical, emotionally moving, & passionate! During the debut, Monica gave a short presentation about our work at Beyond Organic Design. We feel very honored and grateful for this opportunity. Can’t wait to share the recording sometime soon! 🤩  |
