Current:Home > StocksHow hydroponic gardens in schools are bringing fresh produce to students-InfoLens
How hydroponic gardens in schools are bringing fresh produce to students
View Date:2024-12-23 16:28:11
Inside the cafeteria at Ashwaubenon High School near Green Bay, Wisconsin, past the tater tots and fried chicken sandwiches, students have access to a salad bar filled with home-grown produce.
The vegetables were planted and picked just down the hallway, where a no-soil indoor hydroponic garden runs on circulating water, special nutrients and LED lights.
"Fresh food can be grown easily in Wisconsin in the middle of winter," said Kaitlin Taurianen, nutrition coordinator for Ashwaubenon School District.
Taurianen says the indoor farm produces around 850 pounds of produce per month, which is enough to feed up to 2,000 students throughout the district.
"A lot of our kids aren't exposed to fresh foods at home, just because it's financially hard for the families to purchase those kinds of things," Taurianen said.
The innovative system stemmed from the imagination of Wisconsin native Alex Tyink. Trained as an opera singer, he got into rooftop gardening in New York City between gigs. Then he decided to use what he had learned to start a company called Fork Farms, with the aim of helping people grow their own food.
"Food is already having to travel further and further to get from seed to plate. Our food system is failing us," Tyink said.
That's why Tyink sees the 2,500-year-old technique as the water-and-land-efficient farming of the future.
As nearly 1 out of every 8 households faces food insecurity, according to the USDA, Tyink says units like the ones made by his company can get people fresh food faster.
Mark Geirach received grants to buy two of the $5,000 devices for the food bank he runs near Milwaukee.
"As the cost of food continues to rise, it becomes more valuable than anything else," Geirach said. "If you have the opportunity to have fresh produce on the table, versus something canned or processed or nothing at all, how much better is life for you? And that's what we try to do. We try to make life better."
In Milwaukee Public Schools, where officials say more than 80% of students are economically disadvantaged, 80 flex farms have sprouted.
"That's where it gets really exciting, because now you have a community of people that are doing this together and they're learning from each other," Tyink said.
- In:
- Milwaukee
- Gardening
- Food Insecurity
- Wisconsin
- Education
- Food Banks
Roxana Saberi is a CBS News correspondent based in Chicago. Saberi has covered a wide range of issues for CBS News in the U.S. and beyond. Before being deployed to Chicago, Saberi served five years as a foreign correspondent based in the network's London bureau.
TwitterveryGood! (857)
Related
- Some women are stockpiling Plan B and abortion pills. Here's what experts have to say.
- How to watch Rangers vs. Panthers Game 6: Will Florida return to Stanley Cup Final?
- Louisiana law that could limit filming of police hampers key tool for racial justice, attorneys say
- Oregon officials close entire coast to mussel harvesting due to shellfish poisoning
- Brian Austin Green’s Fiancée Sharna Burgess Celebrates Megan Fox’s Pregnancy News
- 'Knives Out' 3 new cast reveals include Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington: What to know
- 4 years after George Floyd's death, has corporate America kept promises to Black America?
- Daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt files court petition to remove father’s last name
- Stressing over Election Day? Try these apps and tools to calm your nerves
- Mike Tyson’s fight with Jake Paul has been postponed after Tyson’s health episode
Ranking
- How Jersey Shore's Sammi Sweetheart Giancola's Fiancé Justin May Supports Her on IVF Journey
- Pro-Palestinian protesters enter Brooklyn Museum, unfurl banner as police make arrests
- The Top 12 Must-Have Lululemon Gifts for Father's Day 2024
- Therapy dogs real stars of Women's College World Series, aiding mental health and performance
- Mike Tyson is expected to honor late daughter during Jake Paul fight. Here's how.
- Champions League final highlights: Real Madrid beats Dortmund to win 15th European crown
- Trump campaign says it raised $52.8 million after guilty verdict in fundraising blitz
- Dallas Stars coach Peter DeBoer rips reporter who called his team 'lifeless' in Game 5 loss
Recommendation
-
Horoscopes Today, November 10, 2024
-
Live Nation reveals data breach at its Ticketmaster subsidiary
-
Louisiana law that could limit filming of police hampers key tool for racial justice, attorneys say
-
Fact checking Trump's remarks after historic conviction in hush money trial
-
2 dead in explosion at Kentucky factory that also damaged surrounding neighborhood
-
Mike Tyson’s fight with Jake Paul has been postponed after Tyson’s health episode
-
Columbus Crew hopes altitude training evens the odds in Concacaf Champions Cup final
-
Tribal police officer among 2 killed, 4 wounded by gunfire at Phoenix-area home