Inside Urban Green

Salad Bars for Eating Plants, Light Stands for Growing Them

Del Monte and discount grocer Marc’s teamed up to provide self-serve salad bars to three Cleveland-area schools, increasing the fresh produce options for more than 3,500 students.

Though I've not eaten from one, salad bars in schools seem like a good idea to me. A year ago I changed my diet and became a fan of whole foods only. I am thoroughly enjoying it and have lost about 45 pounds. Daily walks in Balboa Park have improved my aerobic fitness and this is the best condition I’ve been in for many years. New knees have helped. They are miraculous.

What if there was a salad bar in all public schools? Would they put a dent in our national obesity problem? I believe they would. I would also like to see "salad grow bars" working in tandem with salad bars in every school.

I'm referring to the type of indoor light stands that I have been using in my lab for the past 17 years. I can grow anything with roots from coffee trees to lettuce along with lots of decorative plants to soothe the soul.

See Flickr album

I am moving back to the east coast and plan to beta test a program to put a STEM-based plant light stand in all public schools. The types I use are far more affordable and functional then those currently on the market for school use. Results since 1998 are powerful evidence of their educational value

The first step is to find one or more high school beta test partners. High school students can become a cadre of mentors for children in lower grades who have the potential to be the generation that stems the obesity problem.

My prior experience in Brooklyn revealed that lower grades science teachers know little or nothing about modern STEM-based plant growing methods like sub-irrigated planters (SIPs). They also demonstrated a lot of interest when I had one-to-one sessions with them.

Most of them were truly amazed and appreciated the program. I believe it is vital that our public education system teach a new generation of young people about “STEM before stems.”

via producenews.com

October 13, 2015

Discount grocer Marc’s has teamed up with Del Monte Fresh Produce to provide self-serve salad bars to three schools in Mentor, OH, as part of the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative.

The donations were celebrated Oct. 8 with a ribbon-cutting at Mentor High School in front of the school’s new salad bar. The event brought together school administrators, students and produce and retail grocery executives to celebrate the donations and observe students as they used the salad bar to fill up their lunch trays with fresh fruit and vegetables. Del Monte and discount grocer Marc’s teamed up to provide self-serve salad bars to three Cleveland-area schools, increasing the fresh produce options for more than 3,500 students.

“As part of our commitment to the community, we take great pride in promoting healthy eating habits and increasing students’ access to fruits and vegetables in school lunchrooms,” Marc Glassman, founder of Marc’s, said in a press release. “We’re pleased to come together with our partners at Del Monte Fresh to make this positive, healthy change possible.” Read more...

From the Center for Urban Greenscaping (CuGreen)

photo: NYCEDC

Searching for a job? Want to start a business, live a healthier life or improve your child’s science education? Are you a peri-urban farmer looking to sell more in your local city? Are you a hunger fighting non-profit looking to feed more mouths? Are you a school principal looking to upgrade your science education? If your answer is yes to any of these, a new class of technology products may be the solution you are looking for.

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Search The Cooperative Extension Program Nationwide With One Click

Here is an easy way to monitor what the Cooperative Extension Program is delivering on the subject of modern methods of urban food production. The custom Google search engine currently searches 954 Extension Program sites.

My opinions about the low quality of information delivered by the Extension program are not subjective. They are based on observable information and here is how anyone can check it out and form their own opinion.

via www.extension.org

Following are some of the search strings that I use regularity in my blog research. Simply copy/paste them into the search box and you will be reading the same information I frequently read. If you have any search strings on the subject that you have found particularly useful please post a comment for the benefit of all of us.

I also use the same search strings for site searches. I can tell in a few minutes if a particular website or blog publishes information about modern food growing methods or is stuck in the dirt so to speak. 

My first search is usually one to establish whether the site publishes information about the broad subject of "garden OR gardening". Once I know that they are writing about the subject I search further to determine where they are coming from regarding the use of modern technology.

"self-watering" OR "sub-irrigation"

earthbox OR earthboxes OR "earth box" OR "earth boxes" 

hydroponics OR hydroculture OR aeroponics OR aquaponics

"container garden" OR "container gardening"

"raised bed" OR "raised beds"

houseplant OR houseplants OR "house plant" OR "house plants" OR "indoor plant" OR "indoor plants"

Today Is National Lab Day: Give A Kid A SIP Of Science

Today is National Lab Day. In recognition of the day give a kid a soda bottle SIP of science!

Sub-irrigated planters called SIPs teach the scientific method for growing all plants whether edible, decorative or for science experiments.

We clearly need more plant science taught in labs in schools and fewer school gardens in the dirt outside.

A far better solution than a dirt garden is the program we implemented at PS 102 across the street from where I live. I donated a light garden for year round plant science education and 15 bucket type SIPs for use outdoors in the garden adjacent to the school.

With the use of SIPs, there is no need for breaking paved surfaces or plowing land. All that is needed is space with adequate sunlight.

I also recommended that the school join The Growing Connection EarthBox program, which they did. The EarthBoxes were recently planted. PS 102 now has a comprehensive year-round plant science program.