URBAN DESIGN & SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM: WEEK 3

Another week, more learning---and fun. The Urban Design & Sustainability Program is sustainability education in the classroom, but there’s always hands-on activities or a field trip to  keep students engaged.

The UDSP crew helped dig up the bricks around the trees in front of Renaissance Charter School. Students are prepping the area for our Tree Pit Love project. We’ll rehabilitate the soil with compost and build tree guards for protection. Students love working with their hands. Plus, it's our little way of beautifying Jackson Heights.

Henry feels the rhythm.

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Felix's worm drawing

Ava: The activities are so cool and awesome. Planting was so fun. I like composting so much. Bokashi was super cool. I like it all!

Mariela

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Tenzin discovers worms

Felix harvesting Lamb's Ear

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Up on the rooftop garden, students made a compost bin made with worms, styrofoam, soil, and newspapers. Students planted more vegetables, including donations from parents and colleagues. They rapped the Compost Song and played the drums. They also presented skits and songs inspired by what they’re learning in class. Djangou Wilburn taught an amazing cooking class with students sampling the tasty results.

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Ezra shows Justin how to prep.

Charlese is an apprentice sous-chef.

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Charlese: I saw birds and leafs. I saw bees. They drink the flower for the nectar. I saw two baby carrots. I saw a green tomato. I could see lots of plants in the garden.

Natalia: I learned that we can all help the world, even if it is small.

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On Friday, students toured the hundreds of plants and trees at the Queens Botanical Garden, a NYC urban oasis. They also learned about bees and pollination, witnessing (from a distance) QBG’s five beehives, which house 40,000 bees! They sampled honey made directly on site.

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Touring Queens Botanical Garden

Bee hives at Queens Botanical Garden

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Angel's got a thing for insects

QBC's Helen talks trees

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A special shout-out goes to Angel, Mason, Andrew, Peter, and Felix who helped create and design this week’s blog. USDP students are multi-talented! 

Finally, we'd like to share a recent email we received about the UDSP:

My daughter Marialba is part of the Summer Camp hosted by Renaissance school. She LOVES it, I see how professional is and how meaningful is being for her. I also appreciate the fact that is free (a BIG help for working families like mine) 
Thank you & keep up with the good work! 
I look forward to the weekly newsletters. 

Best, 
Maria Jose 
Mom to Marialba Gallegos :)

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Camilo

Marialba

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Mason: Hey, plant, give me a moment to pant / You need to be mowed, to be regrowed / That plant needs to eat poop, to not droop / God, we need you to give us a robot / The bot will stop and put cumquat in the compost / Thank you New York for this garden work / Thank you boss for this moss

Vanesa: Today, after going to the rooftop garden, I noticed my plants have grown, improved a lot. For instance, in just six days the radish plant has growth into a little sprout. Also, the marigolds have grown way bigger, with a stem and three leaves.

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The Compost Rap

Compost is the way to go
Reuse our waste to make things grow
If we learn what we can throw
We can make our compost grow

Apple cores, bananas bruised
Coffee grounds with filters used
Garden clippings, eggshells crushed
Fruit pulp left behind all mushed.

Hair from a haircut, kitchen scraps
Laundry lint from dryer traps
Paper shredded, tea bags too
All with a bit of worm poo poo

Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen
Are the layers in a compost bin
Carbon is made with paper and plants
Food waste does the nitrogen dance
Oxygen comes from turning it
Once a week will make it fit
Spray it lightly with a mist
Cover it up, you get the jist!

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Author

Justin Remus is the Communications Director of Beyond Organic Design.