The Subversive Gardener is excited to announce that we are the recipients of a NYU Green Grant from the Office of Sustainability! In a continued effort to work towards promoting sustainability and social justice we have received funds to launch IDM.Grow, a program that connects students with real stakeholders who are experiencing existing challenges related to agriculture and food access. Located in a space at the entrance to the Integrated Digital Media department at NYU is the Grow.Lab, an educational vertical hydroponic garden, germination station, and interactive display.
IDM.Grow stems from a course called, “Developing Technologies for Urban Gardens,” that explores alternative forms of permaculture and identified spaces for designers to develop technologies, products, methods, or systems to facilitate urban gardening. The class designed and built a vertical hydroponic garden and a germination station over the period of a few weeks.
The IDM.Grow program teaches students how to use their creativity and existing skills to design products and systems that investigate and can help transform urban environments into green spaces. They are encouraged to utilize their studies to work on meaningful projects that promote positive change and are connected with groups who are experiencing agricultural challenges. Students have been engaging with the communities both locally and internationally such as Los Sures Senior Affordable Housing in Brooklyn, the Ndor Eco Village in the Volta Region of Ghana, as well as Green Souls in Mumbai India.
The mission of IDM.Grow is to not only enable students to acquire real experience working in the AgTech field, but to develop relationships with community and grass root organizations. By connecting design and engineering students to these groups, we aim to help foster environmental literary and community engagement and expand sustainability learning opportunities for all parties involved.
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The Seedpill Project 